31 Spain Education Facts: A Must Read Blog For You!

Education in Spain includes five levels: preschool, primary school, compulsory secondary education, post-compulsory secondary education, and tertiary education.

The Ministry of Education and Vocational Training regulates education in Spain. The ministry handles every aspect of the education system from preschool level to university education.

The current educational system, also known as LOE, name after Ley Orgánica de Educación, or the Fundamental Law of Education, is backed by the government of each region. Under this educational system, Spanish students are provided with free education for a total of 10 years, from the age of 6 to 16 years.

Each level teaches core subjects that help in the development of Spanish students in the country.

As the children progress from primary school to secondary school, the skill level increases, helping the students to attain knowledge that helps them in their futures.

Certificates are provided at the end of each section of education and post-higher education is completely optional as students can either pursue a career in technical fields through vocational schools or continue their study to college levels.

As of 2020-21, there are around 9,909,886 students in Spain. Around four million students are in primary schools, two million in secondary education, and university students make up around one million of the total count.

If you like this article about Spain education facts, be sure to check out articles about Dominican Republic education facts and Ireland education facts too!

Facts About Spanish Kindergarten Education

Kindergarten and preschool education in Spain is completely optional. Nursery schools are mostly private and are not funded by the state, meaning parents have to pay fees for their children to go through nursery schools. Children above the age of three years can attend these schools.

On the other hand, preschools are completely free of charge and admit children up to six years of age. Preschool education helps children to enhance their mental skills and learn writing, reading, and the alphabet.

Facts About Spanish Primary Education

Primary schools in Spain, especially the public ones, are complimentary, but parents are required to spend money on books and school supplies that are required by the students. Local schools are free to choose their own form of education.

Core subjects like social sciences, mathematics, Spanish literature and language, natural sciences, and a preferred foreign language are provided by all primary schools in Spain. A minimum of 50% of the time is dedicated to teaching the core subjects.

Autonomous communities can offer their advice, but teachers in schools generally use their own teaching methods to provide the best education possible to children.

Facts About Spanish Secondary Education

Secondary education, known as Secundaria or Educación Secundaria (ESO), is made up of four years, further broken down into two cycles, from grade seventh to tenth. ESO is seen as the equivalent of the mixture of the first two years of high school and middle school.

The first cycle is made up of the first and second years and is focused on learning basic social science and core academic subjects. The third and fourth years make up the second cycle of education and students learn about liberal studies, the core academic subjects, and optional courses specific to the student's ambition.

Educación Secundaria Obligatoria (ESO) and Bachillerato or professional training are the two parts in which secondary education is split. Bachillerato or university preparation is selective, whereas ESO is compulsory.

Secondary school, known as Instituto is attended by children from the ages 12-16. In the foremost cycle of education, students are allowed to repeat two years out of four, however, the fourth year is only repeatable if they have not already repeated any prior years. If a student has already repeated, they can leave school if they want to.

They require students to pay for their own learning materials and textbooks even though secondary education in Spain is free. Compared to primary education, secondary education in Spain ranks much lower, and in contemporary years, the pass rate percentage for upper secondary education has seen a steep increase.

After students receive their final school certificate for upper secondary education, they can train for university by opting to take Bachillerato. They do most of this study at the exact same school from which they received their compulsory education.

The Bachillerato is a two-year preparation course aimed at university exams. Mandatory core subjects are mixed with four other subjects from the choice of the students and if the vocational education is opted for, then students have to study the core subjects alongside business-related subjects.

Core subjects like Spanish, science, and mathematics, and a preferred foreign language, alongside other optional subjects that include religions, culture, music, ethic, a second foreign language, or physical education, are often taught in public secondary schools. In regions like Valencia, Catalonia, and Basque Country, there are co-official languages that are taught to students as an additional subject.

Facts About Spanish Higher Education

In Spain, after students finish their obligatory education, they are awarded the GESO (Título de Graduado en Educación Secundaria Obligatoria), and this is issued if students pass in Spanish and Mathematics (or another language that coexists with Spanish).

After this, they are free to either study in a vocational school and get vocational training or they can either opt for the Bachillerato.

After finishing their Bachillerato, students often take the Spanish University Admission Tests (Evaluación de Acceso a la Universidad – EvAU/EBAU) and the tests are provided by the Spanish public universities, and papers are mostly based on the subject that the Bachillerato provides.

Arts, natural and health sciences, humanities, and technology are four types of Bachillertato that are available to students.

The Impact Of The Spanish Education System

Because education in Spain is a compulsory part of the education system, the country boasts a high 98.44% literacy rate!

In recent years the Spanish government has improved vocational courses in an effort to curb the high rate of unemployment in the country. The education suffered in the 2008 crisis as 2.7 million students were out of school.

Pre-primary to secondary education has seen an enrollment rate above 90% at all primary, secondary and higher education as of 2017. The enrollment rate for tertiary education is at a low of 88.85% during the same period.

This low rate is caused by the fact that tertiary education has not been marked either compulsory or free by the education system.

Some of the oldest colleges, universities and vocational schools date back to the 16th century under the Spanish Empire that ruled various colonies.

The History Of The Spanish Education System

We believe the traditional history of education in Spain to have begun with the rise of Roman education as they used it as the basis for literature and educational through for several centuries. The Romans introduced their education system to Spain and it thrived under the Roman Empire.

Other Spanish Education Facts

Based on data for the year 2008-2009 gathered by the Ministry, state schools educated around 67.4% of children, state-funded but private schools educated 26% of children and completely private schools educate around 6.6% children. Primary education is studied in colegio (college) and Bachillerato and ESO are studied in an institution (Institute).

However, there are some schools that only teach at the elementary level. Privately run schools, also known as K-12 schools, are usually funded by the state and there are private schools all around the country catering to the compulsory stage of the education system.

The school year in Spain is usually divided into trimesters or three terms, with a nearly three-month summer break.

The first session is the Winter Term and lasts from September to December, the second session is the Spring Term and it lasts from January to April, the third and final term is the Summer Term and it lasts from April to June.

Students received a break of around two weeks before Christmas and New Year. Other festivities and national holidays are also observed by private and state schools.

The Fundamental Law of Education also known as Ley Orgánica de Educación (LOE) in the Spanish language provides free and compulsory education to children from the ages of 6-16 years. They passed the law making education compulsory in 1970.

Homeschooling in the Spanish education system can be a hassle as the laws passed by the national government require children between the age of 6-16 to be in school.

Spain has many ex-pat families living in the country, which makes an international school crucial. Currently, there are around 258 International schools in Spain, in over 27 cities, with Madrid and Barcelona ranking first and second at 52 and 43 international schools, respectively.

Some public schools in Spain have a system known as 'jornada' where classes run from 9 a.m to 3 p.m, after which the children are free. Education in Spain is free and there are scholarships for higher education. Spain is one of the best destinations for pursuing education. People with higher education degrees have higher chances of employment.

The Bilingual Education Programme (PEB) was launched by the British Council and supports bicultural and bilingual Spanish schools in the Spanish education department.

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