科技与公益：助力拉丁美洲和加勒比地区的学习发展

Techand

philanthropy:

Fueling

learningin

LatinAmericaandthe

Caribbean

Withtechnologyasadriverof

changeandphilanthropyas

anaccelerator,thisisapivotal

momentforLatinAmericaand

theCaribbeantoreimaginehoweducationisdelivered,accessed,andscaled.

Thereportisacollaborativeeffortby

AnaMaríaAristizábal,BeatrizGuillen,

FelipeChild,JimmySarakatsannis,andSebastiánRiomalo,withAndreaAcevedoandFranciscoNoguera,representing

viewsfromMcKinsey’sSocialSector

PracticeandTheResourceFoundation,

MARCH2026

Tableofcontents

2EXECUTIVESUMMARY

8INTRODUCTION

10EDUCATIONOUTCOMESIN

LAC:APERSISTENTLEARNING

SHORTFALL

11Inclusiveaccess

13Qualitylearning

15Effectivemanagementand

operationalefficiency

16THEOPPORTUNITIES

ANDCHALLENGESOF

HARNESSINGEDUCATIONAL

TECHNOLOGIESTOIMPROVE

LEARNINGOUTCOMES

20Thepromiseandchallenges

ofdigitaltransformationin

education

22Assessingkeychallengesfora

vibrantK–12edtechmarket

31PHILANTHROPY,SROLE

INENHANCINGMARKET

EFFICIENCYANDPROMOTING

QUALITYEDUCATIONINLAC:

SIXAREASFORINVESTMENT

331.Fundbuyereducation,shaping

buyerunderstandingand

decision-makingtowardquality

342.Deriskentryintogovernment

procurement

343.Supportspecificnewentrants

withseedgrantsortechnical

assistancetohelpentryorscale

364.Provideearly-stagepatient

capital

375.Fundanindependentbodyto

createqualitystandards

386.Supportpublicinnovation

entities

39CONCLUSION

40ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

UNLOCKINGTHEFUTUREOFLEARNINGINLACTHROUGHTECHANDPHILANTHROPY1

Executivesummary

ThestateofeducationinLatinAmericaandtheCaribbean

LatinAmericaandtheCaribbean(LAC)isgrapplingwithapersistentlearningshortfall.Seventy-ninepercentofsixthgraderscannotcomprehendbasic

texts,positioningtheregionamongthehighestinglobal“learningpoverty,”ameasurementusedbytheWorldBanktoassesslearningoutcomes.

Despiteimprovementsinaccesstoeducation,learningoutcomesinLAC

havelargelystagnatedordeterioratedsince2015.1Whilemostcountries

haveachievednear-universalprimaryenrollmentandexpandedaccess

tosecondaryeducation,performanceindicatorsremainlow:75percent

of15-year-oldslackbasicproficiencyinmathematics,and55percentare

lessthanproficientinreading.2EvidencesuggeststheCOVID-19pandemicamplifiedpreexistingdeficiencies.3Socioeconomicdisparitiesalsopersistineducation:High-incomestudentsarefivetimesmorelikelytofinishupper-

secondaryschoolthanlow-incomestudents.Becausemostcountriesin

LAChavenotyetdevelopedlong-termeducationplans,administratorsandstudentsarelessabletomanagetheiracademiccareers.Educationsystemsalsostrugglewithallocatingbudgetsandoveralladministrativeefficiency,

with0.27percentoftheGDPlostduetoimplementationerrorsorleakages.4

Accesstopostsecondaryeducationhasimproved,butemployabilityremainsachallenge.Enrollmentintertiaryeducationhasincreased,especially

inhigher-incomecountries,withenrollmentratesreaching82percent.5

However,lower-andupper-middle-incomecountriesstillfacesignificant

challenges,withagrosstertiaryenrollmentrateofabout27percent,

comparedwithabout65percentinupper-middle-incomecountries.6Qualityalsoremainsachallengeatthislevel.Andahighproportionofyouthsare

neitheremployednorineducationortraining(NEETs):InBrazilandColombia,36and32percentofyouths,respectively,areinthiscategory,comparedwiththeOECDaverageof16percent.7

