Local, bilingual or international school: which language path suits my child?

Terms used

• Concertada — A concertada school is a private school that receives public funding and follows the Spanish curriculum.
• ESO — ESO is compulsory secondary education in Spain, from about ages 12 to 16.
• Bachillerato — Bachillerato is the two-year post-16 course that leads to university entrance in Spain.
• PAU — The PAU is Spain's university entrance test, formerly called EBAU or EvAU.
• UNED — UNED is Spain's distance university, which also issues the accreditation for university access to students with foreign qualifications.

Key rules

• Spanish titles: Only schools following the Spanish curriculum, or authorised for it, award the ESO and Bachillerato titles.
• Foreign qualifications: Pupils with IB, A-levels or similar apply for university access through UNED, and some may skip the PAU.
• Age: The older your child is when starting in Spanish, the harder the switch, especially from age 14.
• English hours: Compare each school's weekly timetable, because English exposure varies by school type and region.

The short answer

Match the path to three things: your child's age, your region and how long you will stay. Stay long, or aim at a Spanish university, and a school that awards Spanish titles is the safest base. Stay short, or have an older child, and an international school often disrupts less.

Step 1: Start with age

Younger children switch most easily.

• Primary (about ages 6-11): Children usually reach conversational Spanish within months. Academic fluency takes roughly one to three years. The same goes for the regional language, such as Catalan or Valencian, where it applies. A local school works well at this age.
• Early secondary (ESO, ages 12-14): The switch is harder because subjects are abstract and language-heavy. It is still manageable with support.
• Late secondary (ESO 3-4 at 14-16, and Bachillerato at 16-18): This is the hardest point to start. Academic Spanish takes years. Grades and the university entrance exam are at stake, and your child may fall behind or repeat a year. For these ages, seriously consider an international school or a path that keeps their current qualification.

Some public schools offer language-support classes (aulas de enlace or similar). What exists depends on your region, so ask the school and the regional education authority.

Step 2: Understand what each path teaches

• Local Spanish school: Lessons are in Spanish, plus the regional language in some regions. English is usually about 2 to 3 hours a week in primary and about 3 in secondary. The regional curriculum sets this.
• Bilingual line (public or concertada): The Spanish curriculum, with some subjects taught in English. In primary, total English exposure is often a third or more of the timetable. Concertada schools are publicly funded private schools. Some add extra English hours.
• International school: Most of the day is in English. Spanish is usually a smaller part of the week, so ask how many hours your child gets.

Check each school's weekly timetable. Hours vary by region and by school.

Step 3: Check qualifications and university access

This is the point that is hardest to undo later.

• Public, concertada and private schools that follow the Spanish curriculum, including bilingual ones, lead to the Spanish ESO and Bachillerato titles. These give access to the university entrance test (PAU).
• Foreign and international schools registered as foreign centres teach their own curriculum. They do not award Spanish titles unless they also run an authorised Spanish-curriculum section. Ask directly whether they do.
• Pupils with foreign qualifications (IB, A-levels, French Baccalauréat, German Abitur, US High School) apply through UNED, the distance university. UNED issues the accreditation (credencial) for university access. The pupil then sits the PAU or uses their marks.
• Some systems, such as the IB and the French Baccalauréat, are covered by agreements and may be exempt from the PAU.
• Foreign school years can be validated to Spanish ESO or Bachillerato through the Ministry of Education. For non-university titles, go through your regional education authority.

Step 4: Fit the path to your stay and region

• Two or three years or less: An international school, or a school following your home curriculum, avoids a hard language catch-up. Your child keeps a qualification that works back home.
• Long stay, or university in Spain likely: Choose a Spanish-title path, either local or bilingual. Starting young makes this easiest. An international school is also possible if its qualification is accepted through UNED.
• Unsure: A bilingual line is a middle route. The curriculum is Spanish, so a later move is simpler, and your child gets extra English.
• Region: English provision, support classes and the regional language differ by region. In regions with a co-official language, local schools teach it too. Ask for the regional curriculum and each school's timetable.

Changing path later

Moves are generally possible, though ease varies, and the receiving school and regional authority decide placement.

• Between public bilingual and non-bilingual schools the curriculum is the same, so a transfer is straightforward if there is a place.
• From an international school to a Spanish school, you need transcripts. Foreign systems also need validation with the Ministry of Education. Children are normally placed by age. Expect gaps in Spanish, in Spanish-specific content such as Lengua and Social Science, and in the regional language.
• From a Spanish school to an international school, entry usually depends on the school's assessment, mainly of English.

The decision tool, comparison table, checklist and quick answers below help you narrow this down.

Which language path fits my family?

Which language path fits your family?

