Spanish school system for expat children: The options at a glance
- Spain offers three main types of school: state (pública, free), semi-private (concertada, low fees), and fully private international schools (€600–€2,500+ per month).
- State schools in the Valencian Community teach in both Spanish and Valencian, with language support (ATAL) available for children arriving without Spanish.
- International schools offering the British curriculum, IB, or American curriculum are available in Valencia city and the wider Valencian Community.
- School enrolment is zone-based for state schools; your empadronamiento address determines your assigned school.
- The official enrolment period for September runs from March to May in the Valencian Community.
- Children typically achieve functional Spanish within six to eighteen months of immersion schooling.
Is the Spanish school system for expat children different?
For families moving to Spain from the UK or the US, the school question comes up very early in the planning process.
The answer depends on how long you plan to stay, whether you want your children to integrate fully into Spanish life, your budget, and whether you need continuity with a UK or US curriculum for a potential return.
How the Spanish education system is structured
- Educación Infantil (Early Years): Ages 0–6. The second cycle (3–6) is provided free by the state.
- Educación Primaria (Primary): Ages 6–12. Six years. Compulsory.
- ESO (Secondary): Ages 12–16. Four years. Compulsory. Equivalent to UK Years 7–11.
- Bachillerato: Ages 16–18. Two years. Equivalent to UK Sixth Form. Required for Spanish university entry via the EVAU (Selectividad).
The three types of school compared
| Type | Annual cost | Language | Curriculum |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pública (state) | Free | Spanish + Valencian | Spanish national (LOMLOE) |
| Concertada | €600–€3,600/year | Spanish (some bilingual) | Spanish national |
| Internacional / privada | €7,200–€30,000+/year | English (IB, British or American) | IB, GCSE/A-level or American |
State schools in the Valencian Community
State schools in the Valencian Community operate under a bilingual policy, teaching in both Spanish and Valencian.
State schools are free; families pay only for school meals (€3–€5 per day), materials, and school trips.
Children immersed in Spanish-language schooling from primary age typically achieve functional Spanish within six to twelve months and full fluency within eighteen to twenty-four months.
For shorter stays where curriculum continuity matters, international schooling may be a more appropriate choice.
Language support: the ATAL programme
Spanish state schools are required to provide language support for newly arrived children who do not speak Spanish.
Some parents do not consider this when picking a Spanish school system for expat children.
In the Valencian Community, this is provided through the ATAL (Aulas de Acogida) programme, which offers additional Spanish-language classes for children arriving without adequate Spanish.
ATAL support is typically provided for one to two years until the child achieves sufficient language competency for full mainstream participation.
International Spanish school system for expat children in the Valencian Community
The Valencian Community has a well-established international school sector, reflecting the long history of British and international settlement in the region.
Among the established options are The British School of Valencia (GCSE and A-level pathways), Caxton College (British curriculum, located in Puçol, north of Valencia), and several IB-authorised bilingual private schools, including the American School of Valencia.
Waiting lists at the most popular international schools can be one to three years long.
Families should make contact and begin the admissions process as early as possible, ideally six to twelve months before the intended start date.
The enrolment process
- Register for the empadronamiento in your area. State school places are allocated by residential zone (zona escolar). Your registered address determines your assigned school.
- Gather required documents. Birth certificate (apostilled if from the UK), previous school reports with sworn translation, vaccination record, NIEs, and passports.
- Apply during the official enrolment period (March to May for September entry in the Valencian Community).
- Await school assignment (state schools, by June for September entry).
- Apply directly for concertada or international schools, which run their own admissions processes.
Legal documentation: What expat families must prepare for the Spanish school system for expat children
Getting a child into a Spanish school involves a document review that catches many newly arrived families off guard.
The requirements are not onerous once you know what is needed, but several documents must be authenticated before the school or the education authority will accept them, and the authentication process takes time.
The starting point is your family’s Spanish administrative status.
State and concertada schools will not process an enrolment without a valid empadronamiento certificate confirming your registered address in the school’s catchment zone.
The empadronamiento is issued by your local Ayuntamiento and is one of the first administrative steps any family should complete after arriving in Spain.
Without it, you cannot enrol in the public system, cannot access the local GP, and cannot obtain a SIP health card in the Valencian Community.
The NIE (Número de Identificación de Extranjero) is also required, both for the parents and ideally for the child, depending on the school’s requirements.
