Many expat parents in Spain struggle to choose between Spanish state schools, private schools or private international schools in Spain.
When looking at education in Spain, one problem many expat parents wrestle with is whether to enrol their children in a Spanish state school or one of the many options of private schools in Spain. Which Spanish education system should you choose?
Choosing a school in Spain
School is mandatory in Spain for children between the ages of six and 16. But should parents need to hand their children over earlier, there are nursery schools for children from as young as nine months, and most children attend preschool between the ages of three and six.
The first choice to make is whether you want your child to go to a Spanish state school or a private school, which includes bilingual and international schools. Figures show that the majority of expats send their children to state schools in Spain, an experience that allows the child to integrate fully in local life and (depending on how young they are when they start) be speaking the language fluently within a year.
But immersing a child in a foreign language from day one may put pressure on them, beyond all the ordinary strains associated with starting a new school. The difficulty increases as a child gets older, and the education level more difficult.
In contrast, an international school enables your child to ease their way into school in a foreign country yet in familiar surroundings, with smaller classes taught in their language. But their level of Spanish may not be any better than if they had studied it as a second language back home, and they may integrate less into Spanish culture.
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