Padrón first
Register the child at the town hall. The registered address is what gives you proximity points. Without it you still have a right to a place, but you lose the points that decide the popular schools.
Public, concertado and international
Enrol Your Child in a Spanish School
Every minor living in Spain has the right to a school place — including mid-year arrivals and families whose residence paperwork is still in progress. Public education is free from 6 to 16, and public infantil (3–6) is also free.
Admission is organised by each autonomous community, not by a single national portal. Your municipal registration (padrón) sets the catchment zone and the proximity points (baremo) that usually decide the place.
Eagles Ocean Blue registers the family on the padrón, files the regional admission application inside the window, starts homologación of foreign reports where needed, and follows the comisión de escolarización if you arrive outside the ordinary period.
A place for every minor, including mid-year
Free public schooling from 6 to 16
Padrón address is the main admission criterion
Regional portals — Madrid, Catalonia, Andalusia and others
Homologación for ESO and Bachillerato
Comisión de escolarización if you miss the window
The Spanish system
School Stages in Spain
Compulsory schooling runs from 6 to 16. Public infantil from 3 to 6 is free. Bachillerato (16–18) is the university-prep track and is not compulsory.
Ages 3–6
Educación infantil
Second cycle of infantil, free in public centres. The spring admission window is the one that fills the most popular classrooms.
Ages 6–12
Educación primaria
Six years. Placement is more flexible for foreign reports; homologación is usually not required at this stage.
Ages 12–16
ESO
Educación Secundaria Obligatoria. Foreign studies generally need homologación or at least the volante proving the file has been opened.
Ages 16–18
Bachillerato
Two years, several modalities. Admission also looks at the academic record. Homologación of the previous stage is required to enrol.
What families ask
Padrón, Points and Homologación
Regional calendars
Each comunidad publishes its own window. In the Community of Madrid the ordinary 2026/27 admission period ran from 11 to 25 March 2026. Always check your region’s current call.
Baremo
Places are scored: proximity, siblings already in the centre, income and, for Bachillerato, the academic record. The scale is set by the autonomous community.
Mid-year arrivals
If you miss the ordinary window, the comisión de escolarización (SAE in Madrid) assigns a free chair. You are not left without a school.
The process
How Enrolment Works in Spain
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Empadronar the family
Municipal registration of the child is the first document. It sets the zone and the proximity points on the admission scale.
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Open the regional calendar
We look up this year’s periodo de admisión for your autonomous community and the list of centres in your catchment.
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Start homologación when needed
For ESO and Bachillerato, file homologación / convalidación with the Ministry of Education. Do not wait for the resolution — attach the volante de inicio de trámite to the school file.
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Submit the solicitud
Online with a digital certificate, or in person at the centre, ranking schools in order of preference inside the window.
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Wait for adjudicación
Provisional lists, claims period, then the assigned place. If your first choice is full, the commission assigns another centre.
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Formalise the matrícula
Enrol at the assigned school with identity, padrón, vaccination card and, for secondary, the homologación receipt.
Official sources
Spain — pages to bookmark
Where We Help
Schools in Portugal and France
Schools in Portugal
Portugal — Portal das Matrículas
Enrolment in public pre-school, basic and secondary education runs through the national Portal das Matrículas. Children arriving from a foreign system file the enrolment first, and the school group runs the equivalence of studies in parallel.
Schools in France
France — Mairie and Académie
For maternelle and élémentaire you register at the town hall, which issues a certificate for the assigned school. For collège and lycée the académie assigns the school after a level assessment, usually organised through the CASNAV.
Ready to Enrol in Spain?
Tell us your city and autonomous community, your child’s age and current year — we will map the catchment, the next admission window and the homologación file if you need one.