Baja California Sur now holds the second-highest high school enrollment rate in Mexico, with 89% of residents aged 15 to 17 attending upper secondary education. State education secretary Alicia Meza Osuna announced the ranking, noting that only Mexico City, at 98%, scored higher.
The state’s 89% coverage sits well above the national average of 80.6%. Meza Osuna credited the gains to a combination of programs: Preparatoria Abierta (open high school), community Telebachillerato campuses, and federal scholarship support under the Sheinbaum administration.
New High Schools Planned for Los Cabos and La Paz
For families in the peninsula’s two largest cities, the most concrete development is the plan to open new high school campuses in both Los Cabos and La Paz. One existing campus already operates out of a secondary school facility in San José del Cabo. The new construction aims to give that program its own dedicated space and expand capacity in the region’s fastest-growing communities.
Los Cabos has experienced rapid population growth in recent years, driven by tourism, real estate development, and migration from mainland Mexico. La Paz, the state capital, has also seen steady growth. Both cities have faced pressure on public services, including schools, as demand outpaces existing infrastructure.
How BCS Achieved the Gains
Telebachillerato Comunitario is a federal program that brings high school instruction to small and rural communities through a mix of in-person tutoring and televised lessons. In a state as geographically spread out as Baja California Sur, where small towns dot hundreds of miles of desert and coastline, the program fills a gap that traditional brick-and-mortar schools cannot easily cover.
Preparatoria Abierta, or open high school, allows students to study independently and pass exams on their own schedule. The model serves working teenagers and young adults who cannot attend classes on a traditional timetable.
Federal scholarships, part of the current administration’s broader push to keep young people in school, provide cash transfers to students from low-income families. The combination of flexible study options and financial support appears to be closing the enrollment gap in BCS faster than in most Mexican states.
The announcement was published by the Baja California Sur state government at bcs.gob.mx.