Education in Medellín, Colombia: official figures
The Ministry of Education counted 376,137 children aged 5 to 16 in Medellín in 2024, of whom 93.6% were enrolled in school (net coverage), 35th highest of 74 Colombian cities on this site.
How many teenagers in Medellín are in school?
Net enrolment in Medellín in 2024 was 76.5% at pre-school transition level, 93.2% in primary, 80.6% in lower secondary and 56.7% in upper secondary (media).
Source: Ministerio de Educación Nacional (MinEducación) · saved copyWhat is the school enrolment rate in Medellín?
Gross enrolment (all students at a level, whatever their age, as a share of the school-age population) in Medellín was 104.1% in 2024, 104.4% in primary and 98.6% in upper secondary.
Source: Ministerio de Educación Nacional (MinEducación) · saved copyWhat is the school dropout rate in Medellín?
3.18% of students enrolled in Medellín left school during 2024 (dropout rate), 23rd lowest of 74 Colombian cities on this site.
Source: Ministerio de Educación Nacional (MinEducación) · saved copyHow many students repeat a year in Medellín?
In 2024 88.7% of students in Medellín passed their school year, 8.1% failed and 9.1% were repeating a grade, 24th 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 Medellín?
Students at schools in Medellín averaged 251 points out of 500 in the 2022 Saber 11 school-leaving exam (55,342 test takers), 25th 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 Medellín do in maths and English?
In the 2022 Saber 11 exam, students in Medellín averaged 50 in mathematics, 54 in critical reading and 51 in English (each out of 100); the English average was 31st lowest of 74 Colombian cities on this site.
Source: Instituto Colombiano para la Evaluación de la Educación (ICFES) · saved copyDo private schools in Medellín score higher?
In 2022, students at public schools in Medellín averaged 249 on the Saber 11 exam (38,452 test takers) and students at private schools 256 (16,890), a gap of 7 points.
Source: Instituto Colombiano para la Evaluación de la Educación (ICFES) · saved copyAre school exam results in Medellín improving?
The average Saber 11 score of Medellín changed by +2 points between 2019 and 2022, 10th largest fall of 74 Colombian cities on this site.
Source: Instituto Colombiano para la Evaluación de la Educación (ICFES) · saved copyHow many adults in Medellín cannot read?
In the 2018 census, 35.2% of households in Medellín were deprived on educational achievement (members aged 15 and over averaged under nine years of schooling), joint 20th lowest of 74 Colombian cities on this site, and 5.0% had a member who could not read or write and 12.5% a child with school lag (national: 46.1%, 10.5% and 16.0%).
Source: Departamento Administrativo Nacional de Estadística (DANE) · saved copyHow Medellín compares with other cities in Colombia
Net enrolment rate, ages 5-16, 2024 (MEN) (2024)
Medellín ranks 35 of 74, highest first.
| Rank | City | Net enrolment rate, ages 5-16, 2024 (MEN) |
|---|---|---|
| 32 | Duitama | 95.2% |
| 33 | Girón | 94.9% |
| 34 | Zipaquirá | 94.5% |
| 35 | Medellín | 93.6% |
| 36 | Girardot | 93.5% |
| 37 | Soledad | 92.9% |
| 38 | Sabanalarga | 92.4% |
School dropout rate, 2024 (MEN) (2024)
Medellín ranks 52 of 74, highest first.
| Rank | City | School dropout rate, 2024 (MEN) |
|---|---|---|
| 49 | Buenaventura | 3.31% |
| 50 | Cajicá | 3.29% |
| 51 | Yopal | 3.28% |
| 52 | Medellín | 3.18% |
| 53 | Cereté | 3.17% |
| 54 | Manizales | 3.06% |
| 55 | Sincelejo | 3.02% |
Grade repetition rate, 2024 (MEN) (2024)
Medellín ranks 24 of 74, highest first.
| Rank | City | Grade repetition rate, 2024 (MEN) |
|---|---|---|
| 21 | Barrancabermeja | 9.3% |
| 22 | Pitalito | 9.2% |
| 23 | Neiva | 9.1% |
| 24 | Medellín | 9.1% |
| 25 | Girardot | 9.1% |
| 26 | Tunja | 9.0% |
| 27 | Jamundí | 9.0% |
Saber 11 average global score, 2022 (out of 500) (2022)
Medellín ranks 50 of 74, highest first.
| Rank | City | Saber 11 average global score, 2022 (out of 500) |
|---|---|---|
| 47 | Turbaco | 253 |
| 48 | Cartago | 253 |
| 49 | Bello | 252 |
| 50 | Medellín | 251 |
| 51 | Sahagún | 250 |
| 52 | Girardot | 250 |
| 53 | Cali | 250 |
Change in Saber 11 average global score, 2019 to 2022 (2019-2022)
Medellín ranks 65 of 74, highest first.
| Rank | City | Change in Saber 11 average global score, 2019 to 2022 |
|---|---|---|
| 62 | Quibdo | +2 |
| 63 | Chía | +2 |
| 64 | Sogamoso | +2 |
| 65 | Medellín | +2 |
| 66 | Uribia | +1 |
| 67 | Sincelejo | +1 |
| 68 | Duitama | +1 |
Households with low educational achievement, 2018 census (2018)
Medellín ranks 54 of 74, highest first.
| Rank | City | Households with low educational achievement, 2018 census |
|---|---|---|
| 51 | Facatativá | 36.1% |
| 52 | Manizales | 35.8% |
| 53 | Rionegro | 35.5% |
| 54 | Medellín | 35.2% |
| 55 | Soacha | 35.2% |
| 56 | Turbaco | 35.1% |
| 57 | Duitama | 34.3% |
More on Medellín: 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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