Addressingthisrealityremainsurgent.Investmentsinhumancapitalare

crucialforacceleratingeconomicgrowthintheregion:Reducingtheshareofearlyschoolleaversorstudentswithoutbasicskillsbyjust10percent

couldincreaseannualGDPgrowthbyonetotwopercentagepoints.8Newtechnologycouldalsomakeasignificantcontributiontoimprovinglearningoutcomesandunlockingthevalueatstake.

1ElenaAriasOrtizetal.,Learningcan’twait:LessonsforLatinAmericaandtheCaribbeanfromPISA2022,IDB,March2024.

2“TacklingthelearningcrisisinLatinAmericaandtheCaribbean,”WorldBank,March22,2024.

3ElenaAriasOrtizetal.,Learningcan’twait:LessonsforLatinAmericaandtheCaribbeanfromPISA2022,IDB,March2024.

4VeronicaAlaimoetal.,Betterspendingforbetterlives:HowLatinAmericaandtheCaribbeancandomorewithless,IDB,September2018.

5“Schoolenrollment,tertiary(%gross),”WorldBank,September2025.

6“Schoolenrollment,tertiary(%gross),”WorldBank,September2025.

7Educationataglance2022,OECD,October3,2022;OECDEducationataGlancedatabase.

8“Out-of-schoolchildrenandeducationalgapscosttheglobaleconomy$10,000billionayear,”UNESCO,updatedJuly5,2024.

UNLOCKINGTHEFUTUREOFLEARNINGINLACTHROUGHTECHANDPHILANTHROPY3

Theopportunitiesandchallengesofharnessingedtechtoimprovelearningoutcomes

Wedefineedtechasfor-profitornonprofitorganizationsthatfullyorpartiallydeveloptechnologyor

technology-basedsolutionstotransformteaching,learning,andeducationalmanagementatany

educationlevel.Globally,edtechhasshownpotentialtoimproveeducationbybridgingaccessgaps

inunderservedregions,improvinglearningoutcomes,andenhancingoperationalefficiency.Tobetter

understandtherangeofsolutionsofferedbyedtechorganizations,wehaveusedataxonomy9thatcategorizessolutionsalongaspectrum,rangingfromcorepedagogicaltoolstowraparoundservices.Thetaxonomyalsoidentifiesendusers,offeringaviewoftheedtechplayingfield(ExhibitE1).

InLAC,thereisapotential$1.0billionto$1.5billionmarketinK12corelearningthatiscurrentlydominatedby

traditionalplayersbutthatcouldbecapturedbyedtechin2030.10However,thispotentialhasyettoberealized.TheK12levelrequiresthemostattentionoutofthedifferenteducationsegments.Edtechsexperiencethemostbarrierstoachievingadoption,scale,andsustainabilityinthissegmentbecauseithasthegreatestdisparityin

qualityoutcomes,aswellasalessdynamicmarket.

Despiteevidenceofedtechspotentialtoimproveoutcomes,impactatscalehasbeendifficulttoachieveinLAC.

Tounderstandthesechallenges,wesurveyedmorethan140peopleinfor-profitandnonprofitorganizationsintheedtechecosystem.Oneinsightemergedconsistentlyfromthesesurveys:EdtechsarenotreachingtheirpotentialattheK12levelinLAC,11andaccesstofundingisacriticallimitingfactor.Eventhoughmostofthe

fundinginLACisdirectedtowardcorelearning,only10percentoffundingisallocatedtoK12solutionsinthisarea(ExhibitE2).Bycomparison,intherestoftheworld,morethan55percentofcorelearningsolutionresourcesgotothissegment.

