According to the RAND Corporation, Mexico spends approximately $28 billion annually on public education with the states administering 85 percent of that funding through federal transfers. The Ministry of Education and the teacher's union are the main policy makers.

Organization

The Mexican educational system is organized into four levels, which include preschool, compulsory basic education, secondary and higher education. Officially, the government is responsible for providing only basic education.

Upper Secondary

Grades 10 through 12 constitute the upper-secondary education level. Many of the schools of this rank are managed, funded and administered by the country's universities.

Curriculum

Schools abide by nationalized curriculum standards. Primary schools emphasize mathematics and Spanish while secondary students receive instruction in algebra, geometry, trigonometry, science, foreign language and the arts.

School Life

According to information found at http://www.ericdigests.org, schools here are more informal and less structured than their American counterparts. A day in primary school lasts only four hours with rural students often working in the morning before attending class.

Rural Education

Mexico's rural areas are often isolated and poverty stricken. Not only is it difficult to recruit enough teachers to staff rural classrooms, but students must often choose between school and supporting their families; thus, rural dropout rates are high.

Source:

RAND Corporation: Education in Mexico

Eric Digests.org: Schooling in Mexico

More Information:

International Education Media.com: Mexico Education