The Kenyan education system is severely under funded. The system, established in the 1980s to replace the system that existed under British rule, consists of eight years of primary school, four years of secondary school, and four years of university education. Schooling is compulsory for 8 years. In recent years, a law was passed making primary education free in Kenya. However, while technically "free", in order to attend students must meet the cost of uniforms, books, and supplies. Again this makes primary education impossible for poor families, so they turn to community schools such as Pathfinder Academy for help.

The standard of schools varies enormously, from the well-funded and equipped national and provincial schools to the desperately under-equipped and under-staffed community schools like Pathfinder Academy.

The majority of poor Kenyans do not get beyond primary school. Examinations taken at the end of the 8th and 12th grades determine whether students will be admitted into high school and university.

The National Curriculum has been in place for some time and is heavily influenced by the British system. The first national exam is the KCPE (Kenya Certificate of Primary Education), which is taken at the end of Standard 8, the last year of primary school. This is an extremely important exam, since the marks gained determine the type of school which a pupil can go on to.

Secondary education is extremely expensive and only the better off can afford to move into Form 1.

Kenyan textbooks are very good - in many cases better than their English equivalents since they are designed for use by less educated teachers. But they are comparatively expensive, and consequently nearly all community schools have either none at all or a very small number. The vast majority of children cannot afford to buy their own textbooks.

Pathfinder Academy follows the national curriculum. Subjects taught include Math, Science, Social Studies (Geography, History and Civics), English, Kiswahili, and Religion.

The official languages of Kenya are English and Swahili, but the first language is the local tribal language. This means that, since English is the official language of education, children are being taught in their third language.