How does Catalan-language schooling work in Catalonia?

Key rules

• Main language: Catalan is the main teaching language, and Spanish is taught as a language and literature subject.
• Spanish minimum: Courts have ordered a minimum of 25% of teaching time in Spanish, but how it is applied is still being contested.
• Language project: Catalan rules leave the language balance to each school's language project instead of fixing a percentage.
• Dispute: The legal dispute is not finished, so check the latest position before you act.

What language will your child be taught in?

Catalan is the main language of teaching in Catalan schools. The technical word is "vehicular": it is the language lessons are given in, and the language the school uses day to day with pupils and families.

Spanish is taught as a language and literature subject. Your child will learn to read and write it properly. Some other teaching in Spanish is also required, which is where the court rulings come in.

What is the Spanish minimum?

Courts have ordered a minimum of 25% of teaching time in Spanish. Catalonia's High Court set it, and the Supreme Court upheld it.

The Catalan Parliament then passed a law and a decree-law that confirm Catalan as the vehicular language. They do not set a fixed Spanish percentage. They leave the balance to each school's language project, which is the school's own plan for how it uses each language.

So two positions sit side by side. The courts say 25%. The Catalan rules say each school decides through its language project.

How settled is the dispute?

It is not finished. The Constitutional Court has looked at the issue, and the matter is still being argued. The Catalan government has been slow to apply the 25% rule, and the High Court has pressed for it to be enforced in some schools.

In practice, the 25% has been applied to individual schools when parents asked for it. Rulings and official guidance can change, so check the current position before you act.

What can you do as a parent?

• Do nothing special. Your child follows the school's language project, with Spanish as a subject and whatever Spanish teaching the school already gives.
• Ask for the 25%. You can ask the school to apply the Spanish minimum to your child's class. Put the request in writing and keep a copy.

The decision block below helps you weigh these options, and the FAQ answers the common follow-up questions.

Before you choose a school

Ask each school how it uses Catalan and Spanish in class, and what its language project says. Ask your local education office for the current guidance too. If your child arrives with little Catalan, ask what support the school gives to help them catch up.

Choosing between options

Do you ask your child's school to apply the 25% Spanish minimum?

• Ask for the 25% minimum: You want at least 25% of teaching time in Spanish for your child. Courts have ordered this minimum, and it has been applied to schools when parents asked.

• Keep the school's language project: You are happy with Catalan as the main teaching language and Spanish as a subject, as the school's language project sets it.

If you want more Spanish teaching, ask the school in writing for the 25% minimum. If you do not ask, the school follows its own language project.

Frequently asked questions

Can I ask for more Spanish teaching for my child in Catalonia?

Yes, you can ask your child's school for it, because courts have ordered a minimum of 25% of teaching time in Spanish. In individual cases, schools have had to apply that minimum when parents asked for it. Start by writing to the school's head teacher.

Does the school's language project set the Spanish share?

Yes, each school's language project matters, because the 2022 law declared Catalan the main teaching language without fixing a Spanish percentage. That leaves the split to the school. The court-ordered minimum of 25% still applies where a family has asked for it.

Is the dispute over language in Catalan schools finished?

No, the dispute is still going, because the Catalan government has been slow to apply the 25% minimum. The Catalonia High Court has pushed for it to be enforced in some schools. Expect practice to differ from school to school.