Theprevalenceofbusiness-to-government(B2G)businessmodelscontributessignificantlytofunding

challengesforK12edtechs.About80percentofK12studentsattendpublicschoolsinLAC.12ButinvestorsinLACprioritizeprivatemarket(B2BandB2C)modelsoverpublicones(B2G)duetogreaterperceivedpotentialandsecurityintermsofROI.

Beyondfundingchallenges,structuralchallengesalsohinderuptakeofeducationaltechnologies.Demand

foredtechsolutionsinK12islimitedamongbuyersandkeydecision-makersduetobudgetconstraintsand

competingpriorities,digitalinfrastructurelimitations,lackofknowledge,andculturalbarriers.Privateschoolsfacefewerbarriers,buttheirreachisnotlargeenoughtohaveamaterialimpactoneducationoutcomesorto

becomeadynamicmarket.Plus,thesectorlacksstandardizedoutcomemeasurementsandacleardefinitionofqualityeducation,makingitchallengingtomaintainconsistencyandaccountability.

FortheK12LACmarket,thesefactorscreateareinforcingcycle:Limitedfundingslowsbothinnovationanddatameasurement,whichinturnleadstothedeprioritizationofinnovativesolutionswithineducationagendas.

Thislackofprioritizationfurtherdiscouragesinvestorinterest,perpetuatingthechallengesthathinderthesectorsgrowthandimpactpotential.

9Theedtechsectorcanbefurtheranalyzedthroughatleastfourkeylenses:solutiontype,whichdifferentiatestheprimaryfunctionsoftechnologywithinproductsandservices,spanningfrompedagogicaltoolstowraparoundservices;educationlevel,whichclassifiesthemarketsegmentwherethesolutionisapplied,rangingfromeducationalinstitutions(earlychildhoodeducation,K12,andhighereducation)toenterprisesandconsumers;payingentity,whichidentifieswhofundsorpurchasestheedtechsolution,whetherthroughB2C,B2B,orbusiness-to-governmentoperating

models;andenduser,whichdefinesthekeystakeholdersinteractingwithedtechsolutions,suchaslearners,instructors,institutions,orparents.

10PotentialfortheK12corelearningedtechmarketinLACofbetween$950millionand$1.5billionthatincludesresourcesforstudentsandteachersaswellasandteachertraining,amongothersegments.

11Basedoninterviewswithfunders,start-ups,investors,andexperts.

12ElenaAriasOrtizetal.,ThestateofeducationinLatinAmericaandtheCaribbean2023,IDB,January2024.

UNLOCKINGTHEFUTUREOFLEARNINGINLACTHROUGHTECHANDPHILANTHROPY4

ExhibitE1

Edtechsolutionsincludeeverythingfromcorepedagogicaltoolstowraparoundservices.

Edtechtaxonomyconsideringsolutiontypeandenduserlenses,nonexhaustive

Learning

technology

Solution

Improvecore

learningthroughcontent,with

structuredor

lexibleformats

andassessments

Provide

supplementarylearningsupport

Leveragedelivery

platformstoboost

engagementandknowledge

transfer

Facilitate

interactionsandcollaboration

Manage

educational

processes,

infrastructure,andoverall

productivity

Providefinancial

Enduser

SubsolutionLearnerInstructorInstitutionParent

Curriculumandcontentcreationsupport:Createrelevantcurriculumsbasedonskillsand

competencies

Digitallearning(synchronousandasynchronous):Ofercontent-richlearningexperiencesthroughbite-sizecourses

Assessmentandfeedbackplatform:Create,administer,andanalyzeassessmentsin

educationalsettings

Testpreparation:Provideresourcesforentranceexamsandstandardizedtests

Learningsupporttools:Assistlearnersandinstructorsaddressingacademicand

organizationalneeds

Tutoringservices:Provideone-on-oneteachingandquestion-basedinteractions

Creativeandengagingplatforms:Oferthetoolsandenvironmenttofosterengagement,

problem-solving,collaboration,andplay

Learningmanagementsystem:Facilitatedelivery,management,andtrackingofeducationalcontent

