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Montería was recognized today by the director of Icfes, Elizabeth Blandón Bermúdez, as one of the cities with the best educational performance in the country, thanks to the progress obtained in the Saber 11 Tests – 2025, which consolidate the capital of Córdoba as a national benchmark in educational quality.
During the event held at the Antonio Nariño Educational Institution, Blandón praised the comprehensive public policy on education promoted by the administration of Mayor Hugo Kerguelén García, highlighting the planning, investment and leadership with which Montería has transformed its educational system.
“Montería demonstrates that with planning, commitment, and leadership, public education can be transformed. What is happening here is an example for the entire country,” said the director of ICFES, upon presenting a special recognition to the local leader for his administration and the results achieved.
Historical results
The most recent Icfes results confirm a historic advance for Montería in the Saber 11 Tests, which consolidate it as the educational capital of the Colombian Caribbean.
This performance confirms a sustained upward trend since 2022 and demonstrates the positive impact of the comprehensive educational policy led by the Mayor’s Office of Hugo Kerguelén García.
Compared to the national average, Montería registers superior performance in almost all components, demonstrating remarkable progress in reading comprehension, logical reasoning, and scientific skills.
The city of Córdoba rose 6 points between 2024 and 2025, reaching 283 points, which positions it as one of the capital cities with the best academic performance in the Colombian Caribbean. Furthermore, it ranked as the municipality with the highest average in the department, far surpassing the other municipalities in Córdoba.
His score of 283 points in the urban consolidated reflects a continuous improvement in all the modules evaluated: Critical Reading (58), Mathematics (58), Social and Citizenship (53), Natural Sciences (57) and English (57).
Since 2022, Montería has shown a continuous growth curve in the Saber 11 Tests, while the departmental (255 points) and national (261 points) lines are advancing more slowly, assured the director of Icfes.
Mayor Kerguelén stated that this progress has been driven by an educational policy structured around four strategic pillars:
Strengthening teachers, with training and pedagogical updating programs.
Academic support, through simulations, reinforcement and early assessment strategies.
Merit-based incentives, such as scholarships, awards, and incentives for top students.
School infrastructure and well-being, through the construction and improvement of classrooms, dining halls and learning environments.
“This trend reaffirms Montería’s leadership in the Caribbean region in terms of educational quality and consolidates the city as a national benchmark in effective public educational management,” the president stated.
In Montería, men achieved an overall average of 289 points and women 277, both well above the national averages (265 and 257, respectively). This improvement is even more significant in the public sector, where several rural schools matched or surpassed the average of private schools, reducing the urban-rural gap and demonstrating that the quality of public education has been structurally strengthened.
By subject area, the greatest progress was observed in Mathematics and Critical Reading, modules in which the proportion of students at performance levels 3 and 4 increased; that is, those capable of solving complex problems, interpreting data, and analyzing information in various formats. Natural Sciences also showed a jump of 4 percentage points compared to 2024, reflecting a more solid foundation in scientific thinking.
The results solidify Montería’s position as a national example of educational transformation. The city is not only improving its scores, but also closing gaps, strengthening its public institutions, and projecting a high-quality, innovative, inclusive, and equitable public education model.
An inspiring educational model
Mayor Hugo Kerguelén García expressed his gratitude for the recognition and emphasized that these results reflect a collective effort.
“Each point earned represents the work of students, teachers, principals, and families committed to the same purpose: to put education in Montería at the top. This result fills us with pride because it demonstrates that we are closing gaps and building opportunities from the classroom,” he stated.
The achievements are the result of a comprehensive strategy developed between 2024 and 2025, which included early preparation from tenth grade, three annual Icfes-type simulations, focused tutoring, continuous teacher training and a historic investment of $46 billion in educational infrastructure.
In addition, there are merit-based incentive programs such as “Todos a la U” (Everyone to the University), which awards 192 university scholarships per year, and international experiences that allow the best students to travel to Spain as part of an academic and cultural immersion.
“We want our young people to dream big and know that from Montería they can conquer the world,” the mayor concluded.
Awards and Public and Private Top 10s
During the ceremony, awards were given to the official institutions with the greatest progress and best performance: Antonia Santos, El Cerrito, Nueva Lucía, Manuel Ruiz Álvarez, El Dorado, Mercedes Ábrego, Kilómetro 12 and Antonio Nariño, all highlighted for their commitment to excellence.
The overall Top 10 for Montería, according to the most recent Icfes report, is as follows:
IE Mercedes Ábrego – 356 pts.
Liceo Montería – 352 pts.
IE Antonio Nariño – 352 pts.
Christian Gymnasium Lighthouse of Light – 345 pts.
La Salle School – 343 pts.
Campestre Gymnasium – 341 pts.
IE Kilometer 12 – 338 pts.
Sacred Family School – 329 pts.
Valle Grande Gym – 323 pts.
Plaza Feliz Gym – 322 pts.
Rural education on the rise
The director of Icfes highlighted especially the role of rural principals and the impact of the differential strategies implemented by the Mayor’s Office, such as strengthening connectivity, expanding the School Feeding Program, providing technological equipment and teacher training.
In Montería, rural education ceased to be the most neglected and became a national example of continuous improvement, Blandón stated.
Among the rural institutions with the best progress are Kilometer 12, El Cerrito, Nueva Lucía, Aguas Negras, San Anterito and Leticia, all with significant progress in their overall scores.
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