Education in Ibagué, Colombia: official figures
The Ministry of Education counted 84,589 children aged 5 to 16 in Ibagué in 2024, of whom 108.7% were enrolled in school (net coverage), 5th highest of 74 Colombian cities on this site; the rate was 105.0% in 2019.
How many teenagers in Ibagué are in school?
Net enrolment in Ibagué in 2024 was 83.5% at pre-school transition level, 111.8% in primary, 93.8% in lower secondary and 61.7% in upper secondary (media).
Source: Ministerio de Educación Nacional (MinEducación) · saved copyWhat is the school enrolment rate in Ibagué?
Gross enrolment (all students at a level, whatever their age, as a share of the school-age population) in Ibagué was 119.7% in 2024, 129.1% in primary and 98.6% in upper secondary.
Source: Ministerio de Educación Nacional (MinEducación) · saved copyWhat is the school dropout rate in Ibagué?
4.18% of students enrolled in Ibagué left school during 2024 (dropout rate), 29th highest of 74 Colombian cities on this site; the rate was 3.21% in 2019.
Source: Ministerio de Educación Nacional (MinEducación) · saved copyHow many students repeat a year in Ibagué?
In 2024 89.2% of students in Ibagué passed their school year, 6.6% failed and 7.7% were repeating a grade, 19th 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 Ibagué?
Students at schools in Ibagué averaged 261 points out of 500 in the 2022 Saber 11 school-leaving exam (13,464 test takers), 32nd highest of 74 Colombian cities on this site; in 2019 the average was 257.
Source: Instituto Colombiano para la Evaluación de la Educación (ICFES) · saved copyHow do students in Ibagué do in maths and English?
In the 2022 Saber 11 exam, students in Ibagué averaged 53 in mathematics, 55 in critical reading and 53 in English (each out of 100); the English average was 29th highest of 74 Colombian cities on this site.
Source: Instituto Colombiano para la Evaluación de la Educación (ICFES) · saved copyDo private schools in Ibagué score higher?
In 2022, students at public schools in Ibagué averaged 253 on the Saber 11 exam (10,564 test takers) and students at private schools 288 (2,900), a gap of 34 points.
Source: Instituto Colombiano para la Evaluación de la Educación (ICFES) · saved copyAre school exam results in Ibagué improving?
The average Saber 11 score of Ibagué changed by +4 points between 2019 and 2022, 22nd largest fall of 74 Colombian cities on this site.
Source: Instituto Colombiano para la Evaluación de la Educación (ICFES) · saved copyHow many adults in Ibagué cannot read?
In the 2018 census, 37.3% of households in Ibagué were deprived on educational achievement (members aged 15 and over averaged under nine years of schooling), 27th lowest of 74 Colombian cities on this site, and 5.6% had a member who could not read or write and 10.1% a child with school lag (national: 46.1%, 10.5% and 16.0%).
Source: Departamento Administrativo Nacional de Estadística (DANE) · saved copyHow Ibagué compares with other cities in Colombia
Net enrolment rate, ages 5-16, 2024 (MEN) (2024)
Ibagué ranks 5 of 74, highest first.
| Rank | City | Net enrolment rate, ages 5-16, 2024 (MEN) |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | Barrancabermeja | 113.4% |
| 3 | Cartagena | 109.0% |
| 4 | Sogamoso | 108.9% |
| 5 | Ibagué | 108.7% |
| 6 | Riohacha | 108.5% |
| 7 | Chía | 107.0% |
| 8 | Popayán | 106.7% |
School dropout rate, 2024 (MEN) (2024)
Ibagué ranks 29 of 74, highest first.
| Rank | City | School dropout rate, 2024 (MEN) |
|---|---|---|
| 26 | Cali | 4.41% |
| 27 | Cúcuta | 4.28% |
| 28 | Ocaña | 4.22% |
| 29 | Ibagué | 4.18% |
| 30 | Villavicencio | 4.11% |
| 31 | Rionegro | 4.10% |
| 32 | Aguachica | 4.08% |
Grade repetition rate, 2024 (MEN) (2024)
Ibagué ranks 56 of 74, highest first.
| Rank | City | Grade repetition rate, 2024 (MEN) |
|---|---|---|
| 53 | Santander de Quilichao | 8.0% |
| 54 | Yopal | 7.7% |
| 55 | Fusagasugá | 7.7% |
| 56 | Ibagué | 7.7% |
| 57 | Cajicá | 7.7% |
| 58 | Lorica | 7.6% |
| 59 | Armenia | 7.6% |
Saber 11 average global score, 2022 (out of 500) (2022)
Ibagué ranks 32 of 74, highest first.
| Rank | City | Saber 11 average global score, 2022 (out of 500) |
|---|---|---|
| 29 | Barrancabermeja | 263 |
| 30 | Palmira | 263 |
| 31 | Itagüí | 262 |
| 32 | Ibagué | 261 |
| 33 | Fusagasugá | 260 |
| 34 | Popayán | 260 |
| 35 | Villavicencio | 260 |
Change in Saber 11 average global score, 2019 to 2022 (2019-2022)
Ibagué ranks 53 of 74, highest first.
| Rank | City | Change in Saber 11 average global score, 2019 to 2022 |
|---|---|---|
| 50 | Cali | +4 |
| 51 | Villavicencio | +4 |
| 52 | Ciénaga | +4 |
| 53 | Ibagué | +4 |
| 54 | Piedecuesta | +4 |
| 55 | Riohacha | +4 |
| 56 | Soledad | +3 |
Households with low educational achievement, 2018 census (2018)
Ibagué ranks 48 of 74, highest first.
| Rank | City | Households with low educational achievement, 2018 census |
|---|---|---|
| 45 | Valledupar | 37.8% |
| 46 | Neiva | 37.8% |
| 47 | Popayán | 37.8% |
| 48 | Ibagué | 37.3% |
| 49 | Sogamoso | 36.7% |
| 50 | Bello | 36.5% |
| 51 | Facatativá | 36.1% |
More on Ibagué: 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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