Back to school: Mallorca’s school year for newcomers

The 2026–27 calendar

The Balearic government sets one school calendar each year for all schools that are not universities. For 2026–27 it was published in the Balearic official gazette (BOIB) on 31 March 2026. A later change in June adjusted some wording on school hours but left the dates alone.

On top of these, each town has its own local holidays, and a school can apply to the education department for an exceptional change. Ask the school for its calendar when you enrol.

How the stages fit together

School is compulsory in Spain from 6 to 16. Most children start well before, though: the second stage of infant education, from 3 to 6, is free in state schools, and most children attend it. Children usually join in the calendar year they turn three, because school years are set by year of birth.

Escoleta

Nursery for children under three. Places are limited and have their own admission process.

Educació infantil

Infant school, from 3 to 6, usually in the same building as the primary school.

Primària

Primary school, six years from age 6 to 12. State primaries are called CEIP.

ESO

Compulsory secondary education, four years from 12 to 16, taught in an IES (state secondary school).

Batxillerat

The two-year sixth-form course from 16 to 18 that leads to university. Vocational training (FP) is the other route.

There are three kinds of school. State schools (públics) are free. State-funded private schools (concertats), many of them run by religious orders, are also free for tuition and go through the same admission process. Private schools, including the international schools around Palma and Calvià, set their own fees and admissions.

Catalan in the classroom

Catalan is the main language of teaching in most Balearic state schools. Regional law makes it the teaching language for at least half of school hours, and Spanish and usually English are taught as well. The Balearic language law of 1986 sets the aim that every pupil, whatever language they speak at home, can use both Catalan and Spanish properly by the end of compulsory schooling. It also says pupils must not be split into separate schools by language.

Younger children usually pick up Catalan quickly. For older newcomers, schools run a language and cultural reception programme, known as PALIC, which can include extra language classes for a period before the child rejoins the ordinary timetable. Families who are only living on the island temporarily, for up to three years, can ask for an exemption from the Catalan language and literature subject, renewed one school year at a time.

Getting a place

Places in state and state-funded schools are allocated in one main admission round each spring. For 2026–27, applications ran from 4 to 14 May 2026, online and with a digital ID, and final lists came out on 19 June. Points are given for things such as living or working near the school.

Families who arrive after that round, or during the school year, can still apply. These are late applications (fora de termini), handled through the Oficina d’Informació i Escolarització, the admissions office for your area. Places then depend on which schools still have room, so the school nearest your new home may not be the one you get.

1. 1

   Register your address

   Sign up on the padró, the town hall’s register of residents. A certificate of it is the usual proof of address.

2. 2

   Gather documents

   Bring passports or ID for the child and parents, the child’s birth certificate and recent school reports. Ask the office whether translations are needed.

3. 3

   Apply

   Contact the admissions office for your area, or use the Balearic government’s online admissions service, and say which schools you would prefer.

4. 4

   Follow up

   Once a school is assigned, complete the enrolment (matrícula) at the school itself.

Thinking about schools before you buy

Each state school serves a set area, and older pupils move on to an assigned secondary school, sometimes in the next town. Before choosing a house, it is worth checking which primary and secondary schools serve the address and how children get there. Our area pages list the schools in each place, and our guide to moving to Mallorca covers residency, health care and the other steps of settling in.