School in Haiti

Preschool, called préscolaire, prepares children for formal schooling. The école fondamentale lasts nine years and is divided into three cycles: AF1–AF4, AF5–AF6 and AF7–AF9. AF means année fondamentale, the grade sequence used in fundamental education. The ninth year, 9e AF, ends with a national examination. Secondary education is called enseignement secondaire and is also provided in a lycée. It normally has four levels, NS1–NS4, followed by the Baccalauréat or Fin d’études secondaires examination. Vocational education and tertiary study follow separate pathways, although a student may move from 9e AF into secondary education or, where available, another training pathway, and from the Baccalauréat into tertiary study. Kreyòl and French are Haiti’s official languages. Kreyòl is used as an instructional language from préscolaire, and the curriculum supports mother-tongue and multilingual learning, but the balance between Kreyòl and French differs between schools. Families should ask each school which language teachers use in each grade and which language appears in learning materials and examinations. The Ministry of National Education and Vocational Training is known as MENFP. It sets national education rules, calendars and examinations for public and non-public schools. Ten departmental education directorates, called DDEs, and 99 school districts provide local oversight. Local school support offices, known as BDS, can also be involved in supervision. The school information systems SIGE and SIGEEE support school records and registration. BUNEXE, the national examination office, coordinates national examinations. MENFP calendars and examination rules also apply to non-public schools. The 2025–2026 school year was scheduled to begin on 1 October 2025 and to include 186 school days and 11 vacation days. Planned teaching time was about 844 hours in préscolaire, 930 hours in fundamental education and 1,116 hours in secondary education. The actual opening and attendance pattern can differ when insecurity, displacement, weather or damage prevents a school from operating normally. A family normally applies directly to a school. In practice, the school or MENFP code, a birth record or identity document and the number of available places can affect registration. Haiti has no reliably documented nationwide guarantee that every child will receive a place at the preferred school. Examination registration usually passes through the school and the relevant DDE, so families should confirm the required documents, fees and deadlines with both the school and the local education office when arrangements are unclear. Public education is constitutionally recognised as a right, and Article 32 provides for generally free instruction. Actual access remains constrained by school capacity, public funding and local conditions. Under the 2025 arrangements, public schools did not charge a contribution scolaire for AF1–AF4. The state allocation was 1,000 Haitian gourdes, abbreviated HTG, per student for AF1–AF4 and 1,500 HTG for the third cycle of fundamental education and for secondary or lycée education. Private schools set their own tuition and usually charge families. Uniforms, books, learning materials and transport can add substantial costs. A 2023 World Bank estimate placed average private primary-school costs at about USD 140 per child per year, meaning 140 United States dollars; actual amounts vary by school and locality. More than 80% of Haiti’s schools are non-public. They include private, religious, autonomous or independent, community and NGO-supported schools, while the public network is limited in number. A school’s legal status affects tuition, management and the way families communicate with the responsible institution, but non-public schools still follow MENFP calendars and examination rules. Families should ask for the complete cost list rather than comparing tuition alone. Teaching quality is affected by teacher shortages, insufficiently qualified teachers, limited learning materials and outdated curricula. In 2025, MENFP revised the curriculum for the third fundamental cycle and included subjects identified as ETAP, EEA, EC and EPS. In the 2025 9e-AF examination, 187,419 candidates from 7,326 schools were registered across 10 DDEs and 810 examination centres. Of 182,675 participants, 162,038 passed, giving a national pass rate of 88.70%; results differed by DDE. The 2025 9e-AF examinations took place from 30 June to 3 July, and the secondary Baccalauréat examinations took place from 14 to 17 July. School participation is uneven. Preschool participation among children aged 36–59 months was about 63%. Around two in ten children aged 6–11 were outside primary school. Net primary enrolment was about 80% in rural areas compared with 91% in urban areas, and about 68% among the poorest households compared with 92% among the richest. About 80% of school leavers were over-age for their grade, and overall learning levels remained low. These figures describe national inequalities; a particular school or department may have substantially different attendance, teaching and progression conditions. Insecurity and displacement can interrupt enrolment, travel, attendance, teaching and examinations. During the 2024–2025 crisis, more than 1,600 schools closed and 25 were occupied by armed groups. About 243,410 students and 7,548 teachers were affected. In 2025, 84 schools were used as shelters for internally displaced people, and about 500,000 school-age children were affected by displacement. MENFP reported that more than one quarter of children were outside school at the reported crisis point. The effects were especially severe in Ouest and Port-au-Prince, Artibonite and Centre, although conditions differ by locality and can change quickly. When a school closes or a child falls behind, possible responses include cours de compensation or rattrapage, meaning catch-up or remedial lessons, radio and television lessons, recorded video, digital platforms, temporary learning spaces and integration into a host school. Non-formal education can provide a route for over-age or excluded children. Its formal recognition, grade equivalence and progression value must be checked with the responsible school or education authority before a family relies on it for an examination or transfer. Children with special educational needs have legal protection for education, integration and reintegration. Specialised schools exist, but provision is fragmented, and there is no demonstrated nationwide guarantee of an inclusive place, classroom assistant or accessible support. In 2025, MENFP trained 30 teachers in sign language and Braille. Some new school buildings included accessibility features and water, sanitation and hygiene facilities, but these measures are not available everywhere. Families should ask the school or DDE what support, transport, accessibility measures and teaching adaptations are actually available. The state and local authorities are responsible for access to education and the quality of teachers in the public and non-public system. School leaders must follow MENFP rules and communicate calendars, fees and examination arrangements. Families are responsible for completing enrolment, providing required materials, paying applicable charges and supporting safe attendance. When security conditions change, the safest available learning arrangement and confirmation of whether a school is open take priority over an ordinary attendance plan.