Communicationplatform:Enabletheexchangeofmessagesandmedia

Synchronousmeetings:Facilitatereal-timegroupmeetings

Analyticsplatform:Collect,analyze,andvisualizedatarelatedtoeducationalprocessesand

outcomes

Technologyinfrastructure:Enableoperations,

securedatahandling,andscalabledigital-learningexperiences

Applicationservices:Establishcentralizedportalswithinformationtonavigateeducationalsystemsandapplicationservices

Institutionalfinancialservices:Oferinstitutionalfinancialplanning,budgeting,andoperational

e代ciencies

Wraparound

technology

services

Fundingsupport:Providefinancialsupportfor

educationservices

McKinsey&Company

Web<2026>

ExhibitE2

<MCK250601LACEducation>

Exhibit<E2>of<3>

InLatinAmericaandtheCaribbean,edtechcorelearningfundingpredominantlygoestowardworkforceandlifelonglearning.

Edtechcorelearningfundingbyeducationsector,nonexhaustive,%oftotal

Edtechfunding,globalaverage

LatinAmericanandCaribbean–fundededtechs

K-12HighereducationLifelonglearningandworkforce

59

3

38

10

25

65

Source:Crunchbase;HolonIQ;LAVCA;McKinseyanalysis

McKinsey&Company

UNLOCKINGTHEFUTUREOFLEARNINGINLACTHROUGHTECHANDPHILANTHROPY5

UNLOCKINGTHEFUTUREOFLEARNINGINLACTHROUGHTECHANDPHILANTHROPY6

Philanthropy’sroleinimprovingmarketefficiency

andclosingkeygapsinLACedtech

AddressingchallengesineducationandacceleratingtheimpactofedtechinLACwillrequireactionsfrom

multiplestakeholders,includinggovernments,schoolsystems,investors,andinnovators.Philanthropiescan

playacatalyzingroletoaccelerateimpactandgenerateavirtuouscycleinLACbyselectivelyinvestingin

strengtheningmarketsandinitiativesthattheprivatesectordoesnotfund,withthegoalofmaximizingimpact.

Philanthropyhasalreadydemonstrateditsabilitytoachievetheseimpactsinothersectors,suchashealthcareandconnectivity,bysuccessfullyenhancingmarketsandmakingthemmorevibrant.

PhilanthropyfundingisnotreachingtheareaswhereitismostneededtoimproveeducationoutcomesinLAC.

LACrepresentsmorethan10percentoftheworld’sstudents,butdespitetheregion’sloweducationoutcomes,ithasreceivedonlyabout7percentofglobaleducationphilanthropicfundingin2022andlessthan1percentfromUSprivatedonors.13Althoughphilanthropiccapitalcouldplayapivotalroleinadvancingedtechimpact,most

providerslackthenetworksandaccessrequiredtosecuresuchfunding.

Tomaximizeitsimpact,philanthropicinvestorscouldtargetareaswherefundingcouldpromoteamorerobust

edtechmarketinLACeducation.Weseesixspecificopportunitiesacrossdemand,supply,andmarketinfluence(ExhibitE3):

ExhibitE3

Sixleverstoaddressedtechmarketstructuralchallengesrequireaone-timeinvestmentofabout$120millionto$150million.

Lever

Recurringannualcost,

$million

One-timecost,

$million

Fundbuyereducationprograms

2.5–3.5

–

Deriskentryintogovernmentprocurement

–

80–95

Supportspecificnewentrantswithseedgrantsortechnicalassistance

11–21

–

Provideearly-stagepatientcapital

24–30

–

Fundanindependentbodytocreate

qualitystandards

0.8–1.21

–

Supportpublicinnovationentities

–

42–522

Entityinchargeofarticulationefortstoensureacoordinatedimplementationofthelevers

0.4–0.6

–

Total

39一56

122一147

1Thiscostconsiders80%ofoperatingexpensesbecausetheindependentbodyshouldbeabletoself-financetheremaining20%byprovidingservicestotheecosystem.

