Costa Rica Grading Scale for formal education
Researched from official sources, drafted with AI assistance, and checked by a human editor. How we make these pagesSuggest a correction
Jump to section
Costa Rica grading scale for schools uses a numerical scale from 1 to 100, with 100 as the best grade and 1 as the worst. There is no single stated pass mark or percent key. The Ministerio de Educación Pública sets grading rules nationally.
For teachers, tutors and other educators, the page explains how to read grades and how they are set and reported. It also covers teaching Costa Rican students online or abroad and compares related grading systems.
Reading the Costa Rican scale
Costa Rican pass grades depend on the education stage and program.
| Grade | Passing |
|---|---|
| 100 | Yes |
| 1 | Yes |
The sources state no pass mark for this scale; the grades report levels of achievement.
In I, II and III Cycles of General Basic Education, an annual average of 65 or higher passes, except that students in III Cycle at bilingual schools need 70; in Diversified Education, the minimum is 70. Students below the applicable average are aplazado.
Conduct is graded from 1 to 100, with minimum grades for promotion of 65 in I, II and III Cycles and 70 in Diversified Education. (pgrweb.go.cr; sinalevi.go.cr)
Compared with related systems
Costa Rica
No pass mark
Argentina
5 of 6 grades pass
Bahamas
No pass mark
Philippines
2 of 4 grades pass
Who sets Costa Rican grades and how they are reported
Costa Rican grading rules are set nationally by the Ministerio de Educación Pública.
Department Coordinators construct proficiency tests using nationally determined topics and objectives set in advance by National Advisors, following the relevant official study program.
The Ministry’s Department of Learning Assessment issues technical criteria and directives, and the Regional Director verifies compliance with quality standards (sinalevi.go.cr).
If you teach Costa Rican students online or abroad
Check the document’s grading key and ask the student or their family to clarify any grades you cannot interpret. Record the grades and their key consistently in your gradebook.
Set the scale up once in a gradebook so every report card and transcript you produce uses the same key.
Related grading systems
- Argentina6-step numeric scale, 10 is best; passing grade 6 (Suficiente)
- Bahamas7-step letter-grade scale, A is best; passing grade No pass mark
- Philippines4-step percentage scale, 100% is best; passing grade 75%
- Belize5-step letter-grade scale, A is best; passing grade No pass mark
- Botswana10-step grading scale, A* is best; passing grade No pass mark
Sources and verification
- [1]sinalevi.go.cr. Decreto Ejecutivo 27680. Accessed Oct 30, 2026. Official source
- [2]pgrweb.go.cr. Buscar Artículos. Accessed Oct 30, 2026. Official source
- [3]sinalevi.go.cr. Decreto Ejecutivo 31663. Accessed Oct 30, 2026. Official source
- [4]imprentanacional.go.cr. reglamento_de_evaluacion_2_edincr.pdf. pdf. Accessed Oct 30, 2026. Official source
The facts on this page were last verified on Oct 30, 2026. Suggest a correction
Frequently asked questions
What is a passing grade in Costa Rica?
Costa Rican grades use a 1–100 scale, with 100 best and 1 worst, but the scale has no single stated passing grade. The required average depends on the stage and program: it is generally 65 in I, II and III Cycles of General Basic Education and 70 in Diversified Education, with a 70 minimum for III Cycle students at bilingual schools.
Do schools in Costa Rica use percentages for grades?
No. Costa Rica uses a numerical scale from 1 to 100, but there is no percent key.
Is a 1 a good grade in Costa Rica?
No. On Costa Rica’s 1–100 scale, 1 is the worst grade and 100 is the best.
