Secondary School in Spain for International Pupils: ESO, Bachillerato, Schools and Visas for Teenagers

Spanish schooling consists of six years of primary school (Primaria), four years of compulsory secondary education, ESO (ages 12–16), and the two-year Bachillerato (16–18) that prepares for university. A foreign child living in Spain attends state school free of charge on the same terms as Spanish pupils. With Russian school documents the starting point depends on the grade: a pupil who has finished grade 9 joins the fourth year of ESO with no formalities, while entry to Bachillerato requires homologation to the Spanish ESO certificate. A teenager travelling without family faces stricter rules: since 20 May 2025 a study visa for Bachillerato is available only from age 18, so minors are left with pupil mobility programmes run by a Spanish school or moving with their parents. Boarding at King's College, a British school near Madrid, costs $42,995–44,943 (€38,055–39,780) for 2026/27.

How Spanish schooling works

The Education Law (LOE as amended by LOMLOE) makes ten years of schooling, from 6 to 16, compulsory and free. After that, teenagers choose between Bachillerato for university and intermediate vocational training (FP de grado medio).

Bachillerato is taken in one of four tracks: science and technology, humanities and social sciences, arts, or general. The track sets the subjects later examined for university entry, so pupils choose it with a degree in mind. The school year runs roughly from mid-September to June, grades use a 0–10 scale with 5 as the pass mark, and in regions with a co-official language some lessons are taught in Catalan, Basque, Galician or Valencian.

Types of school

State and concertada places are allocated by the regional education authority based on a Spanish address (empadronamiento); private and international schools admit pupils directly after their own tests. Many international schools switch to the International Baccalaureate in the final two years. The IB organisation is designated "undesirable" in Russia, so for Russian citizens we recommend the Spanish Bachillerato, A-levels or an American diploma.

Which year a pupil with Russian documents joins

Spain's Ministry of Education publishes an equivalence table for Russia:

In practice a pupil who has finished grade 9 in Russia starts in the fourth year of ESO: no recognition procedure is needed to join the system up to that level, and the school places the pupil by age and reports. To enter the first year of Bachillerato straight after Russian grade 10, the pupil needs homologation to the Spanish ESO certificate:

• applications go through the ministry's online portal and are accepted all year;
• you submit the certificate or transcript and reports for the last four years (grades 7–10 for Russia), apostilled and officially translated into Spanish;
• there is no fee for homologation to Graduado en ESO, unlike homologation to the Bachiller;
• the ministry decides within 3 months of a complete file, and silence counts as refusal;
• while the decision is pending, the school may enrol the pupil conditionally on the "volante de inscripción condicional" generated with the application.

A Russian certificate after grade 11 is homologated to the Spanish Título de Bachiller; for university entry see Spanish university after 11 years of school.

Visas for teenagers: the rules since 20 May 2025

Royal Decree 1155/2024, in force since 20 May 2025, governs long-term stays for study. Two of its grounds concern school pupils:

1. Post-compulsory secondary education — full-time Bachillerato or intermediate vocational training at a school in the official register, leading to a Spanish qualification. Article 35, however, requires applicants on this ground to be adults, 18 or over, so this route is closed to a 16- or 17-year-old from Russia.
2. Pupil mobility — ESO or Bachillerato within a school exchange or educational project run by a registered school. The pupil must be admitted to the school and the programme; the school running the programme takes responsibility for the pupil, including the cost of studies, stay and return; and the pupil lives with a family selected by the organisation or in a boarding house linked to the programme. The minimum age follows education rules for that level.

When a minor is in the care of someone other than a parent, both parents must authorise the stay in Spain, naming the school or organisation and the period. Other visa conditions include a passport valid for at least one year, living funds of 100% of the IPREM index per month (unless accommodation is prepaid), and health insurance from an insurer authorised in Spain. The visa must be requested at least 2 months before studies start. Residents of Russia apply at the Spanish consulates general in Moscow and St Petersburg; see our Spanish student visa guide.

The third lawful option is moving as a family: if a parent obtains Spanish residence, the child lives with them and attends any school, including a free state school. Rules for Russian citizens are covered in studying in Spain as a Russian citizen. The Spanish consulate decides on the visa and the school on admission; before signing, ask the school which ground of the regulation it uses for international pupils and who prepares the documents.

What boarding costs: King's College Soto de Viñuelas

King's College in Soto de Viñuelas near Madrid publishes a separate 2026/27 boarding schedule covering tuition, accommodation, three meals a day, textbooks, laundry and university guidance.

