Education in Mexico has a long history. Indigenous peoples in Central Mexico created institutions such as the telpochcalli and the calmecac before the Spanish conquest. The Royal and Pontifical University of Mexico, the second oldest university in the Americas, was founded by royal decree in 1551. Education in Mexico was, until the early twentieth century, largely confined to males from urban and wealthy segments and under the auspices of the Catholic Church.
The Mexican state has been directly involved in education since the nineteenth century, promoting secular education. Control of education was a source of an ongoing conflict between the Mexican state and the Catholic Church, which since the colonial era had exclusive charge of education.Pilar Gonzalbo Aizpuru, "Education: Colonial" in Encyclopedia or Mexico, Chicago: Fitzroy Dearborn 1997, pp. 434–438.Antonio Escobar Ohmstede, "Education: 1821–1989" in Encyclopedia of Mexico, Chicago: Fitzroy Dearborn 1997, pp. 438–441.Mary Kay Vaughan, "Education: 1889–1940" in Encyclopedia of Mexico, Chicago: Fitzroy Dearborn 1997, pp. 441–445.Valentina Torres Septién, "Education: 1940–1996" in Encyclopedia of Mexico, Chicago: Fitzroy Dearborn 1997, pp. 445–449. The mid-nineteenth-century Liberal Reform separated church and state, which had a direct impact on education. President Benito Juárez sought the expansion of public schools. During the long tenure of President Porfirio Díaz, the expansion of education became a priority under a cabinet-level post held by Justo Sierra; Sierra also served President Francisco I. Madero in the early years of the Mexican Revolution.
The 1917 Constitution strengthened the Mexican state's power in education. During the presidency of Álvaro Obregón in the early 1920s, his Minister of Public Education José Vasconcelos implemented a massive expansion of access to public, secular education and expanded access to secular schooling in rural areas. This work was built on and expanded in the administration of Plutarco Elías Calles by Moisés Sáenz. In the 1930s, the Mexican government under Lázaro Cárdenas mandated socialist education in Mexico and there was considerable push back from the Catholic Church. Socialist education was repealed during the 1940s, with the administration of Manuel Ávila Camacho. A number of private universities have opened since the mid-twentieth century. The Mexican Teachers' Union (SNTE), founded in the late 1940s, has had significant political power. The Mexican federal government has undertaken measures to reform education, which have been opposed by the SNTE.
Education in Mexico is currently regulated by the Secretariat of Public Education () (SEP). Education standards are set by this Ministry at all levels except in "autonomous" universities chartered by the government (e.g., Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México). Accreditation of private schools is accomplished by mandatory approval and registration with this institution. Religious instruction is prohibited in public schools; however, religious associations are free to maintain private schools, which receive no public funds.
In the same fashion as other education systems, education has identifiable stages: primary school, junior high school (or "secondary school"), high school, higher education, and postgraduate education.
Structure of the basic education system
In Mexico, basic education is normally divided into three steps: primary school (primaria), comprising grades 1–6; junior high school (secundaria), comprising grades 7-9; and high school (preparatoria), comprising grades 10-12.
Depending on definitions, primary education comprises primaria and secundaria, which are compulsory by law, while secondary education only includes preparatoria, which has recently been made compulsory.
Primary school
The terms "Primary School" or "Elementary School" usually corresponds to primaria, comprising grades 1–6, when the students are 6 to 12 years old. It starts the basic compulsory education system. These are the first years of schooling.
Depending on the school, bilingual education may be offered from the beginning, where half the day instruction is in Spanish, and the rest is in another language.
Junior high school
The terms "Junior High School" or "Middle School" usually correspond to secundaria, comprising grades 7–9 when the student's age is 12 to 15 years old. It is part of the basic compulsory education system, following primary school and coming before "high school" (preparatoria).
At this level, more specialized subjects may be taught such as Physics, Chemistry, and World History. There is also the técnica which provides vocational training, and the telesecundaria which provides distance learning.
Despite the similarities of the words "Secondary school" and secundaria, in Mexico the former is usually translated to preparatoria, while in other countries, such as Puerto Rico, or within the Spanish-speaking populations of the United States, the term secundaria refers to university.
High school
The term "High School"United States usually corresponds to preparatoria or bachillerato, and follows "secundaria" comprising grades 10–12, when the student's age is 15 to 18 years old. Students may choose between two main kinds of high school programs: The SEP incorporated, and a University Incorporated one, depending on the state. Another minority of programs are available only for private schools, such as the International Baccalaureate which carries a completely different system. Nevertheless, in order to be taught, it must include at least one national subject. In addition, there are programs such as tecnología and comercio that prepare students for a particular vocational career.
