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Schools, nurseries and early-years centres in the Balearics: types, places and how to check authorisation

Choosing a school starts with understanding what type of centre it is, how to apply for a place and whether it is authorised. This guide explains all three with official sources from the Balearic government and the State.

Sources checked on 24 October 2026 · 4 min read

General information. It does not replace the advice of a professional.

Several people taking notes in notebooks at a classroom table.
Photo: sarah b (Unsplash)

Public, state-subsidised and private

The law classifies teaching centres by who owns them LOE, art. 108:

TypeWho the owner isWhat to know
PublicA public administration.The public education service is provided through these centres and the subsidised ones.
State-subsidised (concertado)A private individual or company that takes part in the subsidy (concierto) system.It is private, but part of the network that provides the public education service.
PrivateA private individual or company.It does not take part in a concierto. It still needs administrative authorisation.

Families have the right to choose a centre, public or private LOE, art. 108. How centres differ in fees, hours or educational approach depends on each one: ask in writing (this guide’s tip).

Do not confuse the school “colegio” with the professional body (colegio profesional): how to check that a professional is registered.

Stages and ages

  • Early-years education (educación infantil). It is voluntary and has two cycles: the first runs up to age three and the second from three to six LOE, arts. 12 and 14. The second cycle is free art. 15.
  • Basic education. It is compulsory and free, and runs regularly between the ages of six and sixteen LOE, art. 4.

What people call a “nursery” or “crèche” is, in Balearic rules, a first-cycle early-years centre (ages 0 to 3), with its own minimum requirements Conselleria de Educación.

How to apply for a place

In centres funded wholly or partly with public money (public and state-subsidised ones), a place is requested through a school placement process (escolarización) governed by two rules Conselleria de Educación:

  • Decree 43/2024, which sets the admission system;
  • Order 4/2026, which regulates assignment, admission and enrolment in early-years, primary, ESO, baccalaureate and special education (BOIB of 26 February 2026).

Each school year, a resolution of the Directorate-General for Planning and Educational Management approves the calendar, school zones, operating criteria and documents. For 2026-2027 there is one resolution for the second cycle of early years, primary, ESO, baccalaureate and special education, and another for the first cycle of early years first-cycle process.

The dates change every year, and the Conselleria publishes the next year’s resolution on its school placement website. This guide does not give them: check there before you plan. The rules cited apply to centres funded with public money; if you are interested in a private centre, ask the centre itself how enrolment works.

How to check that a centre is authorised

Private centres in the Balearic Islands, including foreign ones, that teach general or special-regime courses are subject to administrative authorisation, and the education authority checks that each centre meets the minimum conditions set by law Act 1/2022, art. 103. A centre that teaches courses without an officially recognised qualification is governed by civil law and may not use school names or others that could cause confusion: it can exist as an academy, but not call itself a school.

To check:

  1. Ask the centre for its full official name and its centre code. It helps to have both before you search.
  2. Look it up in the list of educational centres of the Balearic Islands. It is a downloadable spreadsheet from the Conselleria; the page says it was updated on 7 September 2026.
  3. Cross-check it in the state register of non-university teaching centres. It is public, governed by Royal Decree 276/2003 and covers centres offering regulated education, public and private, with the data the autonomous communities send in. You can search by level (state, regional, provincial or local) and by other criteria. The Conselleria’s website explains it too.
  4. If it is a private nursery, see the page on authorising 0 to 3 centres: it explains the procedure and the minimum requirements (Decree 23/2020), but it does not contain a list of centres. If you cannot find the nursery, ask the Directorate-General for Planning and Educational Management.

A centre’s owner is recorded in the register of centres of the education authority LOE, art. 108. Authorising a general-regime centre is handled by the Conselleria, with its own requirements for the premises authorisation page.

A centre being authorised means it meets the minimum legal requirements. It is not a quality score and does not guarantee that its approach is the one you are looking for.

What else to ask when choosing

These questions are advice from this guide, not an official list:

  • In which language or languages classes are taught and how the centre supports pupils who arrive without knowing one of them.
  • What fees the centre charges and for what (enrolment, canteen, activities, materials).
  • Whether it is public, state-subsidised or private, and whether it appears in the list and the register you checked.
  • For a nursery: what qualifications the educational team has and whether the nursery is authorised for your child’s age.
  • Hours, calendar and services (early drop-off, transport).

Foreign and international schools

Foreign centres operating in the Balearic Islands are also subject to administrative authorisation Act 1/2022, art. 103, and the Conselleria has a section of its own for them on its centre authorisation website Conselleria de Educación. A school teaching “like in your country” does not change that obligation.

Before you enrol, ask the centre which qualifications it issues and how valid they are in Spain and in your home country. If in doubt, confirm with the Conselleria too. If you are moving here, see the NIE and first steps first: proof of local registration is often asked for at enrolment (this guide’s tip).

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Categories related to this guide:

Schools and courses

Sources and date checked

Official sources checked on 24 October 2026. Procedures, requirements and amounts change: always check the source before you act.

General information. It does not replace the advice of a professional.

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