How to Make it Through the Barcelona School Enrollment Process

Perhaps the most challenging aspect of Barcelona’s education system lies in its enrollment process, particularly for public and semi-private schools. The point-based allocation system, while designed to be fair, often feels more like a complex lottery than an educational placement process. The Barcelona school enrollment process is emotionally draining for all involved, and I hope that these tips support you and your family through this important decision.

When starting the school selection process, reflect on:

1. What do you and your family value in a school? Being close to home and having ties to the neighborhood? Language options available? Extracurricular options? Support for adaptation or special needs? Rigid education style or more flexible, based on projects? Consider these issues when starting to look at schools.
2. Identify schools that meet your criteria, as well as some that don’t! Include a mix of public and semi-private to evaluate the differences and costs involved. Also, within reason, check out schools outside of your area of influence to have a complete picture. I would recommend limiting to 5-10 choices maximum, otherwise you will drive yourself crazy. We visited 2 schools for daycare and 5 schools for pre-school (3 semi-private and 2 public) and believe the experience allowed us to evaluate the pros and cons of each.
3. Plan on attending the schools’ open houses to discover more about their education, programs, extracurricular activities. Some semi-private schools even offer individual interviews.
4. Keeping in mind the point allocation, prepare your list in order of priority. Schools cannot share the number of applicants nor how many points the applicants have, so, ideally you should put a school within your area of influence as first choice so you are assigned 30 points. The number of points assigned to your first school will apply to all other schools on the list, even if outside the area of influence.
5. You can indicate up to 10 schools. While I recommend only putting the ones you actually want and can go to (logistics, etc.), make sure you do not limit yourself to just one option. If you do not get into your first school, the system will check the following schools on your list until there is a spot available. Otherwise, you will be need to evaluate schools with remaining spots, which may be outside of your area of influence. We were put in the school second on our list; others we know were put in the schools fourth on their lists. Still others faced the uncertainty of being placed in a school not in their list.
6. Submit the pre-registration application within the determined dates:

For daycare (0-3)

-Children must be at least 16 weeks old by the start of the school year to be eligible for registration

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• Application period: May 8-22
• Initial point allocation results: May 30
• Reclamation period: June 2-6
• Lottery number for tie-breaker: June 12-16
• Final results posted: June 16
• Registration period after acceptance: June 16-25

For Preschool (ages 3-6) and Primary Education:

• Schools post availability for each grade: March 11
• Application period: March 12-26
• Initial point allocation results: April 24
• Reclamation period: April 24-29
• Final point allocation results: May 5
• Lottery number for tie-breaker: May 8
• Results issued in order of acceptance: May 9
• Additional application for students not placed in initial list: June 4-6
• Final results posted: June 16
• Estimated Registration period after acceptance: June 18-26 or even up to July 3 in some cases.

For Compulsory Secondary Education (High School) (ages 12-16):

• Application period: March 8-20
• Registration period: June 18-26

Point allocation

Points are awarded based on various criteria: proximity to the school (living within the “area of influence”), having siblings already enrolled, single-parent status, family income level, and whether the child or parent has any disabilities. However, even accumulating maximum points doesn’t guarantee placement at your preferred school. The point allocation is based on the following:

Priority Criteria

• If the child applying for the place has siblings already studying at the requested center, they directly are assigned 50 points. This is the criterion that adds the most points.
• Geographic proximity of the usual residence or workplace of either parent to the school. Each school has an educational zone to establish the proximity criterion, which allows different points to be added according to circumstances. Make sure to check the educational zone of each school on their website or with the search tool from the Education Consortium before applying. It’s important to note that, for the geographic proximity criterion, points cannot be added together. This means that if the workplace of a parent is within the educational zone and the family home is within the same municipality but not within the educational zone, the two scores cannot be added together.
  • When the family’s home is within the educational zone of the school requested in first place: 30 points.
  • When the workplace of one of the parents or guardian is within the educational zone of the school chosen in first place: 20 points.
  • In the city of Barcelona, when the home is located in the same municipal district as the school chosen in first place, but outside the educational zone of the center: 15 points.
  • When the family home is within the same municipality, but not within the educational zone of the school chosen in first place: 10 points.
• If the family receives the guaranteed citizenship income: 15 points

Complementary Criteria

These points are added for any tie-breakers from the priority criteria and before the lottery.

• Disability of the student, parent, guardian, or siblings: 15 points
• When the parent or legal guardian works at the center at the time of submitting the application: 10 points
• For being an officially-recognized large family: 10 points
• For being part of an officially-recognized single-parent family: 10 points
• If the student was a multiple birth (twins, etc.): 10 points
• For the student being in foster care: 10 points
• When the condition of victim of gender violence or terrorism is proven: 10 points

Lottery

If there are applications with the same number of point allocation, the order is determined by a lottery system. The application’s lottery number is assigned upon pre-registration, and the Catalan Department of Education holds a lottery to determine the equivalent of the first number.

For example, the lottery number this year is 76,261. This means that the application assigned with this number has first preference if they need to enter the tie-breaker. Those with number 76,260 is the last number and will have last priority.

Place Assignment

The priority criteria determine the total points and will be added together. All applications received by each school are ranked according to their scores from the general criteria, and those with the highest scores receive a place. In case of a tie, the complementary criteria score will be considered first, followed by the tiebreaker lottery number.

When the final lists are published, the school will contact you to complete the registration.

You will need to prepare the final documentation:

• Child’s ID card or passport
• Parents’ ID cards or passports
• City hall registration
• Child’s birth certificate
• Registration forms (provided by the school)
• 4-8 ID-size photos of the child
• Child’s Public health card
• Previous school reports on the child (if applicable)
• Vaccination card

What if I didn’t get into my first choice?

It is very nerve-wracking waiting for news if you got into other schools on your list.

If you did not get into any of the schools on your list, the Catalan Department of Education will contact you to select schools with available spots.

We went through this situation the second time through the school enrollment period for entering pre-school. Remember that your child will have a place, although it may not be your first choice. Like everything, you will learn to adapt and, TRUST ME, there are positives and negatives at ALL schools.

Looking Forward

While the school enrollment in Barcelona clearly needs modernization, the current procedure has both its challenges and rewards. The system’s complexity reflects broader cultural and linguistic dynamics within Catalonia, but it also demonstrates a commitment to providing quality education accessible to all.

For families considering education options in Barcelona, understanding these aspects early in the decision-making process proves invaluable. While the journey might seem daunting, with proper preparation and flexibility, families can navigate this system successfully, finding educational environments that support their children’s growth while enriching their Barcelona experience.

The key lies in approaching the process with patience, maintaining flexibility in choices, and understanding that sometimes the best outcomes arise from unexpected placements.

Wow, thanks for the explanation. But what if I do not have my residence card or city hall registration yet to start to process during the determined dates?

Check our immigration quiz to determine the best immigration alternative for you and your family or read about the options in detail, but the fact remains that you would not be eligible for the normal process. You initially may need to evaluate private options or wait until you settle and find available spots with the Department of Education.

What has your enrollment experience been like? Share in the comments below!