Education in Manizales, Colombia: official figures
The Ministry of Education counted 61,819 children aged 5 to 16 in Manizales in 2024, of whom 73.3% were enrolled in school (net coverage), 5th lowest of 74 Colombian cities on this site; the rate was 81.6% in 2019.
How many teenagers in Manizales are in school?
Net enrolment in Manizales in 2024 was 57.3% at pre-school transition level, 71.7% in primary, 65.3% in lower secondary and 47.1% in upper secondary (media).
Source: Ministerio de Educación Nacional (MinEducación) · saved copyWhat is the school enrolment rate in Manizales?
Gross enrolment (all students at a level, whatever their age, as a share of the school-age population) in Manizales was 81.3% in 2024, 80.0% in primary and 79.2% in upper secondary.
Source: Ministerio de Educación Nacional (MinEducación) · saved copyWhat is the school dropout rate in Manizales?
3.06% of students enrolled in Manizales left school during 2024 (dropout rate), 21st lowest of 74 Colombian cities on this site; the rate was 2.32% in 2019.
Source: Ministerio de Educación Nacional (MinEducación) · saved copyHow many students repeat a year in Manizales?
In 2024 88.0% of students in Manizales passed their school year, 8.9% failed and 9.5% were repeating a grade, 20th 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 Manizales?
Students at schools in Manizales averaged 267 points out of 500 in the 2022 Saber 11 school-leaving exam (8,070 test takers), 22nd 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 Manizales do in maths and English?
In the 2022 Saber 11 exam, students in Manizales averaged 54 in mathematics, 56 in critical reading and 55 in English (each out of 100); the English average was 15th highest of 74 Colombian cities on this site.
Source: Instituto Colombiano para la Evaluación de la Educación (ICFES) · saved copyDo private schools in Manizales score higher?
In 2022, students at public schools in Manizales averaged 259 on the Saber 11 exam (6,140 test takers) and students at private schools 292 (1,930), a gap of 32 points.
Source: Instituto Colombiano para la Evaluación de la Educación (ICFES) · saved copyAre school exam results in Manizales improving?
The average Saber 11 score of Manizales changed by +8 points between 2019 and 2022, 28th largest rise of 74 Colombian cities on this site.
Source: Instituto Colombiano para la Evaluación de la Educación (ICFES) · saved copyHow many adults in Manizales cannot read?
In the 2018 census, 35.8% of households in Manizales were deprived on educational achievement (members aged 15 and over averaged under nine years of schooling), 23rd lowest of 74 Colombian cities on this site, and 5.8% had a member who could not read or write and 11.3% a child with school lag (national: 46.1%, 10.5% and 16.0%).
Source: Departamento Administrativo Nacional de Estadística (DANE) · saved copyHow Manizales compares with other cities in Colombia
Net enrolment rate, ages 5-16, 2024 (MEN) (2024)
Manizales ranks 70 of 74, highest first.
| Rank | City | Net enrolment rate, ages 5-16, 2024 (MEN) |
|---|---|---|
| 67 | Facatativá | 77.7% |
| 68 | Los Patios | 76.5% |
| 69 | Gudalajara de Buga | 74.1% |
| 70 | Manizales | 73.3% |
| 71 | Cartago | 69.6% |
| 72 | San Andrés de Tumaco | 66.1% |
| 73 | Tuluá | 65.4% |
School dropout rate, 2024 (MEN) (2024)
Manizales ranks 54 of 74, highest first.
| Rank | City | School dropout rate, 2024 (MEN) |
|---|---|---|
| 51 | Yopal | 3.28% |
| 52 | Medellín | 3.18% |
| 53 | Cereté | 3.17% |
| 54 | Manizales | 3.06% |
| 55 | Sincelejo | 3.02% |
| 56 | Montería | 2.98% |
| 57 | Turbaco | 2.84% |
Grade repetition rate, 2024 (MEN) (2024)
Manizales ranks 20 of 74, highest first.
| Rank | City | Grade repetition rate, 2024 (MEN) |
|---|---|---|
| 17 | Gudalajara de Buga | 9.9% |
| 18 | Mosquera | 9.8% |
| 19 | Aguachica | 9.7% |
| 20 | Manizales | 9.5% |
| 21 | Barrancabermeja | 9.3% |
| 22 | Pitalito | 9.2% |
| 23 | Neiva | 9.1% |
Saber 11 average global score, 2022 (out of 500) (2022)
Manizales ranks 22 of 74, highest first.
| Rank | City | Saber 11 average global score, 2022 (out of 500) |
|---|---|---|
| 19 | Dosquebradas | 269 |
| 20 | Ocaña | 268 |
| 21 | Funza | 268 |
| 22 | Manizales | 267 |
| 23 | Neiva | 267 |
| 24 | Cúcuta | 265 |
| 25 | Ipiales | 265 |
Change in Saber 11 average global score, 2019 to 2022 (2019-2022)
Manizales ranks 28 of 74, highest first.
| Rank | City | Change in Saber 11 average global score, 2019 to 2022 |
|---|---|---|
| 25 | Mosquera | +8 |
| 26 | Fusagasugá | +8 |
| 27 | Turbo | +8 |
| 28 | Manizales | +8 |
| 29 | Funza | +7 |
| 30 | Sabanalarga | +7 |
| 31 | Cereté | +7 |
Households with low educational achievement, 2018 census (2018)
Manizales ranks 52 of 74, highest first.
| Rank | City | Households with low educational achievement, 2018 census |
|---|---|---|
| 49 | Sogamoso | 36.7% |
| 50 | Bello | 36.5% |
| 51 | Facatativá | 36.1% |
| 52 | Manizales | 35.8% |
| 53 | Rionegro | 35.5% |
| 54 | Medellín | 35.2% |
| 55 | Soacha | 35.2% |
More on Manizales: 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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