What share of teenagers in São Luís are in school?

Among young people aged 15 to 17 in São Luís, 86.0% were attending school or college at the 2022 census, the 147th highest of 320 major Brazilian cities (Brazil: 85.2%).

What share of pupils pass the school year in São Luís?

94.3% of pupils in the 6th to 9th grades of public schools in São Luís passed the 2025 school year (Brazil: 95.7%); 9th-graders averaged 240.4 in mathematics and 250.3 in Portuguese on the Saeb tests (Brazil: 256.2 and 258.1).

Education in São Luís, Brazil: official figures

At the 2022 census 98.5% of children aged 6 to 14 in São Luís were attending school, the 147th lowest of 320 major Brazilian cities and the 1543rd lowest of Brazil's 5,570 municipalities (Brazil: 98.3%; Maranhão state: 98.4%).

Children aged 6-14 attending school

98.5%

2022

Ideb, public schools, 1st-5th grade

6.0

2025

Ideb, public schools, 6th-9th grade

4.6

2025

How many young children in São Luís attend pre-school or crèche?

92.2% of children aged 4 and 5 in São Luís attended pre-school or school in 2022 (the 64th highest of 320 major Brazilian cities; Brazil: 86.7%), and 30.4% of children under 4 attended a crèche or school (the 119th lowest of 320 major Brazilian cities; Brazil: 33.9%).

Source: Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística (IBGE) · saved copy

What is the Ideb score of São Luís?

Public primary schools in São Luís scored 6.0 on the Ideb, the Ministry of Education's 0-10 index of pass rates and test results, for the early years (1st to 5th grade) in 2025, the 133rd lowest of 320 major Brazilian cities (Brazil's public schools: 6.1). The score was 5.5 in 2023 and 5.1 in 2019.

Source: Instituto Nacional de Estudos e Pesquisas Educacionais Anísio Teixeira (Inep), Ministry of Education · saved copy

How do 5th-graders in São Luís do in the Saeb tests?

In 2025, 98.9% of pupils in the 1st to 5th grades of São Luís' public schools passed the school year (Brazil: 98.0%), and 5th-graders averaged 219.9 in mathematics and 214.4 in Portuguese on the national Saeb tests (Brazil: 227.4 and 215.1).

Source: Instituto Nacional de Estudos e Pesquisas Educacionais Anísio Teixeira (Inep), Ministry of Education · saved copy

How do public schools in São Luís score for 6th to 9th grade?

For the later years of primary school (6th to 9th grade), São Luís' public schools scored 4.6 on the 2025 Ideb, the 67th lowest of 320 major Brazilian cities (Brazil's public schools: 5.0), against 4.5 in 2023.

Source: Instituto Nacional de Estudos e Pesquisas Educacionais Anísio Teixeira (Inep), Ministry of Education · saved copy

Are city or state schools better in São Luís?

In the 6th to 9th grades, schools run by the city of São Luís scored 4.4 on the 2025 Ideb and schools run by Maranhão state in the city scored 4.8.

Source: Instituto Nacional de Estudos e Pesquisas Educacionais Anísio Teixeira (Inep), Ministry of Education · saved copy

How São Luís compares with other cities in Brazil

Children aged 6-14 attending school (%) (2022)

São Luís ranks 174 of 320, highest first.

Rank	City	Children aged 6-14 attending school (%)
171	Cachoeiro de Itapemirim	98.5%
172	Londrina	98.5%
173	Itaquaquecetuba	98.5%
174	São Luís	98.5%
175	Castanhal	98.5%
176	Planaltina	98.5%
177	Governador Valadares	98.4%

Source: Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística (IBGE) · saved copy

Children aged 4-5 attending pre-school or school (%) (2022)

São Luís ranks 64 of 320, highest first.

Rank	City	Children aged 4-5 attending pre-school or school (%)
61	Juazeiro do Norte	92.3%
62	Araxá	92.3%
63	Itaperuna	92.3%
64	São Luís	92.2%
65	Coronel Fabriciano	92.2%
66	Valinhos	92.1%
67	Sorocaba	92.1%

Source: Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística (IBGE) · saved copy

Young people aged 15-17 attending school (%) (2022)

São Luís ranks 147 of 320, highest first.

Rank	City	Young people aged 15-17 attending school (%)
144	Piraquara	86.1%
145	Uberaba	86.1%
146	Ribeirão Pires	86.0%
147	São Luís	86.0%
148	Viamão	86.0%
149	Gravataí	86.0%
150	Jaboatão dos Guararapes	85.9%

Source: Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística (IBGE) · saved copy

Ideb, public schools, 1st-5th grade (2025)

São Luís ranks 188 of 320, highest first.

Rank	City	Ideb, public schools, 1st-5th grade
185	Maranguape	6.1
186	Ituiutaba	6.1
187	Brasília	6.0
188	São Luís	6.0
189	Contagem	6.0
190	Serra	6.0
191	Campina Grande	6.0

Source: Instituto Nacional de Estudos e Pesquisas Educacionais Anísio Teixeira (Inep), Ministry of Education · saved copy

Ideb, public schools, 6th-9th grade (2025)

São Luís ranks 254 of 320, highest first.

Rank	City	Ideb, public schools, 6th-9th grade
251	Camboriú	4.7
252	Manacapuru	4.7
253	Balsas	4.7
254	São Luís	4.6
255	João Pessoa	4.6
256	Jaboatão dos Guararapes	4.6
257	Olinda	4.6

Source: Instituto Nacional de Estudos e Pesquisas Educacionais Anísio Teixeira (Inep), Ministry of Education · saved copy

More on São Luís: overview · economy and jobs · health · poverty and living standards · government budget · all cities in Brazil

Sources

Instituto Nacional de Estudos e Pesquisas Educacionais Anísio Teixeira (Inep), Ministry of Education: Ideb 2025, primary school late years (6th-9th grade): pass rates, Saeb scores and Ideb 2005-2025 by municipality and school network (spreadsheet from the zip download), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 0a54ddd30107…)
Instituto Nacional de Estudos e Pesquisas Educacionais Anísio Teixeira (Inep), Ministry of Education: Ideb 2025, primary school early years (1st-5th grade): pass rates, Saeb scores and Ideb 2005-2025 by municipality and school network (spreadsheet from the zip download), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 e132cd0ab831…)
Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística (IBGE): Censo Demográfico 2022: gross school attendance rate by age group (0-3, 4-5, 6-14 and 15-17), Brazil, states and municipalities (SIDRA table 10056), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 4966e323affd…)

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