The literacy rate for Guatemalans over the age of 15 stood at 80 % of the population in 2001. Elementary education is free and compulsory, and 88 % of school-age children, or 1.5 million pupils, attended primary school in 1997. The enrollment ratio dropped to 26 % for secondary schools,which had an enrollment of 384,729 students. Enrollment figures are lower in rural areas than in urban areas. Many rural schools only go to third grade, and much of the nation’s education budget is spent in Guatemala City. In addition to public schools, there are also private and church schools, both Catholic and Protestant, among the nation’s 12,409 primary schools.