The education system of Mexico consists of three
levels - primary, secondary and higher education. The basic education of
Mexico accounts for more than 80 percent of the total number of students
receiving studies. The Federal, State and local governments provide more
than 90 percent of basic education while private schools provide about 7
percent.
According to the legal framework which was adopted in 1993 under a new
federalism charges the Federal Government with the task of determining
the study plans for the elementary and the lower secondary school.
The school age of 6-14 years, which is mandatory covers primary and
lower secondary education. Elementary school comprises of grades one
through six while lower secondary education is taught in three levels,
from the first to third grade. There are two kinds of schools in Mexico
- private and public. Wealthy families prefer to send their children to
these private schools as they have plenty of funding for books and other
materials. On the other hand, children of poor families attend the
public school.
As far as higher education in Mexico is concerned, there are four
options, namely:
