Which type of school suits your family?

Key rules

• Stay length: The longer you stay, the more a Spanish public or concertado school makes sense; short stays favour an international school that follows your home curriculum.
• Private schools: Private and international schools admit directly, so you apply to the school itself.
• Regional differences: Calendars, points scales and zones differ by region.

The right school depends on how long you will stay, your budget, your language goals and your child's age.

Start with how long you will stay

• Under two years: Choose an international school that follows your home curriculum, so your child avoids a disruptive switch and can slot back in at home. A child living in Spain must attend a Spanish-recognised school, and a foreign online school does not count: Is homeschooling legal in Spain?
• Two to five years: A Spanish public or concertado school is the simplest choice, and an international school suits you if you want your home curriculum and an easier return.
• Long term or permanent: Spanish public or concertado schools give the best integration. They are free or cheap, and they lead directly to Spanish qualifications and university access.

Then check budget

Public schools are free apart from books, meals and activities. Concertado, private and international schools charge fees. Costs by school type breaks them down.

Language and curriculum goals

If your child needs to keep a British, American, IB, French or German curriculum, an international school is the safest route. It also matters if you plan university in your home country. If you want your child to become fluent in Spanish, public or concertado is the stronger choice. Younger children usually pick up Spanish quickly. Older children often find it harder, so choose a school with reception classes and Spanish-as-a-second-language support: How children adjust to the school language.

Spanish is the main teaching language across Spain. In Catalonia, the Basque Country, Galicia, Valencia, the Balearic Islands and the Basque-speaking part of Navarre, the co-official language is also used in class, and each region sets its share of the teaching: Which language will my child be taught in at school in Spain?

What admission points leave available

Public and concertado schools share one regional admission process (proceso de admisión). The application window, the points and the appeal are explained in Public, subsidised (concertado) and private schools explained, and How the school admission points system (baremo) works shows how your address is scored.

Newcomers are at a disadvantage: arriving without siblings or mid-year usually means a low score at a popular school, so you are often offered a school that still has vacantes (free places), allotted by the admissions commission. List several schools and have a second plan, such as a private or international school, which admit directly.

How to choose a good school in Spain shows how to compare individual schools.

Which school type fits your situation: public, concertado, private or international

Public and concertado schools fit a child who will grow up in Spain. International schools fit a child who will return to a foreign system. Private Spanish-curriculum schools sit in between and give you the most choice of teaching language.

What this means for a newcomer

• Moving between systems. Foreign studies are recognised through convalidación (ordinary school years) or homologación (titles such as Bachillerato): Recognising foreign school studies. The school usually places your child in the matching year from the previous transcripts, which can follow within 10 working days of the school's request. An apostille and translation are for formal recognition, not simple enrolment: Preparing your child's foreign school records for Spanish enrolment.
• Special educational needs. Public and concertado schools must support a pupil with special educational needs, and a pupil with a formal assessment can use a reserved place at admission. Private and international schools set their own support: Can private, subsidised (concertada) and international schools support your child?
• A teenager near the end of ESO. A teenager who arrives at 15 or 16 joins the 3rd or 4th year of ESO and earns the ESO title by passing the 4th year. Without it, Grado Básico vocational training takes ages 15 to 17. Moving to Spain at 15 or 16: why ESO timing matters
• Moving between regions. A move to another region is a new admission application under that region's calendar and points scale, and the school record moves with your child. The language of teaching can change. Moving to another region of Spain: what changes at school

If you are moving with children

Your child's age sets the stage and your right to a place.

• Ages 6 to 16: Your child has a right to a school place whatever your family's status, and schooling is compulsory; Documents you need to enrol your child in a Spanish school lists what the school asks for.
• Under 6: Infantil is voluntary, and from age 3 it is free in public and concertado schools. Starting Infantil at age 3: is it compulsory and how to enrol
• Over 16: Bachillerato and vocational training are not compulsory. Spain after compulsory school: Bachillerato, vocational training and what follows