9 answers, 3 from Jamaica's own official bodies, with a link to each figure.
90% of students who sat the 2026 Primary Exit Profile (PEP) were placed in a school of their choice, according to the Ministry of Education, Skills, Youth and Information. A further 9.5% were placed by proximity and 0.5% manually.
Students list seven choices. The minister said 24% got their first choice, 18% their second and 16% their third, so almost 60% got one of their first three. PEP is the exam at the end of primary school that decides which high school a child attends. It was the first sitting after Hurricane Melissa, and the ministry had reduced the curriculum objectives for affected grades. The ministry also said girls performed better than boys overall.
The education ministry cut the number of curriculum objectives students had to meet, according to the Ministry of Education, Skills, Youth and Information. For grade six Language Arts the objectives were reduced from 138 to 90. For grade four Mathematics, 48 of 124 objectives were kept as essential.
The acting Chief Education Officer announced the changes at a post-Cabinet press briefing on 14 January 2026. The ministry reprinted the National Standards Curriculum for grades one to nine and sent hard copies to the regions hit by the October 2025 storm. The changes affected both PEP and the requirements for moving to the next grade.
Schools opened for the 2026/27 academic year in September, but some damaged by Hurricane Melissa were not fully repaired. The Ministry of Education, Skills, Youth and Information said in August that it was preparing alternatives for those schools, including rotating students on alternate days.
The parliamentary secretary announced the plans during a tour of schools in St Elizabeth, one of the parishes hit hardest by the October 2025 storm. He said contractors had been asked to finish quickly while keeping standards. The ministry posts updates for parents on its website, and schools affected by repairs inform their own families about shift or rotation schedules.
The figures below use one definition for every country, so they can differ from national figures.
The UNESCO Institute for Statistics puts net primary school enrolment in Jamaica at 81.0% in 2018. In 2004 the figure was 91.5%. It is 15th highest of 17 in Latin America & Caribbean, where the median is 92.9%. Worldwide: 57th of 69.
84.5%: that is gross secondary school enrolment in Jamaica for 2024, according to the UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Its high point since 2005 was 2011, at 91.5%; its low point was 2020, at 81.5%. It is 16th highest of 22 in Latin America & Caribbean, where the median is 91.6%. World rank, highest first: 76th of 100.
According to the UNESCO Institute for Statistics, gross tertiary enrolment in Jamaica was 26.2% in 2015. The peak was 27.1% in 2012 and the low 17.3% in 2006. It is 16th highest of 21 in Latin America & Caribbean, where the median is 47.6%. Of 138 countries with 2015 data, 93rd highest.
According to the UNESCO Institute for Statistics, government spending on education in Jamaica was 5.5% of GDP in 2024. The peak was 6.4% of GDP in 2010 and the low 4.6% of GDP in 2005. It is 2nd highest of 11 in Latin America & Caribbean, where the median is 3.8% of GDP. Of 36 countries with 2024 data, 10th highest.
25: that is the number of primary pupils per teacher in Jamaica for 2018, according to the UNESCO Institute for Statistics. It is the top of the series, which starts in 2011. It is 2nd highest of 18 in Latin America & Caribbean, where the median is 18. World rank, highest first: 33rd of 85.
83.6%: that is the primary completion rate in Jamaica for 2024, according to the UNESCO Institute for Statistics. The peak was 98.8% in 2012 and the low 78.6% in 2020. Across Latin America & Caribbean the middle value was 93.9%, and Jamaica placed 17th highest of 19. Worldwide: 83rd of 104.
Read on 14 October 2026. Definitions · Report an error