Moving to another region of Spain: what changes at school

Terms used

• Historial académico — The historial académico is your child's academic record, issued by the old school, showing the studies completed.
• Informe personal por traslado — The informe personal por traslado is a personal report on your child, issued by the old school when you move.
• Consejería de educación — The consejería de educación is the regional education department that sets admission rules, calendars and platforms.
• Comisión de escolarización — The comisión de escolarización is the local body that allocates school places.
• Baremo — The baremo is the points scale used to rank applicants for school places.

Key rules

• Validity: Records and qualifications from one region are valid in all the others.
• Differences: Calendars, subjects, language and admission platforms are set by each region.
• Bachillerato: Second year in a new region depends on a free place in your child's modality.
• Missing subjects: Your child may have to take subjects specific to the new region, such as the co-official language.

What stays the same and what changes

Your child's studies and records count in every region. The State sets the basic curriculum, and school titles are valid across Spain. A year passed in Madrid is a year passed in Valencia.

What changes is how each region runs its schools. Education is decided region by region, so the calendar, the subjects, the language of teaching and the way you apply for a place can all be different. This applies in the middle of Bachillerato too.

Get your papers from the old school

Before you leave, ask the old school for the historial académico and the informe personal por traslado. The documents block below explains what each one contains. The new school uses them to enrol your child and place them in the right year.

The new region may adapt your child to its own curriculum. This often includes the regional language.

Find the rules for your new region

Each region's education department (consejería de educación) publishes its admission rules, calendar and online platform. Search for your region's education department site, because portal names and addresses change. Examples of where to look:

• Madrid: the Comunidad de Madrid admission pages.
• Cataluña: the Departament d'Educació, "preinscripció".
• Andalucía: the Secretaría Virtual de Centros Docentes, "escolarización".
• Comunidad Valenciana: "Admisión del alumnado" on the Generalitat site.
• País Vasco: the Hezkuntza admission portal.
• Galicia: "admisión" through the Xunta's electronic office.
• Castilla y León: the Portal de Educación.
• Aragón: the Departamento de Educación, "admisión".

If you are stuck, the secretary's office of a nearby school can point you the right way. So can the local inspection service or the comisión de escolarización, the local body that allocates school places.

What to compare before you move

Check these in both regions:

• School calendar: start and end dates, and holidays.
• Language: co-official language and the language of teaching (Catalan, Basque, Galician or Valencian).
• Curriculum: the regional share is roughly 40-50%, depending on whether the region has a co-official language.
• Admission: the platform, the calendar and the points scale (baremo).
• Aid: textbook aid or loan schemes, canteen (comedor) and transport help.
• Services: free places for ages 0-3 or 3-6, extended hours, early-morning care and bilingual programmes.
• Repeating a year and pending subjects: the rules differ.

Moving during Bachillerato

A pupil who has passed first year of Bachillerato can join second year in another region. This depends on a free place in the chosen modality (the Bachillerato track).

If the new region offers different subjects or modalities, the school adapts your child's programme. It recognises equivalent subjects. Your child may have to take subjects the new region requires, such as the co-official language. Exemptions differ by region, so ask the school.

Places in public schools go through the regional admission process. If you arrive mid-year, the education authority allocates the places. Contact it as soon as you know your new address. The decision block below helps you choose between the options.

For a move in the middle of the school year, see the "what if" block below.

Choosing between options

How should your child continue Bachillerato after moving to another region?

• Join second year in the new region: Your child has passed first year. They are admitted if there is a vacancy in the chosen modality, and the school recognises equivalent subjects.

• Apply for a place through the regional admission process: Your child is moving to a public school mid-stage or mid-year. Places are allocated by the education authority through the regional process.

• Take missing regional subjects: The new region offers different subjects or modalities. The school adapts your child's programme, and they may need to take or recover subjects such as the co-official language.

If your child has passed first year, ask for second year in the same modality. If the new region's subjects differ, the school adapts the programme and sets any missing regional subjects.

Documents you need

• Historial académico: your child's academic record, issued by the old school, showing the studies completed there. It is valid in every region.

• Informe personal por traslado: a personal report on your child, issued by the old school when you move.

What if you move region in the middle of the school year?

Contact the education department of your new region as soon as you know the address. Education is run region by region, so the rules you knew in your old region may not apply. Mid-year arrivals are normal, and the office that handles them is the same one that runs the main admission round.

Where to apply

If you can't find the right page, ask one of these:

• the secretary's office at a school near your new home
• the local education inspection service

Ask them three things: which schools have a place, which year group your child joins, and which papers you need to bring from the old school.

What will probably be different

Compare these before the first day:

• School calendar: start and end dates and holidays. Your child may arrive in the middle of a term or a break.
• Language: in Catalonia, the Basque Country, Galicia and the Valencian Community, a regional language is co-official and may be the language of teaching. Ask what language support the school offers to new arrivals.
• Curriculum: the regional part is roughly 40–50% of the content, so topics can come in a different order or with different emphasis. Subjects are not identical from one region to another.
• Repeating a year and pending subjects: the rules differ by region. Ask the school how they apply to your child.
• Extras: textbook aid or loan schemes, canteen and transport aid, early-morning and extended-hours services, and bilingual programmes. Each region sets its own, so ask about them when you apply.

Handling the gaps

Ask the new school for a meeting before your child starts. Bring the latest school report and any papers from the old school. Ask the teacher which topics your child has already covered and which they missed, and what extra help the school gives. If the language of teaching is new to your child, ask about support at that same meeting.

Frequently asked questions

Where do I find the admission rules and platform for my new region?

Search the website of the new region's education department (consejería de educación), which publishes the admission rules, calendar and online platform. The school secretary's office or the local comisión de escolarización can also point you to the right page. Portal names change, so search the department's site rather than relying on an old link.

Which documents does the old school give me when we move region?

The old school issues the historial académico and the informe personal por traslado. The historial académico is the pupil's academic record, and the informe personal is a report on the child's progress. The new school then enrols your child, and the regional authority can adapt them to the local curriculum, including the regional language.

Can my child start second year of Bachillerato in a different region?

Yes, a pupil who has passed first-year Bachillerato is admitted to second year in another region, if there is a vacancy in the chosen modality. If the new region offers different subjects, the school recognises equivalent ones. Your child may have to take missing regional subjects, such as the co-official language.

What should I compare between regions before moving?

Compare the school calendar, the co-official language and language of instruction, and the admission platform and points scale (baremo). Also compare textbook aid, canteen and transport aid, free Infant places, early-morning services, bilingual programmes, and rules on repeating a year and pending subjects.