Public Education

In Mexico, an overwhelming majority of students receive primary and secondary education in public schools.  In the case of primary schools, 94% of all Mexican students attended public institutions in 2001.  Similarly, 93% of enrolled students attended a public secundaria (lower-secondary school, or middle school), and 78% of enrolled attended public preparatoria (upper-secondary schools, or high school).[1]

Further, the Mexican government allocates a much higher share of its budget to higher education than primary and secondary education.  According to the World Bank, in 2003, 14.3% of GDP per capita was dedicated to primary education, 15.2% to secondary education, and 47.4% to higher education. Given the high dropout rates at the primary and secondary education levels, coupled with the disproportionate amount of funding going to higher education, one could make the case that the Mexican government should reconsider how it is currently spending the 5.3% of GDP being spent on education (as of 2003).[2]

When compared to other Mexican states, Baja California Sur offers a full range of educational opportunities from primary school to post-graduate education.  Baja California has more university-level researchers than the national mean (0.67 researchers for every 100,000 inhabitants vs. Baja California Sur at 1.4).[3]  Public education accounts for 80% and private education accounts for the remaining 20% of the population’s schooling.[4]

However, there are still major gaps in transportation and accessibility for potential students, despite the availability of educational opportunities.  Primary schooling can usually be obtained at the local level in rural areas, but for a secondary and/or high school education, students are often required to travel to the municipality’s largest city, which can be cost-prohibitive for most families.