Haiti's postcolonial leaders promoted education, at least in principle. The 1805 constitution called for free and compulsory primary education.The Education Act of 1848 created rural primary schools with a more limited curriculum and accomplished colleges of medicine and law. A comprehensive system was never developed, and the emerging elite who could afford the cost preferred to send their children to school in France. The signing of the Concordat with the Vatican in 1860 resulted in the reached of clerical teachers, further emphasizing the determine of the Roman Catholic Church among the educated class. Roman Catholic schools essentially became nonsecular public schools, jointly funded by the Haitian government and the Vatican. The new teachers, mainly French clergy, promoted an attachment to France in their classrooms.

Education is free and compulsory in Haiti for children between the ages of 6 and 12. In practice, access to education is sharply limited by school location, language comprehension,the cost of school clothes and supplies, and the availability of teachers. Only about 50 % of the primary-school aged children actually attend school. As a consequence of limited educational opportunities, only 65 % of the adult population is literate.