As the city with the highest density of colleges and universities and the largest population who have received higher education in China, Xi'an is very important in the western region and throughout the whole country. For example, it is a major educational and scientific research center in China, with strong scientific and technological research and development strength and a deep scientific and technological base. Xi'an leads the country comprehensively in science and technology. As of 2019, Xi'an had 63 ordinary higher education institutions, 60 academicians, and 20 national key laboratories. More than one-third of the components of China's spaceflights, including the Shenzhou V and VI rocket engines and propellants, as well as rocket-borne computers and remote sensing devices, were researched and manufactured in Xi'an.

Basic education

As of 2017, there were 3,250 schools in Xi'an, including 1,605 kindergartens and 1,125 primary schools with 666,800 students and 90,600 graduates, 448 ordinary middle schools with 417,000 students and 83,800 graduates, and 62 vocational high schools, nine special education schools, and one work-study school. The enrollment rates of the primary and junior high school age populations are 99.99 percent and 99.98 percent respectively.

The total number of faculty in Xi'an is 133,700. The city's primary schools have 20,522,100 books, the ordinary middle schools have 21,513,800, and the occupational high schools have 1,987,900. There are 14.27 teaching computers for every 100 students in primary schools, 19.93 for every 100 students in ordinary middle schools and 19.97 for every 100 students in vocational high schools.

Higher education

As of 2019, there were 63 colleges and universities in the city with 738,600 students and 191,800 graduates, and 43 postgraduate training units with 132,000 students and 28,600 graduates.