Preparatoria traditionally consists of three years of education, divided into six semesters, with the first semesters having a common curriculum, and the latter ones allowing some degree of specialization, either in physical sciences (physics, chemistry, biology, etc.) or social sciences (commerce, philosophy, law, etc.). The term preparatoria is most commonly used for institutions that offer a three-year education program that "prepares" the student with general knowledge to continue studying at a university. In contrast, the term bachillerato is most often used for institutions that provide vocational training, in two or three years, so the graduate can get a job as a skilled worker, for example, an assistant accountant, a bilingual secretary or a technician. An example of an institution that provides this kind of skills in Mexico is the National College of Professional Technical Education (Conalep).
Educational integration
In 1993, educational integration was formally implemented nationwide through the reform article 41 of the General Education Law. This law mandates the integration of students with special needs into regular classrooms.Diario Oficial de la Federación. (1993). Ley General de Educación retrieved August 10, 2018), from http://www.sep.gob.mx/work/models/sep1/Resource/b490561c-5c33-4254-ad1caad33765928a/07104.pdf Although formally, the term 'educational integration' is used, 'inclusive education' is often used to describe the educational system.Fletcher, T., Dejud, C., Klingler, C., & Lopez-Marisca, I. (2003) The changing paradigm of special education in Mexico: Voices from the field. Bilingual Research Journal, 27(3), 409–430. Implementation of educational integration has taken many years and still continues to face obstacles.
Under the current model, students with severe disabilities that would not benefit from inclusion, study the same curriculum as regular classrooms in separate schools called Centros de Atencion Multiple [Multiple Attention Center], or CAM. Otherwise, special needs students are placed in regular classrooms and are supported by the Unidades de Servicio y Apoyo a la Educación Regular or the Unit of Support Services for Regular Education, (USAER). This group is made up of special education teachers, speech therapists, psychologists and other professionals to help special needs students in the classroom and minimize barriers to their learning.
Challenges to educational integration
The combination of USAER professionals and regular teaching working in the same classroom has caused some issues for educational integration. Specifically, there is confusion about the roles of USAER professionals who work in regular classrooms. A study of USAER members found that regardless of urban or rural contexts, professionals had four common concerns. First, USAER professionals felt that they lacked preparation for working in the classroom. The second issue was feeling like their role had changed due to more demands being placed on them. The last two concerns were the lack of communication and collaboration between teachers and USAER professionals. Although the two work in the same classroom, they often work independently. However, this creates problems when adjusting the curriculum for special needs students.
Accessibility is another challenge for educational integration. Schools are required to have accessible buildings and classrooms, provide technical support and appropriate materials for special needs students,Flores Barrera, V.J., & García Cedillo, I. (2016) Apoyos que reciben estudiantes de secundaria con discapacidad en escuelas regulares: ¿Corresponden a lo que dicen las leyes? Revista Educación, 40(2), 1–20. but a case study found that the school was not equipped for students with sensory disabilities. The school lacked accessible furniture, handicapped restrooms or proper modification for students with sensory disabilities.
Finally, training for new teachers doesn't provide them enough experience with special needs students, making the shift to educational integration difficult. A study of 286 pre-service teachers found that a third of didn't have any experience working with special needs students. Additionally, 44% of the teachers reported having no formal training in working with this population.Forlin, C., García-Cedillo, I., Romero‐Contreras, S., Fletcher, T., & Rodríguez-Hernández, H.J., (2010) Inclusion in Mexico: ensuring supportive attitudes by newly graduated teachers. International Journal of Inclusive Education, 14(7), 723–739. A qualitative study on pre-service teachers assessed their attitude towards special needs students and their self-efficacy found that overall most teachers have positive perceptions of inclusive education. However, teachers with more hours of training, more teaching experience, and better knowledge of policies had higher levels of confidence in working with students with disabilities.Romero-Contreras, S., Garcia-Cedillo, I., Forli, C., & Lomelí-Hernández, K.A., (2013) Preparing teachers for inclusion in Mexico: How effective is this process? Journal of Education for Teaching, 39(5), 509–522.
Quality of education in Mexico
In recent years, the progression through Mexican education has come under much criticism. In 2011, while over 90% of children in Mexico attended primary school, only 62% attended secondary school. Only 45% finished secondary school. After secondary school, only a quarter passed on to higher education. An OECD report showed the number of young adults who finished secondary school fell from 49% to 41% between 2019 and 2024.
A commonly cited reason for this is the lack of infrastructure throughout the rural schools. The government has been criticized for investing too little in students, relative to budget. In its 2012 report on education, the OECD placed Mexico at below average in mathematics, science, and reading."Low-Performing Students: Why They Fall Behind and How to Help Them Succeed Country note Mexico" Retrieved June 16, 2016, from http://www.oecd.org/mexico/PISA-2012-low-performers-Mexico-ENG.pdf