Education in the Cayman Islands and the Turks and Caicos Islands was compulsory for children between the ages of five and sixteen and free of charge in government schools. The Cayman Islands had nine government-run primary schools, three state secondary schools, and six church-sponsored schools at both levels. The Turks and Caicos had fourteen government primary schools, three private primary schools, and three public secondary schools. Years of inadequate funding left the Turks and Caicos Islands with poor schools, making later job training a necessity. Although some fishermen in these islands were retrained as construction workers and others found jobs in the hotels, more retraining was essential. The territory had a chronic shortage of skilled workers.

There were two senior education institutions on the Cayman Islands: the Cayman International College and the Cayman Law School. In addition, the Cayman government contributed to the University of the West Indies (UWI). Both the Cayman Islands and the Turks and Caicos Islands offered a number of government scholarships for students who wished to attend the UWI or colleges or universities in Britain, Canada, or the United States.

Literacy for Caymanians above the age of 15 stood at 97.5 percent in 1986. In 1986 the ratio of elementary school students to teachers was a relatively low 14.3 to 1. The elementary school enrollment that year was 2,077, with an additional 2,265 students in secondary schools. Only 2.9 percent of the population over age 25 had postsecondary education.

Data as of November 1987

NOTE: The information regarding Cayman Islands on this page is re-published from The Library of Congress Country Studies and the CIA World Factbook. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Cayman Islands Education information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Cayman Islands Education should be addressed to the Library of Congress and the CIA.