Education in Barranquilla, Colombia: official figures
The Ministry of Education counted 240,304 children aged 5 to 16 in Barranquilla in 2024, of whom 96.5% were enrolled in school (net coverage), 29th highest of 74 Colombian cities on this site.
How many teenagers in Barranquilla are in school?
Net enrolment in Barranquilla in 2024 was 69.2% at pre-school transition level, 92.2% in primary, 82.4% in lower secondary and 60.3% in upper secondary (media).
Source: Ministerio de Educación Nacional (MinEducación) · saved copyWhat is the school enrolment rate in Barranquilla?
Gross enrolment (all students at a level, whatever their age, as a share of the school-age population) in Barranquilla was 103.8% in 2024, 107.8% in primary and 95.7% in upper secondary.
Source: Ministerio de Educación Nacional (MinEducación) · saved copyWhat is the school dropout rate in Barranquilla?
1.65% of students enrolled in Barranquilla left school during 2024 (dropout rate), 3rd lowest of 74 Colombian cities on this site.
Source: Ministerio de Educación Nacional (MinEducación) · saved copyHow many students repeat a year in Barranquilla?
In 2024 93.0% of students in Barranquilla passed their school year, 5.3% failed and 6.7% were repeating a grade, joint 5th lowest of 74 Colombian cities on this site on repetition.
Source: Ministerio de Educación Nacional (MinEducación) · saved copyWhat is the average Saber 11 score in Barranquilla?
Students at schools in Barranquilla averaged 254 points out of 500 in the 2022 Saber 11 school-leaving exam (31,350 test takers), 31st lowest of 74 Colombian cities on this site; in 2019 the average was 249.
Source: Instituto Colombiano para la Evaluación de la Educación (ICFES) · saved copyHow do students in Barranquilla do in maths and English?
In the 2022 Saber 11 exam, students in Barranquilla averaged 51 in mathematics, 54 in critical reading and 52 in English (each out of 100); the English average was 36th lowest of 74 Colombian cities on this site.
Source: Instituto Colombiano para la Evaluación de la Educación (ICFES) · saved copyDo private schools in Barranquilla score higher?
In 2022, students at public schools in Barranquilla averaged 246 on the Saber 11 exam (23,922 test takers) and students at private schools 278 (7,428), a gap of 32 points.
Source: Instituto Colombiano para la Evaluación de la Educación (ICFES) · saved copyAre school exam results in Barranquilla improving?
The average Saber 11 score of Barranquilla changed by +5 points between 2019 and 2022, 33rd largest fall of 74 Colombian cities on this site.
Source: Instituto Colombiano para la Evaluación de la Educación (ICFES) · saved copyHow many adults in Barranquilla cannot read?
In the 2018 census, 29.0% of households in Barranquilla were deprived on educational achievement (members aged 15 and over averaged under nine years of schooling), 8th lowest of 74 Colombian cities on this site, and 5.2% had a member who could not read or write and 16.1% a child with school lag (national: 46.1%, 10.5% and 16.0%).
Source: Departamento Administrativo Nacional de Estadística (DANE) · saved copyHow Barranquilla compares with other cities in Colombia
Net enrolment rate, ages 5-16, 2024 (MEN) (2024)
Barranquilla ranks 29 of 74, highest first.
| Rank | City | Net enrolment rate, ages 5-16, 2024 (MEN) |
|---|---|---|
| 26 | Santander de Quilichao | 96.8% |
| 27 | Sincelejo | 96.7% |
| 28 | Piedecuesta | 96.6% |
| 29 | Barranquilla | 96.5% |
| 30 | Pasto | 96.4% |
| 31 | Lorica | 96.2% |
| 32 | Duitama | 95.2% |
School dropout rate, 2024 (MEN) (2024)
Barranquilla ranks 72 of 74, highest first.
| Rank | City | School dropout rate, 2024 (MEN) |
|---|---|---|
| 68 | Pasto | 2.10% |
| 69 | Sogamoso | 1.99% |
| 70 | Malambo | 1.97% |
| 71 | Funza | 1.78% |
| 72 | Barranquilla | 1.65% |
| 73 | Uribia | 1.62% |
| 74 | Quibdo | 1.38% |
Grade repetition rate, 2024 (MEN) (2024)
Barranquilla ranks 69 of 74, highest first.
| Rank | City | Grade repetition rate, 2024 (MEN) |
|---|---|---|
| 66 | Bucaramanga | 7.0% |
| 67 | Soacha | 6.7% |
| 68 | Piedecuesta | 6.7% |
| 69 | Barranquilla | 6.7% |
| 70 | Pasto | 6.7% |
| 71 | Sabanalarga | 6.6% |
| 72 | Soledad | 5.8% |
Saber 11 average global score, 2022 (out of 500) (2022)
Barranquilla ranks 44 of 74, highest first.
| Rank | City | Saber 11 average global score, 2022 (out of 500) |
|---|---|---|
| 41 | Montería | 257 |
| 42 | Valledupar | 256 |
| 43 | Jamundí | 254 |
| 44 | Barranquilla | 254 |
| 45 | Sincelejo | 254 |
| 46 | Florencia | 253 |
| 47 | Turbaco | 253 |
Change in Saber 11 average global score, 2019 to 2022 (2019-2022)
Barranquilla ranks 42 of 74, highest first.
| Rank | City | Change in Saber 11 average global score, 2019 to 2022 |
|---|---|---|
| 39 | Dosquebradas | +5 |
| 40 | Ocaña | +5 |
| 41 | Cúcuta | +5 |
| 42 | Barranquilla | +5 |
| 43 | Malambo | +5 |
| 44 | Floridablanca | +5 |
| 45 | Zipaquirá | +5 |
Households with low educational achievement, 2018 census (2018)
Barranquilla ranks 67 of 74, highest first.
| Rank | City | Households with low educational achievement, 2018 census |
|---|---|---|
| 64 | Bucaramanga | 32.7% |
| 65 | Soledad | 31.4% |
| 66 | Floridablanca | 30.7% |
| 67 | Barranquilla | 29.0% |
| 68 | Funza | 28.6% |
| 69 | Mosquera | 27.4% |
| 70 | Bogotá, D.C. | 26.2% |
More on Barranquilla: 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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