Education in Maranhao, Brazil: official figures
Schools in Maranhao scored 5.7 out of 10 on the Ideb basic education index for the early primary years (grades 1 to 5) in 2025, joint 3rd lowest of the 26 states and the Federal District (Brazil: 6.3); the score was 5.4 in 2023 and 2.9 in 2005.
What is the Ideb score of Maranhao?
For the lower secondary years (grades 6 to 9), Maranhao's Ideb score was 4.7 in 2025, 5th lowest of the 26 states and the Federal District (Brazil: 5.3), compared with 4.5 in 2023.
Source: Instituto Nacional de Estudos e Pesquisas Educacionais Anisio Teixeira (INEP), Ministry of Education · saved copyHow good are high schools in Maranhao?
Maranhao's Ideb score for upper secondary school (ensino medio) was 3.9 in 2025, 3rd lowest of the 26 states and the Federal District (Brazil: 4.5); it was 3.3 in 2015. The Ideb combines pass rates with Saeb test results in Portuguese and mathematics.
Source: Instituto Nacional de Estudos e Pesquisas Educacionais Anisio Teixeira (INEP), Ministry of Education · saved copyWhat is the literacy rate in Maranhao?
11.2% of people aged 15 and over in Maranhao could not read and write a simple note in 2024, 5th highest of the 26 states and the Federal District (Brazil: 5.3%); in 2019 the rate was 14.5%.
Source: Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatistica (IBGE) · saved copyHow many people in Maranhao have a degree?
12.5% of adults aged 25 and over in Maranhao had completed higher education in 2024, the lowest of the 26 states and the Federal District (Brazil: 20.4%), while 42.0% had no schooling or had not finished primary school (Brazil: 32.0%).
Source: Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatistica (IBGE) · saved copyHow many years of schooling do young people in Maranhao have?
Young adults aged 18 to 29 in Maranhao had spent 11.3 years in education on average in 2024, and 68.2% had at least 12 years of schooling (Brazil: 11.9 years and 74.2%).
Source: Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatistica (IBGE) · saved copyWhat is the high school graduation rate in Maranhao?
72.1% of young people in Maranhao had completed upper secondary school by the expected age range in 2024 (75.2% of women and 68.8% of men), 13th lowest of the 26 states and the Federal District (Brazil: 75.1%).
Source: Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatistica (IBGE) · saved copyHow many young people in Maranhao go to university?
In 2024, 70.6% of 15- to 17-year-olds in Maranhao were in upper secondary school or had finished it, and 20.3% of 18- to 24-year-olds were in or had completed higher education (adjusted net attendance; Brazil: 76.8% and 27.3%).
Source: Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatistica (IBGE) · saved copyHow many young children in Maranhao go to nursery?
38.2% of children aged 0 to 3 in Maranhao attended a creche (day nursery) in 2024, 10th highest of the 26 states and the Federal District (Brazil: 39.7%), and 94.5% of 4- and 5-year-olds attended pre-school.
Source: Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatistica (IBGE) · saved copyHow big are school classes in Maranhao?
Public school classes in Maranhao had an average of 20.6 pupils in the early primary years, 24.5 in the lower secondary years and 33.1 in upper secondary school in 2024 (School Census; Brazil: 22.3, 26.6 and 29.3).
Source: Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatistica (IBGE) · saved copyHow Maranhao compares with other states
Ideb, early primary years (grades 1-5) (2025)
Maranhao ranks 24 of 27, highest first. All school networks; scale 0-10.
| Rank | Region | Ideb, early primary years (grades 1-5) |
|---|---|---|
| 21 | Roraima | 5.9 |
| 22 | Sergipe | 5.8 |
| 23 | Bahia | 5.7 |
| 24 | Maranhao | 5.7 |
| 25 | Rio Grande do Norte | 5.7 |
| 26 | Para | 5.6 |
| 27 | Amapa | 5.5 |
Ideb, lower secondary years (grades 6-9) (2025)
Maranhao ranks 23 of 27, highest first. All school networks; scale 0-10.
| Rank | Region | Ideb, lower secondary years (grades 6-9) |
|---|---|---|
| 20 | Para | 4.8 |
| 21 | Sergipe | 4.8 |
| 22 | Rondonia | 4.8 |
| 23 | Maranhao | 4.7 |
| 24 | Rio Grande do Norte | 4.6 |
| 25 | Amapa | 4.6 |
| 26 | Bahia | 4.5 |
Ideb, upper secondary school (2025)
Maranhao ranks 25 of 27, highest first. All school networks; scale 0-10.
| Rank | Region | Ideb, upper secondary school |
|---|---|---|
| 21 | Acre | 4.2 |
| 22 | Distrito Federal | 4.1 |
| 23 | Bahia | 4.0 |
| 24 | Amapa | 4.0 |
| 25 | Maranhao | 3.9 |
| 26 | Amazonas | 3.8 |
| 27 | Roraima | 3.8 |
Illiteracy rate, people aged 15 and over (%) (2024)
Maranhao ranks 5 of 27, highest first.
| Rank | Region | Illiteracy rate, people aged 15 and over (%) |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | Piaui | 13.8% |
| 3 | Paraiba | 12.7% |
| 4 | Ceara | 11.8% |
| 5 | Maranhao | 11.2% |
| 6 | Sergipe | 10.8% |
| 7 | Rio Grande do Norte | 10.5% |
| 8 | Pernambuco | 10.1% |
Adults 25+ with a completed degree (%) (2024)
Maranhao ranks 27 of 27, highest first.
| Rank | Region | Adults 25+ with a completed degree (%) |
|---|---|---|
| 21 | Sergipe | 15.1% |
| 22 | Pernambuco | 14.7% |
| 23 | Para | 14.2% |
| 24 | Alagoas | 14.1% |
| 25 | Ceara | 13.7% |
| 26 | Bahia | 13.2% |
| 27 | Maranhao | 12.5% |
Upper secondary completion rate (%) (2024)
Maranhao ranks 15 of 27, highest first.
| Rank | Region | Upper secondary completion rate (%) |
|---|---|---|
| 12 | Pernambuco | 73.0% |
| 13 | Santa Catarina | 72.8% |
| 14 | Minas Gerais | 72.6% |
| 15 | Maranhao | 72.1% |
| 16 | Rio Grande do Sul | 71.2% |
| 17 | Mato Grosso | 71.1% |
| 18 | Piaui | 70.6% |
More on Maranhao: overview · economy and jobs · health · poverty and living standards · government budget · Brazil
Sources
- Instituto Nacional de Estudos e Pesquisas Educacionais Anisio Teixeira (INEP), Ministry of Education: Ideb 2025: results for regions and federative units (early primary, lower secondary and upper secondary, all school networks), 2005-2025, read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 a8ecdb2cef93…)
- Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatistica (IBGE): Sintese de Indicadores Sociais 2025, chapter 4 tables (education): Tables 4.1, 4.3, 4.9, 4.11, 4.14, 4.21, 4.22 (PNAD Continua 2024; School Census 2024), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 fc0eefb8a6ad…)
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