Education in Cúcuta, Colombia: official figures
The Ministry of Education counted 147,515 children aged 5 to 16 in Cúcuta in 2024, of whom 92.3% were enrolled in school (net coverage), 36th lowest of 74 Colombian cities on this site; the rate was 97.8% in 2019.
How many teenagers in Cúcuta are in school?
Net enrolment in Cúcuta in 2024 was 68.8% at pre-school transition level, 89.3% in primary, 79.3% in lower secondary and 56.7% in upper secondary (media).
Source: Ministerio de Educación Nacional (MinEducación) · saved copyWhat is the school enrolment rate in Cúcuta?
Gross enrolment (all students at a level, whatever their age, as a share of the school-age population) in Cúcuta was 103.7% in 2024, 103.0% in primary and 116.5% in upper secondary.
Source: Ministerio de Educación Nacional (MinEducación) · saved copyWhat is the school dropout rate in Cúcuta?
4.28% of students enrolled in Cúcuta left school during 2024 (dropout rate), 27th highest of 74 Colombian cities on this site; the rate was 3.37% in 2019.
Source: Ministerio de Educación Nacional (MinEducación) · saved copyHow many students repeat a year in Cúcuta?
In 2024 87.6% of students in Cúcuta passed their school year, 8.1% failed and 8.3% were repeating a grade, 31st 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 Cúcuta?
Students at schools in Cúcuta averaged 265 points out of 500 in the 2022 Saber 11 school-leaving exam (17,768 test takers), 24th highest of 74 Colombian cities on this site; in 2019 the average was 260.
Source: Instituto Colombiano para la Evaluación de la Educación (ICFES) · saved copyHow do students in Cúcuta do in maths and English?
In the 2022 Saber 11 exam, students in Cúcuta averaged 55 in mathematics, 56 in critical reading and 53 in English (each out of 100); the English average was 28th highest of 74 Colombian cities on this site.
Source: Instituto Colombiano para la Evaluación de la Educación (ICFES) · saved copyDo private schools in Cúcuta score higher?
In 2022, students at public schools in Cúcuta averaged 267 on the Saber 11 exam (11,936 test takers) and students at private schools 261 (5,832), a gap of 6 points.
Source: Instituto Colombiano para la Evaluación de la Educación (ICFES) · saved copyAre school exam results in Cúcuta improving?
The average Saber 11 score of Cúcuta changed by +5 points between 2019 and 2022, 34th largest fall of 74 Colombian cities on this site.
Source: Instituto Colombiano para la Evaluación de la Educación (ICFES) · saved copyHow many adults in Cúcuta cannot read?
In the 2018 census, 46.7% of households in Cúcuta were deprived on educational achievement (members aged 15 and over averaged under nine years of schooling), joint 21st highest of 74 Colombian cities on this site, and 8.4% had a member who could not read or write and 17.0% a child with school lag (national: 46.1%, 10.5% and 16.0%).
Source: Departamento Administrativo Nacional de Estadística (DANE) · saved copyHow Cúcuta compares with other cities in Colombia
Net enrolment rate, ages 5-16, 2024 (MEN) (2024)
Cúcuta ranks 39 of 74, highest first.
| Rank | City | Net enrolment rate, ages 5-16, 2024 (MEN) |
|---|---|---|
| 36 | Girardot | 93.5% |
| 37 | Soledad | 92.9% |
| 38 | Sabanalarga | 92.4% |
| 39 | Cúcuta | 92.3% |
| 40 | Funza | 91.5% |
| 41 | Montería | 91.3% |
| 42 | Ciénaga | 91.0% |
School dropout rate, 2024 (MEN) (2024)
Cúcuta ranks 27 of 74, highest first.
| Rank | City | School dropout rate, 2024 (MEN) |
|---|---|---|
| 24 | Turbo | 4.47% |
| 25 | Girón | 4.43% |
| 26 | Cali | 4.41% |
| 27 | Cúcuta | 4.28% |
| 28 | Ocaña | 4.22% |
| 29 | Ibagué | 4.18% |
| 30 | Villavicencio | 4.11% |
Grade repetition rate, 2024 (MEN) (2024)
Cúcuta ranks 44 of 74, highest first.
| Rank | City | Grade repetition rate, 2024 (MEN) |
|---|---|---|
| 41 | Dosquebradas | 8.4% |
| 42 | Turbaco | 8.4% |
| 43 | Turbo | 8.4% |
| 44 | Cúcuta | 8.3% |
| 45 | Girón | 8.3% |
| 46 | Tuluá | 8.2% |
| 47 | Bogotá, D.C. | 8.2% |
Saber 11 average global score, 2022 (out of 500) (2022)
Cúcuta ranks 24 of 74, highest first.
| Rank | City | Saber 11 average global score, 2022 (out of 500) |
|---|---|---|
| 21 | Funza | 268 |
| 22 | Manizales | 267 |
| 23 | Neiva | 267 |
| 24 | Cúcuta | 265 |
| 25 | Ipiales | 265 |
| 26 | Gudalajara de Buga | 265 |
| 27 | Rionegro | 264 |
Change in Saber 11 average global score, 2019 to 2022 (2019-2022)
Cúcuta ranks 41 of 74, highest first.
| Rank | City | Change in Saber 11 average global score, 2019 to 2022 |
|---|---|---|
| 38 | Palmira | +5 |
| 39 | Dosquebradas | +5 |
| 40 | Ocaña | +5 |
| 41 | Cúcuta | +5 |
| 42 | Barranquilla | +5 |
| 43 | Malambo | +5 |
| 44 | Floridablanca | +5 |
Households with low educational achievement, 2018 census (2018)
Cúcuta ranks 21 of 74, highest first.
| Rank | City | Households with low educational achievement, 2018 census |
|---|---|---|
| 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% |
| 24 | Tuluá | 44.6% |
More on Cúcuta: 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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