2Thiscostconsiders30%ofthecostofcreating6entitiesforthemain6economiesintheregionandisaone-timecostbecausecountriesshouldeventuallyassumethefundingofthesepublicentities.

McKinsey&Company

13BasedondatafromFoundationMapsbyCandid,retrievedNovember2024;Privatephilanthropyfordevelopment—Secondedition:Dataforaction,OECD,2021.

UNLOCKINGTHEFUTUREOFLEARNINGINLACTHROUGHTECHANDPHILANTHROPY7

Stimulatingdemandforedtechsolutions.

1Fundeducationforteachersandbuyers,suchasschooladministratorsacrosseducationlevelsandpolicymakers,aboutthebenefitsandlimitationsofvariousedtechsolutionstoinformtheirdecision-makingandincreaseadoption.

Improvingthesupplyofeffectiveedtechsolutions.

2Provideresourcesandmechanismstoderiskentryintogovernmentprocurementprocessesforedtechsolutions.

3Supportpromisingnewentrantswithseedgrantsortechnicalassistancetohelpnewsolutionsgaintractionandscale.

4Provideearly-stage,patientcapitalaimedatvalidatingbusinessmodels,theoriesofchange,andpotentialforscalability.

Strengtheningtheenvironmentaroundeducationinnovation.

5Fundanindependentbodytocreateconsistentqualitystandardsforedtech,withregionalreach,toestablishtrustaboutthereliabilityofeducationaltechnologies.

6Supportthecreationandexpansionofpublicinnovationentitiesfocusedoneducationtodrivesystemicchangeandfosterinnovation.

PhilanthropyhasthepotentialtobeadrivingforceforeducationalinnovationintheLACregion.Byaddressingcritical

gapsinfunding,infrastructure,andpolicy,philanthropicinitiativescanunlockopportunitiesforbroaderparticipationand

investmentineducationaltechnologies.Thisinturncanleadtosignificantimprovementsineducationaloutcomes,fosteringeconomicgrowthanddevelopmentintheregion.

14ElenaAriasOrtizetal.,Learningcan’twait:LessonsforLatinAmericaandtheCaribbeanfromPISA2022,IDB,March2024.

15Suchasbookpublishersandgovernmentpublishingcapabilities.

Introduction

LatinAmericaandtheCaribbean(LAC)isgrapplingwithapersistent

learningshortfall:79percentofsixthgraderscannotcomprehendbasictexts,positioningtheregionamongthehighestinglobal“learningpoverty.”Despiteimprovementsineducationaccess,learningoutcomesinK–12havelargely

stagnatedordeterioratedsince2015,atrendthatwasfurtherexacerbatedbytheCOVID-19pandemic.14

Investmentsinhumancapitalarecrucialforacceleratingeconomicgrowthintheregion.Newtechnologyalsopresentsapromisingavenueforenhancinglearningoutcomes.

In2030,therewillbeapotential$1.0billionto$1.5billionmarketinLAC

K–12corelearning(whichiscurrentlydominatedbytraditionalplayers)thatcouldbeservedbyedtechs—for-profitornonprofitorganizationsthatfullyorpartiallydeveloptechnologyortechnology-basedsolutionstotransformteaching,learning,andeducationalmanagement.15However,thispotentialremainslargelyuntapped.Thereisasignificantmismatchbetweenthe

primaryneedsofcriticaleducationsegmentsandthecapacityofedtech

solutionstosecureadequatefundingandachievescalableimprovementsineducationaloutcomes.

