Education in Arauca, Colombia: official figures
The Ministry of Education counted 19,808 children aged 5 to 16 in Arauca in 2024, of whom 96.9% were enrolled in school (net coverage), 25th highest of 74 Colombian cities on this site; the rate was 96.7% in 2019.
How many teenagers in Arauca are in school?
Net enrolment in Arauca in 2024 was 67.7% at pre-school transition level, 94.8% in primary, 73.0% in lower secondary and 45.7% in upper secondary (media).
Source: Ministerio de Educación Nacional (MinEducación) · saved copyWhat is the school enrolment rate in Arauca?
Gross enrolment (all students at a level, whatever their age, as a share of the school-age population) in Arauca was 110.3% in 2024, 119.6% in primary and 98.4% in upper secondary.
Source: Ministerio de Educación Nacional (MinEducación) · saved copyWhat is the school dropout rate in Arauca?
6.76% of students enrolled in Arauca left school during 2024 (dropout rate), the highest of 74 Colombian cities on this site; the rate was 3.43% in 2019.
Source: Ministerio de Educación Nacional (MinEducación) · saved copyHow many students repeat a year in Arauca?
In 2024 86.8% of students in Arauca passed their school year, 6.4% failed and 8.8% were repeating a grade, joint 33rd highest of 74 Colombian cities on this site on repetition.
Source: Ministerio de Educación Nacional (MinEducación) · saved copyWhat is the average Saber 11 score in Arauca?
Students at schools in Arauca averaged 241 points out of 500 in the 2022 Saber 11 school-leaving exam (2,280 test takers), 16th lowest of 74 Colombian cities on this site; in 2019 the average was 241.
Source: Instituto Colombiano para la Evaluación de la Educación (ICFES) · saved copyHow do students in Arauca do in maths and English?
In the 2022 Saber 11 exam, students in Arauca averaged 49 in mathematics, 51 in critical reading and 47 in English (each out of 100); the English average was 15th lowest of 74 Colombian cities on this site.
Source: Instituto Colombiano para la Evaluación de la Educación (ICFES) · saved copyDo private schools in Arauca score higher?
In 2022, students at public schools in Arauca averaged 237 on the Saber 11 exam (1,900 test takers) and students at private schools 257 (380), a gap of 20 points.
Source: Instituto Colombiano para la Evaluación de la Educación (ICFES) · saved copyAre school exam results in Arauca improving?
The average Saber 11 score of Arauca changed by +0 points between 2019 and 2022, 2nd largest fall of 74 Colombian cities on this site.
Source: Instituto Colombiano para la Evaluación de la Educación (ICFES) · saved copyHow many adults in Arauca cannot read?
In the 2018 census, 47.1% of households in Arauca were deprived on educational achievement (members aged 15 and over averaged under nine years of schooling), joint 19th highest of 74 Colombian cities on this site, and 9.9% had a member who could not read or write and 19.2% a child with school lag (national: 46.1%, 10.5% and 16.0%).
Source: Departamento Administrativo Nacional de Estadística (DANE) · saved copyHow Arauca compares with other cities in Colombia
Net enrolment rate, ages 5-16, 2024 (MEN) (2024)
Arauca ranks 25 of 74, highest first.
| Rank | City | Net enrolment rate, ages 5-16, 2024 (MEN) |
|---|---|---|
| 22 | Envigado | 98.5% |
| 23 | Pitalito | 98.2% |
| 24 | Yopal | 97.8% |
| 25 | Arauca | 96.9% |
| 26 | Santander de Quilichao | 96.8% |
| 27 | Sincelejo | 96.7% |
| 28 | Piedecuesta | 96.6% |
School dropout rate, 2024 (MEN) (2024)
Arauca ranks 1 of 74, highest first.
| Rank | City | School dropout rate, 2024 (MEN) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arauca | 6.76% |
| 2 | Piedecuesta | 6.08% |
| 3 | Florencia | 5.93% |
| 4 | Jamundí | 5.89% |
| 5 | Dosquebradas | 5.83% |
| 6 | Neiva | 5.75% |
| 7 | Tuluá | 5.68% |
Grade repetition rate, 2024 (MEN) (2024)
Arauca ranks 34 of 74, highest first.
| Rank | City | Grade repetition rate, 2024 (MEN) |
|---|---|---|
| 31 | Palmira | 8.9% |
| 32 | Sahagún | 8.8% |
| 33 | Envigado | 8.8% |
| 34 | Arauca | 8.8% |
| 35 | Santa Marta | 8.7% |
| 36 | Sincelejo | 8.7% |
| 37 | Valledupar | 8.6% |
Saber 11 average global score, 2022 (out of 500) (2022)
Arauca ranks 59 of 74, highest first.
| Rank | City | Saber 11 average global score, 2022 (out of 500) |
|---|---|---|
| 56 | Santa Marta | 244 |
| 57 | Soledad | 242 |
| 58 | Santander de Quilichao | 241 |
| 59 | Arauca | 241 |
| 60 | Aguachica | 239 |
| 61 | Cartagena | 239 |
| 62 | Apartadó | 237 |
Change in Saber 11 average global score, 2019 to 2022 (2019-2022)
Arauca ranks 73 of 74, highest first.
| Rank | City | Change in Saber 11 average global score, 2019 to 2022 |
|---|---|---|
| 68 | Duitama | +1 |
| 69 | Sahagún | +1 |
| 70 | Montería | +0 |
| 71 | Buenaventura | +0 |
| 72 | San Andrés de Tumaco | +0 |
| 73 | Arauca | +0 |
| 74 | Magangué | -6 |
Households with low educational achievement, 2018 census (2018)
Arauca ranks 20 of 74, highest first.
| Rank | City | Households with low educational achievement, 2018 census |
|---|---|---|
| 17 | Cartago | 48.2% |
| 18 | Florencia | 47.8% |
| 19 | Apartadó | 47.1% |
| 20 | Arauca | 47.1% |
| 21 | Cúcuta | 46.7% |
| 22 | Sabanalarga | 46.7% |
| 23 | Villa del Rosario | 46.3% |
More on Arauca: overview · economy and jobs · health · poverty and living standards · government budget · all cities in Colombia
Sources
- Departamento Administrativo Nacional de Estadística (DANE): Medida de pobreza multidimensional municipal de fuente censal 2018: municipal incidence (urban and rural) and household deprivations by indicator, read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 a3ac3a60498a…)
- Ministerio de Educación Nacional (MinEducación): MEN estadísticas en educación en preescolar, básica y media por municipio, 2011-2024: net and gross coverage, dropout, approval, failure and repetition rates (datos.gov.co API response for the 74 municipalities; query saved as men-municipal-2011-2024.request.txt), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 8de3c5ca5744…)
- Instituto Colombiano para la Evaluación de la Educación (ICFES): Resultados únicos Saber 11: average scores by municipality of the school and school type, 2019-4 and 2022-4 sittings (datos.gov.co aggregate query; saved as saber11.request.txt), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 6b32c41e9323…)
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