Attendance rate in primary
The overall non-attendance rate (never been to school or not yet attended school) for the population aged 3 years and above in Rwanda is 16.4%, which is significantly lower than the 2012 census figure of 25.5%.
The percentage of females who have never attended school or are not yet in school (17.8%) is higher than that of males (14.9%).
The majority of individuals who have never attended school or are not yet in school are located in rural areas (18.3%). Primary school is the most common level of education, with 58.3% of the population aged 3 and above attending.
TABLE: Primary school pupils by school status
| Description/Year | 2018 | 2019 | 2020/21 | 2021/22 | 2022/23 |
| Total pupils | 2,503,705 | 2,512,465 | 2,729,116 | 2,742,551 | 2,838,343 |
| Male | 1,259,344 | 1,268,996 | 1,370,022 | 1,384,332 | 1,445,412 |
| Female | 1,244,361 | 1,243,469 | 1,359,094 | 1,358,219 | 1,392,931 |
| %Of Male | 50.3% | 50.5% | 50.2% | 50.5% | 50.9% |
| %Of Female | 49.7% | 49.5% | 49.8% | 49.5% | 49.1% |
| Pupils in Public schools | 790,906 | 812,077 | 1,063,617 | 1,097,453 | 1,143,847 |
| Male | 397,253 | 409,920 | 534,244 | 553,802 | 582,517 |
| Female | 393,653 | 402,157 | 529,373 | 543,651 | 561,330 |
| Pupils in Government-subsidized schools | 1,609,471 | 1,592,142 | 1,532,460 | 1,507,756 | 1,537,759 |
| Male | 810,129 | 804,421 | 768,918 | 761619 | 783814 |
| Female | 799,342 | 787,721 | 763,542 | 746137 | 753945 |
| Pupils in Private schools | 103,328 | 108,246 | 133,039 | 137,342 | 156,737 |
| Male | 51,962 | 54,655 | 66,860 | 68,911 | 79,081 |
| Female | 51,366 | 53,591 | 66,179 | 68,431 | 77,656 |
Secondary education
Looking at lower secondary education, the numbers show that 8.8% of males have reached this level, slightly lower than the 10.0% of females who have done the same.
Moving on to upper secondary education, 6.9% of males and 6.9% of females have achieved this level, while university attendance is 3.5%.
The majority of both male and female resident population aged 15 and above in Rwanda hold a primary school certificate, with 28.6% of both sexes, 28.4% of males, and 28.8% of females attaining this level of education.
A considerable portion of the population possesses various levels of secondary education certificates, such as O'level certificates, A2/D6/D7 certificates, and Diploma (A1): D6+2-3yrs. These certificates are held by 7.4%, 7.9%, and 0.7% of the total population, respectively.