Which language will my child be taught in at school in Spain?

Key rules

• Default language: Outside the six co-official regions, your child is taught in Spanish.
• Navarre: Basque is co-official only in the Basque-speaking and mixed zones, so check your town's zone.
• Time shares: Each region sets its own split between Spanish and the regional language, so read the current regional decree.
• School project: Ask every school, public, concertada or private, for its language project before you apply.

The short answer

Spanish is the language of teaching everywhere except six co-official regions. Each of those six has its own regime and its own split of teaching time between Spanish and the regional language. If you settle in any other region, your child will be taught in Spanish.

The six regions with a co-official language

• Catalonia: Catalan. In the Val d'Aran, Aranese is also used.
• Valencian Community: Valencian.
• Balearic Islands: Catalan.
• Basque Country: Basque.
• Navarre: Basque, but only in the Basque-speaking and mixed zones. Other parts of Navarre are not co-official for Basque, so find out which zone your town is in.
• Galicia: Galician.

The rest of Spain

In every other region, lessons are in Spanish. Children study foreign languages. In places such as Asturias and Aragon, a regional language may be offered as an optional subject. Ask the school what is available.

How much time each language gets

The split between Spanish and the regional language is set by each region's own teaching decree, so it differs from region to region.

• Catalonia: No fixed percentage applies to the co-official language. A court-imposed 25% minimum for Spanish applied until recent legal changes.
• Valencian Community: Minimum shares depend on the language programme the school follows.
• Balearic Islands: A baseline decree sets a minimum for each language.
• Basque Country: Schools run models A, B or D, which give different weight to Basque and Spanish.
• Galicia: The decree sets at least 50% of teaching in Galician, and some subjects are fixed.

Find the current decree for your region and note the minimum for each language before you commit to an area.

Public, concertada and private schools

The language rules apply in principle to public schools and to concertada schools. Concertada schools are privately run but state-funded. They generally follow the same programmes as public schools, such as the Basque models or the Valencian programmes.

Fully private schools also follow the regional curriculum. In practice they have more freedom, and many teach in Spanish, English or both. Practice differs by region and school, so ask each school for its language project before you apply.

What to do next

Use the comparison, the decision guide and the checklist below to match a region and a school type to your child's age and needs. The checklist lists the questions to put to schools. The FAQ covers private schools, concertada schools and Navarre.

Choosing between options

Which kind of region should you choose for your child's schooling language?

• A region that teaches in Spanish: Fits if you want your child taught in Spanish. This is every region except the six co-official ones, though some, like Asturias and Aragon, offer optional regional-language subjects.

• A co-official region with a strong regional-language programme: Fits if you want your child to learn Catalan, Valencian, Basque or Galician in depth. Teaching time is set by each region's decrees, and the regional language often has the larger share.

• A co-official region with a more balanced or Spanish-led programme: Fits if you want more Spanish in class while still learning the local language. In the Basque Country, ask about the models, and in Valencia and the Balearics, ask about the programme and its minimum for each language.

Start with the region: only Catalonia, the Valencian Community, the Balearic Islands, the Basque Country, Navarre and Galicia teach partly in a co-official language. Then compare the programmes each school offers against the regional decree.

Check the current regional decree for exact teaching-time figures before you decide.

School language systems in each region side by side

Teaching language and parental choice differ a lot between regions. Catalonia is the only region where Spanish-medium teaching has a court-ordered minimum, and everywhere else choice mostly depends on the school.

What to take from the table

Catalonia is the clearest case for Spanish. Courts have ordered the 25% minimum, but how schools apply it is still being contested. Ask the school what your child's timetable actually looks like.

Elsewhere, ask the school first. Outside Catalonia, the position on Spanish-medium teaching is less settled. Parents usually rely on the school's language model, or make a court request if the school cannot offer what they want.

Check the current figures. Each region sets its percentages by decree, and they change. Confirm the numbers for your area with the regional education department or the school before you apply.

Exemption options are compared separately, by region, so this table leaves them out.

Checklist

• Check whether your chosen region is one of the six with a co-official language: Catalonia, the Valencian Community, the Balearic Islands, the Basque Country, Navarre or Galicia.

• Confirm that every other region you are considering teaches in Spanish.

• If you are looking at Navarre, find out whether your town is in the Basque-speaking or mixed zone.

• Find the regional decree on teaching time and note the minimum share for the co-official language and for Spanish.

• Ask each school for its language project, whether it is public, concertada or private.

• Ask which language programme or model the school runs, for example Basque models A, B or D, or a Valencian programme.

Frequently asked questions

Do private schools in co-official regions have to teach in the regional language?

Fully private schools follow the regional curriculum too, but they have more freedom in practice than public schools.

Do concertada schools use the same language programmes as public schools?

Yes, concertada schools (state-subsidised private schools) generally follow the same language programmes as public ones, such as Basque models A, B and D or the Valencian programmes. Practice still differs by region and school, so ask the school which programme it runs.

Is Basque taught everywhere in Navarre?

No, Basque is co-official in Navarre only in the Basque-speaking and mixed zones. Outside those zones, teaching is in Spanish. Check which zone your town falls in before you choose a school.

Will my child learn any regional language in regions without a co-official language?

In some regions, such as Asturias and Aragon, optional regional-language subjects are offered, but teaching is in Spanish. Foreign languages are also taught. Ask the school which optional subjects it offers.