AddressingtheeducationalchallengesinLACandacceleratingtheimpact

ofedtechwillrequireconcertedeffortsfrommultiplestakeholders,includinggovernments,schoolsystems,investors,andinnovators.Philanthropycan

playapivotalroleincatalyzingimpactandgeneratingavirtuouscycleby

selectivelyinvestinginmarket-strengtheninginitiativesandmaximizing

impact.Butphilanthropicfundingisnotyetreachingtheareaswhereit

couldhavethegreatestimpactonimprovingeducationoutcomesinLAC.Byinvestinginthepotentialofedtech,philanthropiescanhelptheregionmakesignificantstridesinimprovingeducationaloutcomes,therebyfostering

economicgrowthanddevelopment(seesidebar“AIandthisreport”).

TherestofthisreportexploresindepththestateofeducationinLACtoday,thepotentialandchallengesofharnessingedtechtoshiftthecurrentreality,andtheroleofphilanthropyinacceleratingtheimpactofedtechintheregion.

AIandthisreport

AIisrapidlyreshapingteaching,learning,andeducationmanagementinLatinAmericaandthe

Caribbean(LAC).Inthisreport,wedonotpresentastand-aloneassessmentofAI.Instead,wetreatAIasacross-cuttingcapabilitywithinedtech—alreadyembeddedintoolsforadaptivelearning,

assessment,teachersupport,enrollment,andsystemmanagement.

Wemadethischoicefortworeasons.First,theevidencebaseinLACisevolvingquickly,andthe

effectivenessandrisksofAIinclassroomsdependonimplementationquality,context,andguardrails.

Second,ourmandateismarketbuilding:toidentifycatalyticphilanthropicleversthatstrengthen

theoveralledtechecosystem.Manyoftheactionswepropose—buyereducation,qualitystandards,earlypatientcapital,andsupportforpublicinnovationentities—areespeciallysalientforAI-enabledsolutions.

Throughoutthereport,whenexamplesinvolveAI,wehighlightthemexplicitly.Wealsoemphasize

principlesthatshouldguideanyAIuseineducation:equityandinclusion,dataprivacyandchildsafety,transparency,teacheragency,andevidenceoflearningimpactandcost-effectiveness.Accordingly,wereferenceAIwhererelevantandevaluatesolutions—AIandnon-AIalike—againsttheseprinciples,whiletheanalysiscentersontheecosystemmovesmostlikelytoimprovelearningatscaleinLAC.

UNLOCKINGTHEFUTUREOFLEARNINGINLACTHROUGHTECHANDPHILANTHROPY9

Education

outcomesin

LAC:Apersistentlearningshortfall

LACfacesaseverelearningshortfallthatunderminesstudents’educationandworkforce(WF)readiness.TheWorldBankestimatesthat79percentofLACsixth-gradestudentscannotcomprehendbasictexts,makingtheregionamongthemost“learningimpoverished”intheworld,secondonlytosub-

SaharanAfricaat90percentandabovethe70percentaverageforlow-andmiddle-incomecountries.16Theregion’slearningpovertyincreasedfromanaverageof51percentin2015to52percentin2019;theCOVID-19pandemicispartiallyresponsibleforgrowingthatfigureto79percentin2022.17

Compoundingtheseissues,about20percentofjobsinLACareathigh

riskofautomation,particularlyaffectingrolestraditionallyheldbywomen.18By2030,onlyhalfofschool-ageyouthswillhavetheskillsneededforWFparticipation.19

EventhoughpublicspendingineducationhasincreasedinLAC,itstilllagsbehindtheOECDaverageonaper-studentbasis.InLAC,government

spendingoneducationhasgenerallyrangedfrom4to5percentofGDP

overthepastdecade,approachingtheOECDaverageofabout4.9percentofGDP.20However,publiceducationspendingperstudentinsomeOECD

countriesisseveraltimeshigherthaninmanyLACcountriesatcomparablelevelsofeducation.21Thisspendinggaplimitstheregion’sabilitytodeveloptheskillsneededforthefutureeconomy.

16Learningpovertyisdescribedastheshareofchildrenunabletoreadandunderstandasimpletext.Numbersfor2022arebasedonsimulationsunderapessimisticscenario.SeeTwoyearsafter:

Savingageneration,WorldBank,June22,2022.

