In 2004, the literacy rate in Mexico was 97% for youth under the age of 14 and 91% for people over 15.  According to UNESCO, this places Mexico 24th in  world ranking.  Primary and secondary education (9 years) is free and mandatory. Private schools abound throughout Mexico, especially in the urban centres. 
                 
In 1968, Mexico established a system of secondary education through "distance-learning" via satellite communications to reach otherwise inaccessible small rural communities. Starting with 300 “schools” and 6,569 students, the system is celebrating its 40th anniversary in 2008 with17,000 of these “schools” (known as “telesecundarias”) and over 1.3 million students (out of 32 million students nationwide). 

The largest and most prestigious public university in Mexico, today numbering over 269,000 students, is the National Autonomous University of Mexico (Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, UNAM) founded in 1551. Three Nobel laureates and most of Mexico's modern-day presidents are among its former students. The University of Guadalajara celebrated its 200th anniversary in 1992.  It is the second largest university in the country, but has had a turbulent history, being closed for most of the time between 1824 and 1925.