Everything British, American and international families need to know about enrolling children in Spanish schools — colegio publico, concertado, private and international — the admisin process, key dates, documents and special needs support.
Get a Family Health Insurance Quote WhatsApp Our TeamSpain has four main types of school: colegio publico (state-run and free), concertado (semi-private, partly state-funded, often Catholic), privado (fully private, Spanish curriculum) and international (British, American, French, German curricula). Education is compulsory from age 6 to 16 under the framework set by the Ministerio de Educacion, Formacion Profesional y Deportes ↗, but day-to-day rules are managed by each of the 17 autonomous regions.
The formal enrolment process is called admisin and runs once a year, almost always in March or April, for the September start. Miss this window and your child can usually only enter through a separate matriculacin fuera de plazo (out-of-period) procedure, which depends entirely on whether there are free places left in your chosen school.
Most public and concertado places are awarded by a points-based zoning system. Where you are registered on the padrn matters enormously, as do siblings already at the school, disability and family income. International and private schools run their own admissions and typically have rolling intakes — but their fees can be eight to twenty times the cost of a concertado.
Spanish school enrolment is straightforward once you know the rules — but those rules differ from country to country and region to region. Here is what every family needs to know before they start.
Pblico is free, runs the official Spanish curriculum and is administered by the region. Concertado is privately run but state-subsidised — small monthly fees (often 100-400) plus religious or values-based ethos. Privado is fully fee-paying; international schools are a subset of this.
Public and concertado places are allocated by points. Your child gets the highest points for schools in your zona de influencia — the catchment area where your home or workplace sits. Some regions (Madrid in particular) have opened up zoning, but proximity still wins ties.
Each regional consejera publishes the calendar. Typically: applications in March, provisional list April, appeals and final list May, matriculacin (formal enrolment) in June. International schools run separate, year-round processes.
Public schools teach in Spanish — and in Catalan, Valencian, Basque or Galician in those regions. Many offer bilingual programmes with English. Concertado schools are similar. International schools follow British, American or IB curricula in English.
Public school: free, plus around 100-400 a year for books and materials. Concertado: 100-400/month plus extras. Private Spanish: 500-1,200/month. British or American international: 700-2,500/month plus enrolment fees. Cities are more expensive than coast.
Children with educational support needs — necesidades especficas de apoyo educativo — get priority points and a tailored plan. You will need a report from the regional Equipo de Orientacin Educativa. International schools vary widely in what they can offer.
Every region's application portal is slightly different, but the document list is broadly the same. Start collecting these months before March — chasing originals from abroad takes time.
Most expat families get a place — but plenty also lose their first-choice school over avoidable mistakes. These are the ones we see every spring.
Education is devolved in Spain. Use the right regional portal for your area — every one of them runs its own admisin process, calendar and points system. Most allow you to apply online with cl@ve or a digital certificate.
Sorting schools is half the job. Sorting family health insurance is the other half — most residency visas require it, schools ask for it on enrolment forms, and you want bilingual paediatric care when something goes wrong at 2am.
We are fully authorised by Spain's insurance regulator, the Direccin General de Seguros y Fondos de Pensiones.
Policy wording, claims and renewals — all handled in plain English by people who actually live in Spain.
We answer when you need us — weekends and bank holidays included. School illnesses do not respect office hours.
Paediatric cover, vaccinations, dental and orthodontics for kids — we structure family policies for what children actually need.
No copay, full repatriation, no waiting periods — the exact spec consulates demand for NLV, student and family reunification visas.
We compare Sanitas, Caser and more — no jargon, no hidden exclusions, no surprise renewal hikes.
Settling a family in Spain is more than just school enrolment. Make sure the rest of your cover is in order.
Paediatric cover, dental, maternity and visa-compliant policies for expat families.
Read the guide ›
Building, contents, liability and legal cover for the family home.
Read the guide ›
School trips, half-terms back home and EU travel from your Spanish base.
Read the guide ›Other essential reading for expat families settling in Spain:
While you're sorting schools and padrn, make sure your family is properly insured. Get a family health insurance quote — we'll compare Sanitas, Caser and more, and explain everything in English. DGSFP-registered, 7 days a week.
Get a Family Health Insurance Quote