17Twoyearsafter:Savingageneration,WorldBank,June22,2022.

18TheanalysisincludesdataforBolivia,Chile,Colombia,andElSalvador.Jobsathighriskof

automationarethosewithariskgreaterthan70percent.MonserratBusteloetal.,AutomationinLatinAmerica:Arewomenathigherriskoflosingtheirjobs?,IDB,August2020.

19“The2030SkillsScorecard:Bridgingbusiness,education,andthefutureofwork,”GlobalBusinessCoalitionforEducation,September2019.

20“Governmentexpenditureoneducation,total(%ofGDP),WorldBank,September2025.

21SocialPanoramaofLatinAmericaandtheCaribbean2022:Transformingeducationasabasisforsustainabledevelopment,EconomicCommissionforLatinAmericaandtheCaribbean,November

24,2022;Educationataglance2022,OECD,October3,2022.

UNLOCKINGTHEFUTUREOFLEARNINGINLACTHROUGHTECHANDPHILANTHROPY11

Withoutimmediateaction,agenerationcouldmissoutonessentialskills—andeconomicstability,social

inclusion,andpersonaldevelopmentasaconsequence.LACneedsincreased,sustained,anddiverse

investmentsacrossallstagesofeducation,fromearlychildhoodtolifelonglearning(LLL),toprepareforafutureshapedbydigitalinnovation,automation,and,increasingly,globalcompetition.

Thissectionexploresstructuralchallengesatearlychildhood,K–12,andpostsecondarylevelsthatcontribute

tothelearningshortfallinthesecountries.Thesechallengescanbeviewedthroughthreeessentialdimensions,whichcollectivelyshapeeducationaloutcomes:inclusiveaccess,qualitylearning,andeffectivemanagement

andoperationalefficiency.

Inclusiveaccess

Inclusiveaccesspertainstoensuringallstudentshaveopportunitiesforlearning.Thisisanareawheretheregionhasimprovedinrecentyearsacrosseducationlevels.

Forexample,primaryschoolenrollmentinLACisnowclosetouniversal,withmostcountriesreportingnet

enrollmentratesabove95percent.22However,intermsofearlychildhoodeducation(ECE),onlyaboutfourin

tenchildrenagedzerotosixhadaccesstoECEpriortotheCOVID-19pandemic.23Andinsecondaryeducation,enrollmentratesaredeclining,particularlyinlower-middle-incomecountries,whereupper-secondary

enrollmentwasjust51percentin2022(Exhibit1).24High-incomestudentsarealsofivetimesmorelikelythanlow-incomestudentstofinishupper-secondaryschool;inGuatemala,only5percentoflow-incomestudentscompletethislevelofeducation,comparedwith74percentofhigh-incomestudents.25

Accesstopostsecondaryeducation,whichincludeshighereducation,LLL,andvocationaltraining,hasalso

improved.Inhigh-incomecountriesinLAC—suchasChile,Panama,andUruguay—upper-secondaryenrollmentratesaregenerallyhigherthanintherestoftheregion,withChileandUruguayapproachinglevelstypicalof

OECDcountries.26However,lower-andupper-middle-incomecountries,includingBrazil,Colombia,andMexico,faceongoingchallenges,withgrosstertiary-enrollmentratesthatremainwellbelowthoseofhigh-income

countries.27

Overall,adultsaged25andoverinLACtypicallycompletebetween9.0and9.5yearsofschooling,comparedwithroughly12.0to12.5yearsinOECDcountries.28

22“Primaryeducation(ISCED1)netenrolmentrate,”UNdata,accessedFebruary2026;ElenaAriasOrtizetal.,ThestateofeducationinLatinAmericaandtheCaribbean2023,IDB,January2024;“Schoolenrollment,primary(%gross),”WorldBank,September2025;“Completionrate,primary

education,bothsexes(%),”UNESC