A boarding place is confirmed with a non-refundable matriculation fee of $2,034 (€1,800) and a refundable $3,389 (€3,000) deposit returned when the pupil leaves the school. Non-EU boarders must also pay for visa preparation through the school's lawyers, $1,243 (€1,100) a year, and for completing post-visa residence formalities, $1,299 (€1,150) a year. Spanish private medical insurance is mandatory and must be arranged for a calendar year before the visa application; exams, uniform, a Chromebook and pocket money are extra. A single room from Year 10 costs $8,897 (€7,875) a year subject to availability, and Induction English $2,596 (€2,298) a term. The school also runs the IB, so specify A-levels in the contract.

State schools charge no tuition, only books, meals and activities, but are available only to children living in Spain with their family. Private Spanish and concertada schools publish fees in different ways, many only on request. Our guide to paying for studies abroad from Russia explains legal payment routes.

Spanish and adaptation

In Spanish state and private schools every subject is taught in Spanish, and in Catalonia, Valencia, the Basque Country, Galicia and the Balearic Islands partly in the regional language. A pupil without Spanish should take an intensive course beforehand or in summer; see Spanish language courses in Spain. At a British or American school English is the main language and Spanish is a subject.

Leaving Russia and recognition of Spanish certificates

To leave Russia without a parent, a minor needs a passport and a notarised consent from one legal representative under Article 20 of Federal Law 114-FZ. Russia's Consular Department notes that the consent may run until adulthood and must list the countries, and that some countries require both parents' consent — Spain does so for a minor in a third party's care.

The 1990 agreement between the USSR and Spain on equivalence and mutual recognition of education documents appears in the Russian ministry's current list of international agreements. How it applies to a particular certificate for Russian university entry is decided by Rosobrnadzor under Article 107 of the Education Law.

After Bachillerato: university entry

With a Spanish Título de Bachiller the graduate takes the university entrance exam alongside Spanish pupils. Graduates of international schools with A-levels or a foreign certificate apply through UNED's accreditation (UNEDasiss); see applying to Spanish universities. Country information is on studying in Spain, and a similar system is covered in our guide to secondary school in Italy; for other countries see studying abroad after grade 9.

A 12–18-month plan

1. 18 months out. Choose the route: family move, a pupil mobility programme at a Spanish school, or an international boarding school; check the child's age at the start.
2. 12 months out. Start Spanish; ask 3–4 schools about conditions for international pupils and who prepares the paperwork.
3. 6–9 months out. School contract, apostilles and translations, homologation application if Bachillerato is the goal.
4. 3–4 months out. Health insurance, both parents' authorisation, notarised travel consent, financial documents.
5. At least 2 months out. Visa application at the consulate.
6. After arrival. Residence formalities and address registration.

Common mistakes

• Applying for a Bachillerato study visa at 16 or 17. Since 20 May 2025 this ground requires the applicant to be 18.
• Applying for homologation for ESO entry. Up to the fourth year of ESO no procedure is needed.
• Leaving homologation to the last minute. Decisions take up to 3 months and silence means refusal; only the conditional volante allows provisional enrolment.
• Choosing a school in Catalonia without Catalan. Part of the curriculum is taught in the regional language.
• Not checking an international school's final programme. If only the IB is offered in the last years, there is no A-level or US diploma route.
• Assuming a state school is open without moving. Free schooling is for children living in Spain with their family.

FAQ

Sources

• Education Law LOE (as amended by LOMLOE): Arts. 4, 22, 32, 34
• Organic Law 4/2000 on foreign nationals, Art. 9 "Right to education"
• Royal Decree 1155/2024, Arts. 35, 52, 53, 54: study and pupil mobility stays; in force since 20 May 2025
• Spanish Ministry of Education: homologation and validation of school studies, joining the system up to 4th ESO, homologation to Graduado en ESO and Bachiller, equivalence table for Russia (PDF)
• Spanish Embassy Education Office in Russia: recognition of Russian certificates
• King's College Soto de Viñuelas: 2026–2027 school and boarding fees
• Russian MFA Consular Department: consent for a minor's travel
• Russian Ministry of Science and Higher Education: recognition agreements, Russian Education Law, Article 107

Sources checked on 2 October 2026. Currency converted at the ECB reference rate of 1 October 2026: €1 = $1.1298; dollar figures rounded.

If you want to work through your route, send a request: document preparation and submission are provided under an agreement with StudyU; the school makes the enrolment decision and the Spanish consulate decides on the visa.

During the free initial consultation, we clarify your goal, profile, timing, and budget and identify the next realistic step.