Education in Sao Paulo, Brazil: official figures
Schools in Sao Paulo scored 6.6 out of 10 on the Ideb basic education index for the early primary years (grades 1 to 5) in 2025, joint 4th highest of the 26 states and the Federal District (Brazil: 6.3); the score was 6.5 in 2023 and 4.7 in 2005.
What is the Ideb score of Sao Paulo?
For the lower secondary years (grades 6 to 9), Sao Paulo's Ideb score was 5.5 in 2025, joint 4th highest of the 26 states and the Federal District (Brazil: 5.3), compared with 5.4 in 2023.
Source: Instituto Nacional de Estudos e Pesquisas Educacionais Anisio Teixeira (INEP), Ministry of Education · saved copyHow good are high schools in Sao Paulo?
Sao Paulo's Ideb score for upper secondary school (ensino medio) was 4.7 in 2025, joint 6th highest of the 26 states and the Federal District (Brazil: 4.5); it was 4.2 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 Sao Paulo?
2.2% of people aged 15 and over in Sao Paulo could not read and write a simple note in 2024, 4th lowest of the 26 states and the Federal District (Brazil: 5.3%); in 2019 the rate was 2.4%.
Source: Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatistica (IBGE) · saved copyHow many people in Sao Paulo have a degree?
25.8% of adults aged 25 and over in Sao Paulo had completed higher education in 2024, 2nd highest of the 26 states and the Federal District (Brazil: 20.4%), while 23.9% 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 Sao Paulo have?
Young adults aged 18 to 29 in Sao Paulo had spent 12.4 years in education on average in 2024, and 83.0% 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 Sao Paulo?
84.0% of young people in Sao Paulo had completed upper secondary school by the expected age range in 2024 (86.5% of women and 81.8% of men), 2nd highest 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 Sao Paulo go to university?
In 2024, 83.0% of 15- to 17-year-olds in Sao Paulo were in upper secondary school or had finished it, and 31.4% 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 Sao Paulo go to nursery?
55.2% of children aged 0 to 3 in Sao Paulo attended a creche (day nursery) in 2024, the 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 Sao Paulo?
Public school classes in Sao Paulo had an average of 25.3 pupils in the early primary years, 30.1 in the lower secondary years and 31.5 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 Sao Paulo compares with other states
Ideb, early primary years (grades 1-5) (2025)
Sao Paulo ranks 4 of 27, highest first. All school networks; scale 0-10.
| Rank | Region | Ideb, early primary years (grades 1-5) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Parana | 7.0 |
| 2 | Ceara | 6.8 |
| 3 | Santa Catarina | 6.7 |
| 4 | Sao Paulo | 6.6 |
| 5 | Minas Gerais | 6.6 |
| 6 | Espirito Santo | 6.6 |
| 7 | Goias | 6.5 |
Ideb, lower secondary years (grades 6-9) (2025)
Sao Paulo ranks 4 of 27, highest first. All school networks; scale 0-10.
| Rank | Region | Ideb, lower secondary years (grades 6-9) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Parana | 5.9 |
| 2 | Ceara | 5.7 |
| 3 | Goias | 5.7 |
| 4 | Sao Paulo | 5.5 |
| 5 | Minas Gerais | 5.5 |
| 6 | Rio Grande do Sul | 5.4 |
| 7 | Santa Catarina | 5.4 |
Ideb, upper secondary school (2025)
Sao Paulo ranks 6 of 27, highest first. All school networks; scale 0-10.
| Rank | Region | Ideb, upper secondary school |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | Rio Grande do Sul | 4.9 |
| 4 | Espirito Santo | 4.9 |
| 5 | Goias | 4.8 |
| 6 | Sao Paulo | 4.7 |
| 7 | Pernambuco | 4.7 |
| 8 | Minas Gerais | 4.6 |
| 9 | Para | 4.6 |
Illiteracy rate, people aged 15 and over (%) (2024)
Sao Paulo ranks 24 of 27, highest first.
| Rank | Region | Illiteracy rate, people aged 15 and over (%) |
|---|---|---|
| 21 | Goias | 3.6% |
| 22 | Parana | 3.6% |
| 23 | Rio Grande do Sul | 2.4% |
| 24 | Sao Paulo | 2.2% |
| 25 | Rio de Janeiro | 2.0% |
| 26 | Santa Catarina | 1.9% |
| 27 | Distrito Federal | 1.8% |
Adults 25+ with a completed degree (%) (2024)
Sao Paulo ranks 2 of 27, highest first.
| Rank | Region | Adults 25+ with a completed degree (%) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Distrito Federal | 38.9% |
| 2 | Sao Paulo | 25.8% |
| 3 | Rio de Janeiro | 25.5% |
| 4 | Amapa | 23.1% |
| 5 | Mato Grosso do Sul | 22.9% |
| 6 | Santa Catarina | 22.4% |
| 7 | Mato Grosso | 20.9% |
Upper secondary completion rate (%) (2024)
Sao Paulo ranks 2 of 27, highest first.
| Rank | Region | Upper secondary completion rate (%) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Distrito Federal | 85.4% |
| 2 | Sao Paulo | 84.0% |
| 3 | Rio de Janeiro | 79.8% |
| 4 | Goias | 79.7% |
| 5 | Amazonas | 79.1% |
| 6 | Ceara | 76.7% |
| 7 | Parana | 75.9% |
More on Sao Paulo: 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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