Education in Santa Marta, Colombia: official figures
The Ministry of Education counted 108,568 children aged 5 to 16 in Santa Marta in 2024, of whom 102.7% were enrolled in school (net coverage), 11th highest of 74 Colombian cities on this site; the rate was 102.6% in 2019.
How many teenagers in Santa Marta are in school?
Net enrolment in Santa Marta in 2024 was 74.7% at pre-school transition level, 99.8% in primary, 83.1% in lower secondary and 53.7% in upper secondary (media).
Source: Ministerio de Educación Nacional (MinEducación) · saved copyWhat is the school enrolment rate in Santa Marta?
Gross enrolment (all students at a level, whatever their age, as a share of the school-age population) in Santa Marta was 115.9% in 2024, 121.3% in primary and 102.8% in upper secondary.
Source: Ministerio de Educación Nacional (MinEducación) · saved copyWhat is the school dropout rate in Santa Marta?
4.66% of students enrolled in Santa Marta left school during 2024 (dropout rate), 19th highest of 74 Colombian cities on this site; the rate was 3.74% in 2019.
Source: Ministerio de Educación Nacional (MinEducación) · saved copyHow many students repeat a year in Santa Marta?
In 2024 90.4% of students in Santa Marta passed their school year, 5.0% failed and 8.7% were repeating a grade, 35th 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 Santa Marta?
Students at schools in Santa Marta averaged 244 points out of 500 in the 2022 Saber 11 school-leaving exam (13,376 test takers), 19th lowest of 74 Colombian cities on this site; in 2019 the average was 235.
Source: Instituto Colombiano para la Evaluación de la Educación (ICFES) · saved copyHow do students in Santa Marta do in maths and English?
In the 2022 Saber 11 exam, students in Santa Marta averaged 49 in mathematics, 52 in critical reading and 49 in English (each out of 100); the English average was 22nd lowest of 74 Colombian cities on this site.
Source: Instituto Colombiano para la Evaluación de la Educación (ICFES) · saved copyDo private schools in Santa Marta score higher?
In 2022, students at public schools in Santa Marta averaged 237 on the Saber 11 exam (10,556 test takers) and students at private schools 270 (2,820), a gap of 34 points.
Source: Instituto Colombiano para la Evaluación de la Educación (ICFES) · saved copyAre school exam results in Santa Marta improving?
The average Saber 11 score of Santa Marta changed by +9 points between 2019 and 2022, 19th largest rise of 74 Colombian cities on this site.
Source: Instituto Colombiano para la Evaluación de la Educación (ICFES) · saved copyHow many adults in Santa Marta cannot read?
In the 2018 census, 34.2% of households in Santa Marta were deprived on educational achievement (members aged 15 and over averaged under nine years of schooling), 17th lowest of 74 Colombian cities on this site, and 7.1% had a member who could not read or write and 18.0% a child with school lag (national: 46.1%, 10.5% and 16.0%).
Source: Departamento Administrativo Nacional de Estadística (DANE) · saved copyHow Santa Marta compares with other cities in Colombia
Net enrolment rate, ages 5-16, 2024 (MEN) (2024)
Santa Marta ranks 11 of 74, highest first.
| Rank | City | Net enrolment rate, ages 5-16, 2024 (MEN) |
|---|---|---|
| 8 | Popayán | 106.7% |
| 9 | Rionegro | 106.4% |
| 10 | Yumbo | 103.2% |
| 11 | Santa Marta | 102.7% |
| 12 | Pereira | 102.5% |
| 13 | Maicao | 101.9% |
| 14 | Ipiales | 99.8% |
School dropout rate, 2024 (MEN) (2024)
Santa Marta ranks 19 of 74, highest first.
| Rank | City | School dropout rate, 2024 (MEN) |
|---|---|---|
| 16 | Gudalajara de Buga | 4.91% |
| 17 | Floridablanca | 4.82% |
| 18 | Apartadó | 4.80% |
| 19 | Santa Marta | 4.66% |
| 20 | Pitalito | 4.64% |
| 21 | Itagüí | 4.58% |
| 22 | Zipaquirá | 4.51% |
Grade repetition rate, 2024 (MEN) (2024)
Santa Marta ranks 35 of 74, highest first.
| Rank | City | Grade repetition rate, 2024 (MEN) |
|---|---|---|
| 32 | Sahagún | 8.8% |
| 33 | Envigado | 8.8% |
| 34 | Arauca | 8.8% |
| 35 | Santa Marta | 8.7% |
| 36 | Sincelejo | 8.7% |
| 37 | Valledupar | 8.6% |
| 38 | Apartadó | 8.5% |
Saber 11 average global score, 2022 (out of 500) (2022)
Santa Marta ranks 56 of 74, highest first.
| Rank | City | Saber 11 average global score, 2022 (out of 500) |
|---|---|---|
| 53 | Cali | 250 |
| 54 | Yumbo | 247 |
| 55 | Cereté | 245 |
| 56 | Santa Marta | 244 |
| 57 | Soledad | 242 |
| 58 | Santander de Quilichao | 241 |
| 59 | Arauca | 241 |
Change in Saber 11 average global score, 2019 to 2022 (2019-2022)
Santa Marta ranks 19 of 74, highest first.
| Rank | City | Change in Saber 11 average global score, 2019 to 2022 |
|---|---|---|
| 16 | Rionegro | +10 |
| 17 | Bello | +9 |
| 18 | Popayán | +9 |
| 19 | Santa Marta | +9 |
| 20 | Itagüí | +9 |
| 21 | Apartadó | +8 |
| 22 | Armenia | +8 |
Households with low educational achievement, 2018 census (2018)
Santa Marta ranks 58 of 74, highest first.
| Rank | City | Households with low educational achievement, 2018 census |
|---|---|---|
| 55 | Soacha | 35.2% |
| 56 | Turbaco | 35.1% |
| 57 | Duitama | 34.3% |
| 58 | Santa Marta | 34.2% |
| 59 | Zipaquirá | 34.0% |
| 60 | Itagüí | 33.8% |
| 61 | Madrid | 33.6% |
More on Santa Marta: 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…)
Each saved copy is the file exactly as downloaded, kept so the figures can be checked even if the source changes. Report an error.