Education in Tunja, Colombia: official figures
The Ministry of Education counted 32,210 children aged 5 to 16 in Tunja in 2024, of whom 98.9% were enrolled in school (net coverage), 19th highest of 74 Colombian cities on this site; the rate was 105.7% in 2019.
How many teenagers in Tunja are in school?
Net enrolment in Tunja in 2024 was 75.5% at pre-school transition level, 101.2% in primary, 86.7% in lower secondary and 56.6% in upper secondary (media).
Source: Ministerio de Educación Nacional (MinEducación) · saved copyWhat is the school enrolment rate in Tunja?
Gross enrolment (all students at a level, whatever their age, as a share of the school-age population) in Tunja was 107.9% in 2024, 111.9% in primary and 98.6% in upper secondary.
Source: Ministerio de Educación Nacional (MinEducación) · saved copyWhat is the school dropout rate in Tunja?
2.82% of students enrolled in Tunja left school during 2024 (dropout rate), 15th lowest of 74 Colombian cities on this site; the rate was 1.81% in 2019.
Source: Ministerio de Educación Nacional (MinEducación) · saved copyHow many students repeat a year in Tunja?
In 2024 89.3% of students in Tunja passed their school year, 7.8% failed and 9.0% were repeating a grade, joint 26th 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 Tunja?
Students at schools in Tunja averaged 287 points out of 500 in the 2022 Saber 11 school-leaving exam (5,108 test takers), the highest of 74 Colombian cities on this site; in 2019 the average was 276.
Source: Instituto Colombiano para la Evaluación de la Educación (ICFES) · saved copyHow do students in Tunja do in maths and English?
In the 2022 Saber 11 exam, students in Tunja averaged 59 in mathematics, 59 in critical reading and 59 in English (each out of 100); the English average was 3rd highest of 74 Colombian cities on this site.
Source: Instituto Colombiano para la Evaluación de la Educación (ICFES) · saved copyDo private schools in Tunja score higher?
In 2022, students at public schools in Tunja averaged 285 on the Saber 11 exam (2,904 test takers) and students at private schools 290 (2,204), a gap of 5 points.
Source: Instituto Colombiano para la Evaluación de la Educación (ICFES) · saved copyAre school exam results in Tunja improving?
The average Saber 11 score of Tunja changed by +11 points between 2019 and 2022, 9th largest rise of 74 Colombian cities on this site.
Source: Instituto Colombiano para la Evaluación de la Educación (ICFES) · saved copyHow many adults in Tunja cannot read?
In the 2018 census, 25.6% of households in Tunja were deprived on educational achievement (members aged 15 and over averaged under nine years of schooling), 4th lowest of 74 Colombian cities on this site, and 3.8% had a member who could not read or write and 12.3% a child with school lag (national: 46.1%, 10.5% and 16.0%).
Source: Departamento Administrativo Nacional de Estadística (DANE) · saved copyHow Tunja compares with other cities in Colombia
Net enrolment rate, ages 5-16, 2024 (MEN) (2024)
Tunja ranks 19 of 74, highest first.
| Rank | City | Net enrolment rate, ages 5-16, 2024 (MEN) |
|---|---|---|
| 16 | Turbaco | 99.7% |
| 17 | Turbo | 99.3% |
| 18 | Quibdo | 99.0% |
| 19 | Tunja | 98.9% |
| 20 | Bucaramanga | 98.5% |
| 21 | Mosquera | 98.5% |
| 22 | Envigado | 98.5% |
School dropout rate, 2024 (MEN) (2024)
Tunja ranks 60 of 74, highest first.
| Rank | City | School dropout rate, 2024 (MEN) |
|---|---|---|
| 57 | Turbaco | 2.84% |
| 58 | Maicao | 2.83% |
| 59 | Facatativá | 2.83% |
| 60 | Tunja | 2.82% |
| 61 | Sahagún | 2.81% |
| 62 | Soledad | 2.69% |
| 63 | Mosquera | 2.50% |
Grade repetition rate, 2024 (MEN) (2024)
Tunja ranks 26 of 74, highest first.
| Rank | City | Grade repetition rate, 2024 (MEN) |
|---|---|---|
| 23 | Neiva | 9.1% |
| 24 | Medellín | 9.1% |
| 25 | Girardot | 9.1% |
| 26 | Tunja | 9.0% |
| 27 | Jamundí | 9.0% |
| 28 | Ocaña | 9.0% |
| 29 | Magangué | 8.9% |
Saber 11 average global score, 2022 (out of 500) (2022)
Tunja ranks 1 of 74, highest first.
| Rank | City | Saber 11 average global score, 2022 (out of 500) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tunja | 287 |
| 2 | Envigado | 283 |
| 3 | Duitama | 282 |
| 4 | Floridablanca | 282 |
| 5 | Bucaramanga | 281 |
| 6 | Sogamoso | 280 |
| 7 | Mosquera | 279 |
Change in Saber 11 average global score, 2019 to 2022 (2019-2022)
Tunja ranks 9 of 74, highest first.
| Rank | City | Change in Saber 11 average global score, 2019 to 2022 |
|---|---|---|
| 6 | Yumbo | +12 |
| 7 | Pitalito | +11 |
| 8 | Los Patios | +11 |
| 9 | Tunja | +11 |
| 10 | Soacha | +10 |
| 11 | Santander de Quilichao | +10 |
| 12 | Facatativá | +10 |
Households with low educational achievement, 2018 census (2018)
Tunja ranks 71 of 74, highest first.
| Rank | City | Households with low educational achievement, 2018 census |
|---|---|---|
| 68 | Funza | 28.6% |
| 69 | Mosquera | 27.4% |
| 70 | Bogotá, D.C. | 26.2% |
| 71 | Tunja | 25.6% |
| 72 | Cajicá | 24.7% |
| 73 | Chía | 23.9% |
| 74 | Envigado | 19.4% |
More on Tunja: 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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