Facebook Ads Cost Per Lead Benchmarks for Education

Introduction

Education’s Cost Per Lead (CPL) ran well below the broader market through the period, but with noticeably sharper swings. Across all countries, Education leads were consistently cheaper than the global all-industry benchmark, with a steep Q1 reset, a mid-year lift, and a softer finish into October. The standout movements: a halving from December to March, a May spike, and a June pullback that reset the pace heading into late summer.

This analysis is based on $3B worth of advertising data from our dataset, which provides strong directional benchmarks. This analysis explores ad performance trends for Education across all countries compared to the global benchmark.

The story in the data

• Starting point vs. ending point: Education CPL moved from $30.15 in November 2024 to $21.48 in October 2025, a 29% decline. Over the same window, the global benchmark rose 9% (from $41.47 to $45.08).
• Highs and lows: Education CPL peaked at $30.15 (November 2024) and bottomed at $15.00 (March 2025), a $15 swing. The global series ranged from $33.35 (March low) to $48.29 (September high).
• Averages: Education averaged $21.62 per lead across the year, versus $40.94 for the global all-industry benchmark—about 47% cheaper.
• Key monthly moves:
• December → January: -45% (from $28.19 to $15.50), marking the sharpest compression.
• March → April: +22% (to $18.30), the first meaningful rebound.
• April → May: +45% (to $26.53), a short-lived surge.
• May → June: -34% (to $17.55), retracing most of that gain.
• August → September: +9% (to $24.35), a late-summer lift before easing in October.

Volatility in Education CPL averaged a $4.58 month-to-month absolute change, steeper than the global benchmark’s $3.22—about 42% more volatile.

Seasonal and monthly dynamics

The series followed familiar platform seasonality for Facebook Ads benchmarks: higher costs into late Q4, a pronounced trough in early Q1, and gradual rebuilding through summer. Education was particularly soft in Q1 2025, averaging $16.17 (January–March) versus $29.17 in November–December 2024. A mid-year rhythm emerged: a spring bounce (April–May), a June reset, then steadier gains through September before a mild October cool-down. While the global market also softened in Q1 and strengthened into Q3, Education’s movements were more abrupt and concentrated around the Q1 drop and the May–June swing.

Country vs. Global

Education CPL ran below market throughout, with the gap ranging from 27% lower (November–December 2024) to 57% lower (June 2025). On average, Education remained 47% under the all-industry benchmark. The global series climbed steadily across the year (+9%), reaching a high in September, while Education’s path was choppier (−29% from start to end), punctuated by sharper monthly spikes and dips. At its narrowest gap, Education sat roughly 27–29% under the global CPL; at its widest, it trailed by 57%. Both lines saw Q1 softness and late-summer strength, but Education’s variability was the defining feature.

Closing

In sum, Facebook Ads benchmarks for Cost Per Lead in the Education industry across all countries show consistently lower lead costs than the global market, with higher volatility, a deep Q1 trough, and a measured mid-year rebound before easing in October. Understanding CPL trends for Education globally—alongside broader CPC trends, CPM analysis, and CTR performance—helps frame industry ad performance and country-specific ad costs against global patterns.