• Local Spanish school: Your child is in primary, you plan to stay several years, and you want the fastest Spanish and local friendships. Keep English alive at home.

• Public or concertada bilingual line: Your child already has some Spanish or is young, and you want extra English on top of Spanish. A child with weak Spanish may fall behind in subjects taught in English.

• International school: You stay only a few years, expect to return home or move on, or your child is in late secondary. It keeps the curriculum and language, but means less Spanish and higher fees.

Start with age: the younger the child, the easier the switch to Spanish. Primary children usually manage conversational Spanish within months and school-level Spanish in one to three years. Early secondary is harder but doable with support. In the last years of secondary and Bachillerato it is hardest, so an international school is often safer. Then check length of stay: a stay of a few years favours local immersion for language gain, a short or uncertain stay favours an international school. Finally check home language and region: in a region with Catalan, Basque, Galician or Valencian, expect a further language at local schools. With a local path, keep English going with home use, reading, tutoring or Cambridge exams, easiest in big cities.

Local, bilingual and international schooling compared by language outcome

Which school type gives you what

International schools give the most English and the least Spanish. Public and publicly funded private schools (concertadas) keep Spanish and the regional language at the centre and add English on top. Bilingual programmes sit in between.

What to know about each path

Ordinary public. English is a subject, not the language of teaching. Weekly hours are set by the regional curriculum, so the numbers above vary by region.

Public bilingual. Each region decides which subjects are taught in English and what share of the timetable that takes. In primary these are usually Natural Science, Social Science, Arts and Crafts and Physical Education. In secondary they are usually non-language subjects such as Technology, Biology or Geography. Spanish language and literature stay in Spanish, and in some regions so does mathematics. The share differs a lot between regions, so ask the regional education department or the school for the current figures.

Concertada. These schools may not charge for teaching. They can charge voluntary or complementary fees for extras such as bilingual add-ons, transport, meals and activities. Fees and English hours are set school by school, so ask each one.

International. Teaching follows a foreign curriculum, so Spanish and the regional language are extras rather than the core. A school that also issues Spanish qualifications must follow the regional language rules. If your child may later move into the Spanish system, ask how many hours of Spanish and of the regional language the school gives, and whether it issues Spanish qualifications.

How to choose

• Spanish and the regional language matter most: choose public or concertada. Bilingual programmes still keep both.
• Strong English without leaving the local system: choose a bilingual programme, and compare timetables school by school.
• English-medium schooling as the priority: choose an international school, and ask directly about Spanish and regional-language hours.

Checklist

• Write down your child's age and school stage, your region and how long you plan to stay in Spain.

• Ask each school whether it teaches the Spanish curriculum and awards the Spanish ESO and Bachillerato titles, which give access to the university entrance test (PAU).

• Ask any foreign or international school whether it also runs an authorised Spanish-curriculum section, because otherwise it does not award Spanish titles.

• Ask for the weekly timetable of English hours at each school and compare it with the regional curriculum.

• Contact UNED, the distance university that handles university-access accreditation, if your child will hold a foreign qualification such as the IB, A-levels, French Baccalauréat, German Abitur or US High School, to get the accreditation for university entry.

• Ask UNED whether your child's qualification is covered by an agreement that may exempt them from the PAU.

• Ask the Ministry of Education, or your regional education authority for non-university titles, how to validate your child's foreign school years to Spanish ESO or Bachillerato.

• Match each school's qualification route to your stay: choose a Spanish-title path if you may stay through university, and a foreign-curriculum path if you may return home.

Check the rules for your child's specific qualification with UNED and the Ministry of Education, and confirm English hours with each school's timetable.

Quick answers on bilingual and international schooling

How much of the timetable is taught in English in public bilingual schools?

Each region sets the share of English-medium lessons by its own rules, usually as a minimum and maximum of lesson hours. In primary it is typically subjects like Natural Science, Social Science, Arts and Crafts and Physical Education. Spanish language and the regional language stay in the main language.

Do international schools teach enough Spanish?

International schools usually teach Spanish only a few hours a week, so the level your child reaches varies. Children who arrive young often become fluent socially, while those who stay in an English-speaking circle often stay at intermediate level. Some schools prepare pupils for Spanish exams such as DELE.

Can my child fall behind in a bilingual line?

Yes, a child who handles English or Spanish poorly can fall behind in subjects taught in English, such as science. Bilingual pupils tend to improve their English, but gains in content subjects are weaker. Ask the school how it supports weaker pupils.

Can I switch my child between school types later?

Yes, moves are generally possible, but the receiving school and regional authority decide placement. Moving between public bilingual and non-bilingual schools is easy if there is a place. From an international school, you need transcripts and usually a recognition process for the level, and expect gaps in Spanish and the regional language.