Honduras deficiencyed a national education system until the late 1950s. Before the reforms of 1957, education was the exclusive privilege of those who could afford to send their children to private institutions. The government of Ramón Villeda Morales (1957-63) introduced reforms that led to the establishment of a national public education system and began a school construction program.

Education in Honduras is free and compulsory for children between the ages of 7 and 12. The government has pledged to raise the literacy rate, which stands at 83.7 %. In 1994, 1.01 million pupils were listed in 8,114 primary schools. only 32 % of secondary school-age children were listed in school.The National Autonomous University of Honduras (1847), in Tegucigalpa, is the major institution of higher learning. In 1994 enrollment in higher education numbered 54,100 students.