Regional and city grants for school fees, books and extras

Terms used

• Padrón — The padrón is your town hall's register of residents, often needed to apply for local and regional aid.
• Cl@ve — Cl@ve is the government's online identity system for signing in to public services and applications.
• Concertada — A concertada school is privately run but publicly funded, so it charges little or no tuition at funded stages.
• AMPA — The AMPA is the school's parents' association.

Key rules

• Local rules: Each region and town hall sets its own grants, income limits and dates, so check yours.
• Padrón: Most local and regional aid requires registration in the padrón, which you can get whatever your immigration status.
• Nursery and tuition: Help for nursery (0–3) and for stages that are not publicly funded depends on your region.
• Small towns: If your town offers nothing, ask the county or provincial council.

Regional schemes, amounts and dates change each year, so confirm them in the current call from your region's education department and your town hall.

Check your own region and town

Some regions and councils fund tuition, infant cheques and extras on their own calendars. There is no single national list, so you need to check your own region and your own town. Two families in the same country can get very different help.

Where to look, in order

1. Your regional education department. Look for its section on grants (becas y ayudas). It usually covers school meals (comedor), books, transport and infant aid.
2. Your town hall. Check its website and online office (sede electrónica). You can also ask its education or social-services office.
3. The school. Ask the school office (secretaría) and the parents' association (AMPA). Many schools run a book-sharing fund (fondo de libros) and some have their own aid.
4. The national grant. It has its own page. Do not assume a local grant replaces it, or the other way round.

The checklist below turns these steps into a list you can tick off.

What town halls often offer

Town halls typically offer some of these:

• Help with school supplies or textbooks.
• Top-ups for canteen costs.
• Discounts for municipal nursery schools (escuelas infantiles).
• Summer camp and school-holiday places, and after-school care.
• Student public transport passes.
• Emergency help through social services.

Large cities such as Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia and Sevilla have their own programmes. Small towns often offer little, or pass aid through the county (comarca) or the provincial council (diputación). If your town offers nothing, look at those two next.

Tuition and nursery help

Concertada schools are mostly publicly funded. Families usually pay little or no tuition at funded stages: infant 3–5, primary, ESO, and some FP and Bachillerato. Ask the school what it charges, including any "voluntary" fees.

Some regions add money for stages that are not funded, or for private schools. Madrid has a Bachillerato tuition cheque. Andalucía, Valencia and the Basque Country have their own schemes.

For nursery (0–3), Madrid has the Cheque Guardería. Andalucía reduces fees through a family support programme. Valencia, Galicia, the Basque Country, Navarra and Catalonia also have regional or local schemes. Amounts and income limits are set in each year's call. You usually need to be registered in the region, enrolled, and working or in a similar situation.

Registration in the padrón

Local and most regional aid normally requires being registered in the padrón of the town or region. You can register whatever your immigration status. Register early, because many calls ask for it.

Dates and how to apply

Calls run on their own calendars. As a rough guide:

• Regional meal and book aid is often applied for between spring and early autumn. This is often during school admission or from June to September.
• Town hall calls vary. Many fall in autumn.

In every call, check the income limit, the registration requirement and the application route. Write the opening and closing dates in your calendar.

Many applications are online and need a digital certificate or Cl@ve. If you do not have either, book in-person help at the town hall or ask the school.

Checklist

• Check your regional education department's grants section for meal, book, transport and infant aid.

• Look at your town hall's website and online office, or ask its education or social-services office, for local grants.

• Find out whether your region funds nursery (0–3) fees or tuition for stages that are not publicly funded.

• Note the opening and closing dates of each call and put them in your calendar.

• Get ready for the online application with a digital certificate or Cl@ve, or book in-person help.

Frequently asked questions

Does my concertada school charge tuition at all?

Usually you pay little or no tuition at funded stages, because concertada schools are mostly publicly funded for infant 3–5, primary, ESO and some FP and Bachillerato. Some regions add aid for stages that are not funded, or for private schools. Eligibility is mostly income-based and differs by region.

Which regions help pay for nursery (0–3) fees?

Several regions run nursery aid for 0–3 fees, including Madrid with its Cheque Guardería, Andalucía with fee reductions, Valencia, Galicia, the Basque Country, Navarra and Catalonia. Amounts and income limits are set in each year's call.

When do local school grant calls usually open?

Regional meal and book aid is usually applied for between spring and early autumn, often during school admission or in June to September. Town hall calls vary, but often come in autumn. Dates change every year, so look at the current call.