Education in Barbados is based primarily on the British model. In the decades since independence most schools across the country have moved away from the Single-sex education framework and towards a more coeducational model. A number of offerings are available ranging from public or private accommodations in education to home schooling or boarding schools.

Universal access to primary and secondary education dates from at least the 1960s. The literacy rate in Barbados for youth and adults are both above 99%, only falling to 98.5 among the elderly. The literacy gender parity rate is 1.0. This information is for 2014. Most schools in Barbados followed and recognized the globally acccepted Cambridge International Education examinations. According to the IB there's one school in Barbados that officially recognize the IB diploma subject to certain guidelines.

During Barbados' pre-emancipation era (1807-1833), the abolition of the slave trade spurred efforts to educate slaves. These efforts, aimed at immediate amelioration and preparation for freedom, underscored the importance of "civilizing and Christianizing" the slave population through education. Despite resistance from planters, Bishop William Hart Coleridge and others established day and Sunday schools, emphasizing moral and religious instruction. Post-emancipation, educational expansion continued with British government support through existing missionary societies into the 1840s, aiming to provide moral and religious instruction to the newly emancipated population.

Beginning circa the 1950s many in Barbados were able to secure the City and Guilds qualification(s) for technical education which are recognised internationally. The local associated office for the City and Guilds of London Institute, (CGLI) was situated in Belleville, St Michael. Around 1953 where the Barbados Evening Institute was set up to train a number of young men in various disciplines of engineering and building construction. Following on from the Evening Institute was the establishment of the Barbados Technical Institute at Richmond Gap, St. Michael.

In 1959, Barbados saw the introduction of the Barbados Secondary Schools Entrance Examination (BSSEE), also known as the Common Entrance Examination (CEE). This standardized test was implemented to allocate placements in secondary schools across the island and marked a significant development in the educational system.

During the post-independence era, especially from the late 1960s, there was a notable increase in the demand for secondary education among the general population. However, the existing number of secondary school spaces was insufficient to meet this rising demand. As a result, the BSSEE was introduced to address this challenge.

It was reported that Barbados has spent roughly US$15 billion on Education since Independence in 1966.

Starting in 2000, the government initiated the Education Sector Enhancement Programme, usually referred to as EduTech 2000. This USD$213 million project was financed by the Government of Barbados (45%), the Inter-American Development Bank (40% and the Caribbean Development Bank (15%). This initiative provided for four key improvements: (a) repairs to 73 of the public primary and secondary school buildings; (b) new units established by the Ministry to support new teaching methodologies, including the Shell Media Resources Review Center, the National Educational Evaluation and Research Centre (at the University of the West Indies, Cave Hill), and a Programme office within the Ministry; enhancements to the technological availability (new computers, software and networking); (d) in-service training for all teachers in technology integration, child-centred methodologies, and special needs education; and (e) curricular reform to respond to changes in Barbados society. The key conceptual foundations for the initiative are constructivism and child-centred education. Most of the in-service training was provided by Erdiston Teachers' Training College.