Uruguay had the highest literacy rate in Latin America, at 96 % in 1985. There was no appreciable difference in literacy rates between males and females, but there were discrepancies between urban and rural rates .Uruguay's system of universal, free, and secular education required a total of nine years of compulsory school attendance, from ages six to fourteen. The proportion of children of primary school age listed in school had long been virtually 100 %. Furthermore, from 1965 to 1985 the proportion of children of secondary school age listed in some form of secondary school grew from 44 to 70 %, also the highest rate in Latin America. The postsecondary education enrollment rate was about 20 %. Coeducation was the norm, and females and males attended school in near-equal numbers at all levels. As is typical of any nation, rates of schooling were higher in urban areas than in rural areas.

Uruguay has one of the highest rates of literacy in Latin America. Primary education is compulsory, and Uruguay is one of the few nations in the Western Hemisphere in which all education, including college and postgraduate work, is free. In 1996 primary schools numbered 2,415 and were attended by 345,600 students; secondary schools had an enrollment of 170,700. Institutions of higher education include the University of the Republic and about 40 teacher-training schools.