Education in Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil: official figures
Schools in Rio Grande do Norte 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 5.3 in 2023 and 2.7 in 2005.
What is the Ideb score of Rio Grande do Norte?
For the lower secondary years (grades 6 to 9), Rio Grande do Norte's Ideb score was 4.6 in 2025, joint 3rd lowest of the 26 states and the Federal District (Brazil: 5.3), compared with 4.1 in 2023.
Source: Instituto Nacional de Estudos e Pesquisas Educacionais Anisio Teixeira (INEP), Ministry of Education · saved copyHow good are high schools in Rio Grande do Norte?
Rio Grande do Norte's Ideb score for upper secondary school (ensino medio) was 4.2 in 2025, joint 7th lowest of the 26 states and the Federal District (Brazil: 4.5); it was 3.2 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 Rio Grande do Norte?
10.5% of people aged 15 and over in Rio Grande do Norte could not read and write a simple note in 2024, 7th highest of the 26 states and the Federal District (Brazil: 5.3%); in 2019 the rate was 12.7%.
Source: Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatistica (IBGE) · saved copyHow many people in Rio Grande do Norte have a degree?
17.2% of adults aged 25 and over in Rio Grande do Norte had completed higher education in 2024, 11th lowest of the 26 states and the Federal District (Brazil: 20.4%), while 38.4% 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 Rio Grande do Norte have?
Young adults aged 18 to 29 in Rio Grande do Norte had spent 11.3 years in education on average in 2024, and 65.3% 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 Rio Grande do Norte?
63.3% of young people in Rio Grande do Norte had completed upper secondary school by the expected age range in 2024 (68.3% of women and 58.5% of men), 2nd 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 Rio Grande do Norte go to university?
In 2024, 69.6% of 15- to 17-year-olds in Rio Grande do Norte were in upper secondary school or had finished it, and 21.7% 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 Rio Grande do Norte go to nursery?
38.3% of children aged 0 to 3 in Rio Grande do Norte attended a creche (day nursery) in 2024, 9th highest of the 26 states and the Federal District (Brazil: 39.7%), and 96.4% of 4- and 5-year-olds attended pre-school.
Source: Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatistica (IBGE) · saved copyHow big are school classes in Rio Grande do Norte?
Public school classes in Rio Grande do Norte had an average of 21.4 pupils in the early primary years, 25.4 in the lower secondary years and 32.8 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 Rio Grande do Norte compares with other states
Ideb, early primary years (grades 1-5) (2025)
Rio Grande do Norte ranks 25 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)
Rio Grande do Norte ranks 24 of 27, highest first. All school networks; scale 0-10.
| Rank | Region | Ideb, lower secondary years (grades 6-9) |
|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| 27 | Roraima | 4.4 |
Ideb, upper secondary school (2025)
Rio Grande do Norte ranks 19 of 27, highest first. All school networks; scale 0-10.
| Rank | Region | Ideb, upper secondary school |
|---|---|---|
| 16 | Sergipe | 4.3 |
| 17 | Tocantins | 4.3 |
| 18 | Rio de Janeiro | 4.2 |
| 19 | Rio Grande do Norte | 4.2 |
| 20 | Rondonia | 4.2 |
| 21 | Acre | 4.2 |
| 22 | Distrito Federal | 4.1 |
Illiteracy rate, people aged 15 and over (%) (2024)
Rio Grande do Norte ranks 7 of 27, highest first.
| Rank | Region | Illiteracy rate, people aged 15 and over (%) |
|---|---|---|
| 4 | Ceara | 11.8% |
| 5 | Maranhao | 11.2% |
| 6 | Sergipe | 10.8% |
| 7 | Rio Grande do Norte | 10.5% |
| 8 | Pernambuco | 10.1% |
| 9 | Bahia | 9.9% |
| 10 | Acre | 9.4% |
Adults 25+ with a completed degree (%) (2024)
Rio Grande do Norte ranks 17 of 27, highest first.
| Rank | Region | Adults 25+ with a completed degree (%) |
|---|---|---|
| 14 | Minas Gerais | 19.0% |
| 15 | Acre | 18.6% |
| 16 | Amazonas | 18.2% |
| 17 | Rio Grande do Norte | 17.2% |
| 18 | Rondonia | 16.7% |
| 19 | Piaui | 15.3% |
| 20 | Paraiba | 15.3% |
Upper secondary completion rate (%) (2024)
Rio Grande do Norte ranks 26 of 27, highest first.
| Rank | Region | Upper secondary completion rate (%) |
|---|---|---|
| 21 | Paraiba | 69.4% |
| 22 | Bahia | 67.7% |
| 23 | Rondonia | 66.4% |
| 24 | Para | 64.4% |
| 25 | Acre | 63.9% |
| 26 | Rio Grande do Norte | 63.3% |
| 27 | Sergipe | 61.4% |
More on Rio Grande do Norte: 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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