The NIE is Spain’s foreign identification number and is a prerequisite for virtually every official transaction, from opening a bank account to signing a rental contract.
Children who do not yet have an NIE can begin the enrolment process with a passport, but the NIE application should run in parallel.
Families from the UK
For UK families arriving after Brexit, the TIE (Tarjeta de Identidad de Extranjero) or residencia certificate must also be available alongside the NIE, as schools increasingly request confirmation of legal residency status rather than just the identification number.
UK-issued documents, including birth certificates and previous school reports, must be apostilled through the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) before they are accepted by Spanish schools or the Valencian Community education authority.
The Apostille is an internationally recognised authentication certificate under the 1961 Hague Convention, and it confirms that the issuing authority’s signature and seal are genuine.
Without an Apostille on the birth certificate, many state schools will decline to formalise the enrolment.
Previous school reports or transcripts not issued in Spanish must be accompanied by a sworn translation (traducción jurada) carried out by a translator authorised by the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
A sworn translation is not the same as a standard bilingual translation.
Only a registered jurado translator’s version is accepted as a legal document.
Allow three to five working days for sworn translations and two to three weeks for FCDO Apostilles, depending on the service level you choose.
Medical records
The vaccination record is an additional requirement that trips up many families, particularly those arriving from the US or countries that follow a different immunisation schedule from Spain.
The Spanish school vaccination calendar is set regionally; in the Valencian Community, it is managed through the Conselleria de Sanitat.
Children whose vaccination history does not match the Spanish schedule may be asked to complete missing vaccinations before or shortly after starting school.
This is not a barrier to enrolment, but it is worth addressing early rather than waiting for the school to flag it.
What to do if you arrive outside the standard enrolment period
The standard enrolment window in the Valencian Community runs from March to May for September entry.
For families arriving at any other point in the year, the process for registering in the Spanish school system for expat children is different, and knowing how it works prevents unnecessary delays.
Outside the standard enrolment period, families apply directly to the Conselleria d’Educació de la Comunitat Valenciana for a school place through what is known as escolarización extraordinaria, or extraordinary enrolment.
The education authority identifies available places in state schools within your empadronamiento zone and assigns the child to the school with capacity.
You do not choose the school under this process in the way you might during the standard window.
The assigned school is typically the nearest one to your address with an available place in the relevant year group.
In practice, most families find that a place is available within two to three weeks of submitting the extraordinary enrolment request, though this varies by municipality and by the time of year.
January and September arrivals are processed more quickly than those arriving in June, when schools are winding down for the summer, and places are harder to assess.
For families who need more control over school selection, or who require an English-language curriculum during the transition period, private tutoring or a short-term placement at an international school can bridge the gap while the state enrolment process runs.
The ATAL language support programme, described earlier in this guide, begins from the first week of attendance regardless of when during the year the child enrols.
Schools are legally required to provide it, and most have established protocols for mid-year arrivals given the frequency with which international families join during the academic year.
Families who are also navigating the broader legal and administrative process of settling in Spain, including residency applications and visa compliance, tax registration with the AEAT, and property matters, will find that coordinating these processes through a single legal team significantly reduces the overall timeline and administrative burden.
Our Valencia team works with families relocating from the UK, the Netherlands, Scandinavia, and beyond, and can advise on the correct sequencing of all first-year administrative steps alongside school enrolment preparation.
Moving to Spain with your family? Speak to our team
Our team advises families relocating from the UK, the US, and other countries on every aspect of their move, from residency applications and the Spanish school system for expat children documentation to property law and Spanish wills.
Email: felix.delaguia@delaguialuzon.com
Phone: +34 963 74 16 57
Frequently asked questions
Can my child attend a Spanish state school without speaking Spanish?
Yes.
Spanish state schools are legally required to accept children regardless of language ability.
ATAL language support is provided, and in practice most children integrate and develop functional Spanish within the first year of attendance.
Are British qualifications (GCSEs and A-levels) recognised in Spain?
Yes, through a formal equivalence (homologación) process administered by the Spanish Ministry of Education.
The process requires certified translations and assessment against Spanish qualification frameworks.
Most standard UK qualifications are recognised, though the timeline can take several months.
Is there a waiting list for international schools in Valencia?
Yes, particularly for the most established British-curriculum schools.
Waiting lists for some year groups can be one to three years long.
Contact schools directly as early as possible, even before confirming your move date.
