Education in Spain - Provision and Costs

Provision and Costs

Schools in Spain can be divided into 3 categories:

• State schools (colegios públicos)
• Privately run schools funded by the State (colegios concertados)
• Purely private schools (colegios privados)

According to summary data for the year 2008-2009 from the ministry, state schools educated 67.4%, private but state funded schools 26.0%, and purely private schools 6.6% of pupils the preceding year.

All non-university state education is free in Spain, but parents have to buy all of their children's books and materials. This, nominally at least, also applies to colegios concertados. Many schools are concertados, state funded up to the end of ESO but purely private for the bachillerato years. This drop in the fraction of pupils in educación concertado is matched by increases of approximately equal size in the fraction in both state and purely private education for bachillerato.

There are private schools for all the range of compulsory education. At them, parents must pay a monthly/termly/yearly fee. Most of these schools are run by religious orders, and include single-sex schools.

Schools supply a list of what is required at the start of each school year and which will include art and craft materials as well as text and exercise books. Expect to spend a minimum of around ninety pounds sterling per child (from 2009, this figure is nearer £300 and in 2011 was nearer £500; as of 2011, the cost of books averaged 170 euros for preschool and €300 for primary students. In some regions, the autonomous government is giving tokens to exchange them in book shops for free (due to the economic crisis, this has all but ceased in the Valencian region), this is being adapted in 2006 in regions, such as Andalusia, where kids from 3 to 10 will get the books for free, on the following years it is expected for all compulsory years. School uniform is not normally worn in state schools but is usually worn in private schools.