33 Italian universities were ranked among the world's top 500 in 2019, the third-largest number in Europe after the United Kingdom and Germany.

[10] In Italy a state school system or Education System has existed since 1859, when the Legge Casati (Casati Act) mandated educational responsibilities for the forthcoming Italian state (Italian unification took place in 1861).

The Casati Act made primary education compulsory, and had the goal of increasing literacy.

The reform enhanced the role of the liceo classico, created by the Casati Act in 1859 (and intended during the Fascist era as the peak of secondary education, with the goal of forming the future upper classes), and created the Technical, Commercial and Industrial institutes and the liceo scientifico.

The liceo classico was the only secondary school that gave access to all types of higher education until 1968.

The influence of Gentile's Italian idealism was great,[11] and he considered the Catholic religion to be the "foundation and crowning" of education.

From 1962 to the present day, the main structure of Italian primary (and secondary) education remained largely unchanged, even if some modifications were made: a narrowing of the gap between males and females (through the merging of the two distinct programmes for technical education, and the optional introduction of mixed-gender gym classes), a change in the structure of secondary school (legge Berlinguer) and the creation of new licei, istituti tecnici and istituti professionali, offering students a broader range of options.

In 2019, education minister Lorenzo Fioramonti announced that in 2020 Italy would become the first country in the world to make the study of climate change and sustainable development mandatory for students.

Every tier involves an exam at the end of the final year, required to earn a degree and have access to further education.

There are subjects taught in each of these, such as Italian, English, mathematics, history, but most subjects are peculiar to a particular type of course (i.e. ancient Greek in the liceo classico, business economics in the Istituto tecnico economico or scenography in the liceo artistico): Any type of high school which lasts 5 years grants access to the final exam, called esame di maturità or esame di stato, that takes place every year between June and July and grants access to university.

Italy has a large and international network of public or state-affiliated universities and schools offering degrees in higher education.

33 Italian universities were ranked among the world's top 500 in 2019, the third-largest number in Europe after the United Kingdom and Germany.

[25] In May 2008, Bocconi overtook several traditionally top global business schools in the Financial Times Executive education ranking, reaching no.

[30]) and the University of Milan (whose research and teaching activities have developed over the years and have received important international recognition).

[39] The city of Rome is in charge of a large number of educational structures, around 1,144 nurseries, kindergartens, primary and high schools.

These schools are at the moment the most energy-intensive public buildings in the city, accounting for up to 95% of total municipal energy use.

Energy efficiency schemes are currently being developed, so that the schools can save money while also lowering carbon emissions.

Around 200 schools will be reconstructed, funded by subsidies from the Italian government, European Union money under the PON Metro Italian national plan for metropolitan areas, and a €150 million credit line authorised by the European Investment Bank in February 2023.