Schools and childcare in Madrid – admissions, mid-year places and nurseries

Before you start

• Registration in the padrón at your Madrid address (school places are allocated by address and residence)
• The child's identity documents and proof of parentage

Documents you need

• Padrón registration showing the child and parents at the address

  required

• Child's passport

  required

• Birth certificate or family book

  required

• Previous school reports

  Helps the school place your child in the right year.

  optional

Step by step

1. 1

   Step 1: Register your address first

   Admission criteria use the family's address, and school and nursery applications ask for proof of where you live. Register in the padrón as soon as you have an address and request a document that lists everyone living with you. See Registering in the Madrid padrón.

2. 2

   Step 2: Apply in the ordinary spring process (ages 3 to 18)

   For the 2026-2027 school year, applications ran from 11 to 25 March 2026. You apply preferably online through the regional Secretaría Virtual, or in person at the school you list first, ranking several schools in order of preference. Each school publishes its educational project, programmes, vacancies and the location of its school placement service before the period starts.

   Points are awarded for, among other things, siblings already at the school (15 points for one, 30 for two or more), proximity of home or work (within each Madrid district, every school in the district counts as near), receipt of the minimum income (Renta Mínima de Inserción or Ingreso Mínimo Vital), disability, parents working at the school, and former pupils in the family. A public draw breaks ties.

   For 2026-2027, final lists were published on 27 May and enrolment ran from 11 to 25 June for infant, primary and special education and until 3 July for ESO and Bachillerato. Expect similar dates each year and check the regional admission page from December.

3. 3

   Step 3: Arriving after the deadline or during the school year

   Children who arrive later apply through the extraordinary admission process. For 2026-2027 it opened on 25 June 2026 for infant, primary and special education and on 3 July 2026 for ESO and Bachillerato. You can apply at a school that has vacancies for your child's year or, in person, at the school placement service (Servicio de Apoyo a la Escolarización, SAE).

   In the city of Madrid the SAE has a single office at the regional education directorate for Madrid-Capital, Calle Vitruvio, 2. It works preferably by appointment, and families can also send the extraordinary application through an online form; contact details are on the directorate's website. The SAE assigns places to children who have no place, including those who applied late.

4. 4

   Step 4: Nursery places for children under three (regional network)

   The Community of Madrid's public network includes nursery schools, casas de niños and some public primary schools that take children under three. Since 2019 families pay no schooling fee in the regional public network, only for extended hours and meals.

   For 2026-2027, applications ran from 11 to 25 March 2026 for children born in 2024, 2025 or 2026 (including babies due before 1 January 2027), with final lists on 5 June and enrolment from 11 to 25 June. The extraordinary process opened on 1 July 2026: you apply directly at a nursery, one centre per application, and can apply to several.

5. 5

   Step 5: The city of Madrid's own nursery schools

   The city council's 77 municipal nursery schools are not part of the regional process. For 2026-2027 the city offered 4,131 places, with applications until 17 April 2026 online, at municipal registry offices or at the school chosen first; provisional lists followed in mid-May and enrolment from 10 June. Check madrid.es/escuelasinfantiles for the next call and for vacancies.

   If your child attends a private nursery, the city's beca infantil plus paid €118, €220 or €385 a month, depending on income, for 2026-2027.

6. 6

   Step 6: Consider the bilingual and language sections

   The region has public secondary schools with an English bilingual section. Pupils coming from non-bilingual schools who want the English bilingual section of a secondary school must show English at B1 level for the first two years of ESO and B2 for the last two. Places in French and German language sections of secondary schools require an application.

Watch out

Common mistakes

• Waiting for a long-term flat before registering in the padrón, which delays every application.
• Listing only one school in the ordinary process.
• Assuming international schools follow the regional admission calendar; private schools set their own rules and fees.

Tips

• The regional information line 012 answers admission questions (calls are not free).
• Use the regional school finder to compare schools' programmes and services before you apply.
• Keep copies of your child's previous school reports; they help the school place your child in the right year.

Frequently asked questions

Editorial answers written by our team, based on the sources below.

Official links

In your plan

• Apply for a school or nursery placeAdd to plan
• Research schools and nursery places in MadridAdd to plan
• Gather apostilled and translated documentsAdd to plan

Sources

Written and checked by HomiStart editorial against the official sources below. Next scheduled check: 5 Feb 2027.