Like much of the country itself, education in Mexico has undergone a sort of renaissance over the past three decades.

The educational system in Mexico, which once boasted one of the highest dropout rates in North America, has undergone a massive transformation and now enjoys a reasonably high success rate.  In addition to this new found emphasis on education in Mexico, several big-name universities have opened up their doors to international students the world over in order to expose their students to a more international education.

Mexico also represents one of the most popular choices for study abroad programs in the United States.  In 2010 alone, it’s estimated that nearly 20% of students who were interested in study abroad programs indicated that they would consider spending their time at a Mexican university.  This heightened trend certainly indicates that when it comes to education in Mexico, the population is enjoying a reformed system that will continue to see increases in graduation rates and university enrollment.

In this article, we’ll take a closer look at education in Mexico and explore the important events and legislation that paved the way for the successful Mexican educational system today.

The Structure of Education in Mexico

The structure of education in Mexico resembles that of the United States. The public education system follows three major milestones, each of which are designed to instruct young students in their specific developmental stages. While there is no public preschool in Mexico (however, parents with higher incomes often opt to send their children to private preschools that are modeled after American preschools), children start their educational journey at the age of six, when they enroll in primary school (or primaria, in Spanish).

Like with American children, the Mexican child’s first year in primary school centers on learning how to read, write, spell and perform other activities that make up the formation of a basic education. It’s also important to note that primary school in Mexico differs from most American institutions due to the importance it places on teaching its children multiple languages. For example, most Mexican primary schools will spend the morning teaching the children in Spanish, and will switch to English lessons in the afternoon. Some private primary schools will even teach classes in French to help their students learn as many important world languages as possible. This explains why the bilingual rates of Mexican students are so high.

Primary school levels continue forward until grade six, when students then advance to junior high school, or secundaria in Spanish.  Here, Mexican students are taught the lessons they need to succeed in high school.  Again, this resembles the American educational system, where junior high is emphasized as a preparatory part of education that prepares the student for more advanced learning at the high school level.

Finally, at the age of 15, the students will move on to high school, or preparatoria in Spanish.  Unlike the American educational system, Mexican high schools follow three-year programs that split into two distinct parts. Students can opt to follow the SEP option, which focuses more on vocational training and prepares the student to finish their education at the age of eighteen; or they can opt to follow the University Incorporated path, which prepares the student for enrollment in a university at the age of eighteen.  While the latter option was once only available to those Mexican students from wealthier families, enrollment rates have skyrocketed since major legislative changes took place in the mid-90s, which will be discussed in the next section.

Finally, higher education in Mexico continues to follow the American educational model, where students enroll into a four-year program to receive their bachelor’s degree.  While major Mexican universities offer a wealth of degrees in a variety of subjects, recent surveys have indicated that the most popular degree programs center on engineering and architecture.  If a student wishes to pursue a postgraduate degree, it will usually be in a program that emphasizes professional development (such as a business degree) or scientific research.

The Revamping of Education in Mexico

When it comes to education in Mexico, there has been much improvement over the last three decades, with an explosion in legislative involvement in the early to mid-1990s.  Before this time, education in Mexico was greatly decreed by which social class you fell into; for example, poorer families could not afford to maintain a non-working member of the household, while wealthier families could afford to pay expensive tuition at private schools and universities.  While there have been many steps taken to correct this social disparity, there still exists some class gaps, especially in more rural parts of Mexico.

In 1994, a bombshell report by UNICEF revealed that many working-class children in Mexico never made it to grade five, as their families simply couldn’t survive without the extra income.  Spurred on by the findings in this report, the Mexican government took important steps to put an end to dismal graduation rates.  The Mexican government began providing more supplies and money to schools in need (in fact, it’s estimated that up to 90% of public school textbooks are paid for by the Mexican government), and increased the mandatory schooling level to grade six.

Tighter child labor laws also prevented families from encouraging primary school children to work, which meant that they could focus on getting an education.  Recent research has revealed that these important government measures have made a massive impact on the success of education in Mexico: it’s estimated that upwards of 92% of Mexican children finish the sixth grade.

Conclusion

While there is undeniably more progress to be made in terms of education in Mexico, the country’s many schools and universities have been standing out on the world stage.  Recent legislative changes and increased government funding have made a world of difference in the public education system. And thanks to the popularity of engineering and architecture programs within Mexican universities, many of the world’s finest engineers, architects, builders and scientists have an education in Mexico to thank for all of their successes.

This article was written by Henry Altman

If your an educator and are looking to live and work in Mexico then Mexico does offer employment opportunities. Go to our Working in Mexico article.