Costa Rica has one of the highest rates of literacy in Latin America, around at 98 %. Primary and secondary education is free, and attendance is compulsory between the ages of 6 and 18. In 1998, 529,638 pupils were listed in 3,712 primary schools and 202,400 students attended public and private secondary schools. The prominent University of Costa Rica, in San José, was founded in 1843, and has an annual enrollment of about 29,000.