In PISA 2015, Mexico performs below the OECD average in science (416 score points), reading (423 score points) and mathematics (408 score points). Mexico has had an increase in mathematics performance across PISA cycles, while reading and science performance have remained stable, with an average score change of 1.7 score points. This was achieved while nearly 600 000 new 15-year-old students from disadvantaged backgrounds joined lower and upper secondary education in 2015.
The impact of ESCS on performance in science has not changed since 2006. Socio-economic status had lower-than-average impact on science performance in PISA 2015, explaining 10.9% of the variance in performance (OECD average: 12.9%). This is also because in Mexico, the most advantaged students perform below their peers with similar socio-economic background across OECD countries (an average of 446 score points for the most advantaged Mexican students, compared to 540 score points for their peers in other OECD countries on average). Boys outperform girls in science by an average of 8 score points, above the OECD average. Immigrant students make up 1.2% of the student population of 15-year-olds in Mexico, a proportion which is among the lowest in the OECD (OECD average: 12.5%).
Over the past decade, Mexico has caught up in terms of enrolment in ECEC for 4-year-olds. Enrolment of 3-year-olds in ECEC increased to 45.8% in 2015, compared to 40% in 2014, but remained lower than the OECD average in 2015, at 45.8% (OECD average: 77.8%). Pre-primary education (educación preescolar) typically begins at age 3 and lasts for three years. Both education-only and integrated education and care pre-primary programmes exist nationally, and separate formal curricula are in place for ECEC and pre-primary education, which are delivered by qualified teachers. Compulsory education in Mexico begins at age 3 and ends at age 17, longer than the typical duration across the OECD. Students are first tracked into different educational pathways at age 15, later than the OECD average of age 14. Upper secondary education students in Mexico can go through one of three streams, an academic stream (Bachillerato general), a technical vocational stream (técnico profesional), and a stream which combines both general and vocational education. All three streams lead to the award of an upper secondary diploma (certificado).
VET in Mexico (Educación Profesional Técnica) plays an important social role by providing learning opportunities to students at risk of dropping out. The VET system at secondary level includes various initiatives, such as mobile training units (unidades móviles) for remote regions where learning opportunities are fewer, while VET at post-secondary level is provided through short-duration courses in specialised technical professional institutes. Mexico has been undertaking extensive efforts to boost VET, but coverage in Mexico remains below the OECD average.
The proportion of the population aged 25-64 with lower secondary education as the highest level of attainment in Mexico is among the highest in the OECD, with an attainment rate of 25.8% in 2016, compared to the OECD average of 14.3%. NEET rates (the proportion of those aged 18-24 that are neither employed nor in education or training) are among the highest in the OECD, at 23.2% compared to the OECD average of 15.3%. The percentage of the population aged 25-34 with a tertiary-level qualification is among the lowest in the OECD, at 21.8% in 2016, compared to the OECD average of 43.1%. Employment rates for 25-34 year-olds with tertiary education are slightly lower than the OECD average. In 2016, 79.9% were employed, while the OECD average rate was 82.9%.
