Primary and secondary education

In Mexico, primary education is called educación primaria, while lower secondary education is called educación secundaria and upper secondary education is called educación media superior.

In upper secondary education, pupils choose 1 of the following streams:

• bachillerato general – this stream prepares pupils for higher education;
• bachillerato tecnológico – this stream prepares students for both higher education and work.

They conclude each educational phase with exams for a diploma. For upper secondary education, the stream is mentioned on the diploma.

Educación básica

In Mexico, pre-primary education (educación preescolar), primary education and secondary education together are called educación básica. Education is compulsory for children aged 5 to 13, so starting from pre-primary education.

Pupils get the diploma Certificado de educación primaria when they conclude primary education. Primary education is for childeren aged 6 to 12.

• Duration i : 6 years.
• Content: general education subjects, such as:
  • educación artística (art education)
  • español (Spanish)
  • geografía (geography)
  • historia (history)
  • matemáticas (mathematics)
• Diploma: Certificado de educación primaria from the Secretaría de Educación Pública (SEP).

Students get the Certificado de educación secundaria when they finish lower secondary education. Lower secondary education is for students aged 12 to 15.

• Duration: 3 years.
• Content: general education subjects, such as:
  • artes (arts)
  • español (Spanish)
  • historia (history)
  • matemáticas (mathematics)
  • segunda lengua (2nd modern language)
• Function of the diploma: access to upper secondary education or secondary vocational education.
• Diploma: Certificado de educación secundaria from the SEP.

This is the diploma of 1 of the upper secondary education streams: the bachillerato general. This stream prepares students for higher education. Some schools call this stream preparatoria or propedeútica.

Pupils take their education at a secondary school. Some schools are part of a university. If that is the case, the schools are called escuelas preparatorias.

• Duration: 3 years.
• Content: general education subjects. In some cases, a few vocational subjects are included in the curriculum as well.
• Admission requirements: a Certificaco de Educación Secundaria.
• Function of the diploma: access to higher education (usually after taking an entrance exam).
• Diploma: Certificado de terminación de estudios – bachillerato general. Sometimes the diploma is called something else, for example:
  • Bachiller programa bicultural
  • Certificado de terminación de estudios - bachillerato programma multicultural
  • Diploma de bachiller

This is the diploma of 1 of the upper secondary education streams: the bachillerato técnológico. This stream prepares students for both higher education and work. Some schools call this stream bachillerato bivalente or bachillerato técnico.

Students take their education at a secondary school. Some schools are part of a university. If that is the case, the schools are called escuelas preparatorias.

• Duration: 3 years.
• Content: a combination of general education subjects and vocational subjects. The general education subjects are largely the same as the bachillerato general subjects. The vocational subjects are part of a speciaisation (carrera) that pupils choose, such as
  • administración de recursos humanos (Human Resource Management)
  • económico-administrativa (economic-administrative);
  • informática-administrativa (informatics-administrative).
• Admission requirements: a Certificaco de Educación Secundaria.
• Function of the diploma: access to higher education (usually after taking an entrance exam) and/or work.
• Diploma: Certificado de terminación de estudios - bachiller técnologico.