Argentina is the second-largest South American country, with a population of almost 47 million. The country is 92.5% urbanized, with a third of the population living in the capital of Buenos Aires. In regard to education in Argentina, the literacy rate is 99%. 

10 Facts About Education in Argentina

1. Tuition-free education in Argentina is offered at the primary, secondary and university levels, in addition to private schools. Over the last decade, there have been several significant projects designed to address and improve different aspects of the education system. These have tackled rural education, school dropouts, early literacy, education infrastructure and digital learning.
2. Rural schoolchildren experience disadvantages in education, such as multigrade teaching, access to secondary education (83% urban, 55% rural) and transition to secondary education (rural students are 43% less likely to attend lower secondary education and 70% more likely to drop out). 
3. PROMER-II, the Second Rural Education Improvement Project for Argentina, active from 2015-2021 was funded by a $250.5 million loan from the World Bank’s International Bank for Reconstruction and Development. The Government of Argentina provided counterpart funding of $11.45 million, as well as follow-up support that included a nationwide program of school grants to support vulnerable students who might not otherwise complete secondary school. PROMER-II objectives were to (1) reduce repetition rates at preprimary, primary and secondary levels, (2) increase enrollment and completion of secondary school, and (3) strengthen project management, monitoring and evaluation. The national Ministry of Education implemented the project. The World Bank was able to accrue additional donor support, for example, from UNICEF. 
4. Teaching improvements, good school management practices, strong school-family linkages and expanded service coverage all contributed to the project’s success. A total of 183 rural education schools were built or refurbished, and 2,218 had improved infrastructure to cope with COVID-19 needs. Between 2014-2021, rural repetition rates decreased by almost 50%; transition from primary to secondary increased from 75% to 80%; transition from lower to upper secondary increased from 91.6% to 96.5%;  and completion of upper secondary (12th grade) increased from 63.3% to 74.1%.
5. It was estimated that between 350,000 and 700,000 students dropped out of school in 2021, with only 10% of students completing their secondary education on time. The COVID-19 pandemic only exacerbated issues of poverty, such as a lack of technology, including internet access. Approximately 880,000 children were seen as vulnerable; the National Education Ministry reported that 13% of students at all levels had little or no contact with the educational system. 
6. In spring 2023, the Organisation of Ibero-American States for Education, Science and Culture developed a “Return to Studying” campaign to provide incentives to both adults and children to return to their studies. Two Argentinian football organizations became involved because of the popularity of football in the country and its ability to reach all social classes.
7. The World Bank approved two projects for Argentina in November 2024, for a total of $1 billion. Half of the money is for the Integrated Early Childhood Development Project that will support the improvement of programs for mothers and children up to the age of 4. The project is expected to reach more than 800,000 pregnant women and 1.8 million children, including access to childcare centers for 120,000 vulnerable children and support for 39,000 families residing in vulnerable areas. The second $500 million is for the Program to Support the Federal Policy for Enhancing Foundational Literacy. The goal is to increase the percentage of students who meet the minimum level of literacy proficiency in the first cycle of primary education, the APRENDER 3rd grade tests.
8. Also in November 2024, the Inter-American Development Bank approved a $300 million loan to Argentina over four years for training 390,000 teachers to improve reading instruction, among other initiatives. The loan is described as the first individual operation of a conditional credit line directed toward improving “comprehensive literacy,” i.e., foundational skills of basic math, science and the use of digital technologies. The credit line is approved for up to $1 billion, with the initial credit line to include financing for primary school books, including books for those with hearing or visual disabilities, mobile libraries and literacy kits. This initial loan includes $500 million in parallel financing from the World Bank Group. Technical teams will work to improve coordination between the education system’s subnational and national levels.  
9. In February 2025, the head of government for the City of Buenos Aires announced a $146.6 billion investment in 627 school infrastructure projects as part of the city’s “Agenda 2025, Buenos Aires First.” This is a continuation of work that included 300 projects already underway. Projects include new school buildings, refurbishment and maintenance of buildings and conversion of some schools and kindergartens from single-day to full-day classes. Supplies include “I Love Learning” kits of materials, school supplies, language and math teaching materials and textbooks for students and teachers. There are also teacher training programs.
10. Working with Argentina’s Ministry of Economy and Public Management and the Ministry of Education of the Province of Cordoba, the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) undertook an initiative in April 2025 to improve digital learning in the province’s primary and secondary schools. The project contributed 48,000 netbooks across hundreds of public schools in order to make educational technologies more accessible both to teachers and students. The expectation is that integrating technology in the classroom will increase equal opportunities and motivation, and that enhanced inclusion will improve academic outcomes. Digital tools will also be used to support students with learning difficulties. 

Investment in Argentina’s education system is thus significant, comprising international, national, and subnational support. This support is wide in scope in terms of target populations, issues addressed and the solutions undertaken.

– Staff Reports
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