Every September a new school year comes to Italy! Both those parents who have just moved to Italy with pre-school and school age children and those who are in the process of moving will find this information very useful.

And so, what you need to know: the enrolment of children of foreign citizens in a school in Italy is subject to the same conditions as for Italian children. The educational system in Italy is state-owned. It also finances schools of all categories and levels and controls the work of private educational institutions.

In 2019, the school school year in Lombardy starts on 12 September.

Children of foreigners who have not started classes since the beginning of the school year may be required to take tests to determine their level of knowledge.

Required documents for school enrolment:

– statement;

• the child’s ID card.
• certificate of study in the country of his/her citizenship (certified by a notary with a translation into Italian).

– Medical certificate indicating the child’s state of health and list of vaccinations (certified by a notary with a translation into Italian).

It must be said here that in Italy there is a list of compulsory vaccinations. If a vaccination is missing from your vaccination card, the school administration will notify the Health Department. The Health Department will in turn ask parents to get the missing vaccinations.

It is possible to start without providing the last 2 certificates, but they will need to be provided within 6 months of the child’s enrolment date.

Pre-school education

From the age of three, Italians send their children to kindergartens (scuola materna in Italian), where they are prepared for school for three years. At the end of these three years, the children go to school.

The (school) secondary education system

The maximum length of schooling in Italy is 13 years.

The compulsory stage of education lasts 10 years (5 years of primary school, 3 years of secondary school, two years of vocational guidance of the second cycle of the educational process). It is quite difficult to say how many classes there are in an Italian school. Everything depends on what path a student chooses. Education from the age of 6 until the age of 16 is free of charge for all pupils, regardless of their citizenship and country of origin.

Primary school (scuola elementare).

From the age of 6 to 11, Italian pupils attend primary school (scuola elementare in Italian). It is divided into 2 levels: scuola elementare 1 and scuola elementare 2. At the end of primary school pupils pass written and oral examinations. The results of these examinations lead to the award of a primary school leaving certificate (diploma di licenza elementare).

Secondary junior high school (scuola media).

From the age of 11 to 14, children in Italy attend secondary school. Special attention is paid to learning foreign languages during this period.

Middle High School (scuola superiore).

From the age of 14 to 19, students in Italy are faced with the question of where and how to continue their studies. There are two options at this stage.

Option 1:

You can continue your studies in the regular programme. In this case, students continue their studies at a lycée. The purpose of lycées is to prepare students for university studies.

Lyceums are divided by profile:

• classical lyceums;
• technical lyceums;
• humanitarian lyceums;
• linguistic lyceums;
• art lyceums.

By choosing one or another profile, a student actually determines his/her future profession. As a rule, the majority of lyceum graduates enter a higher education institution.

Option 2:

Students may pursue a profession in addition to their school education. In this case, they go to college. At the end of their studies, students receive a secondary school diploma (diploma di maturita’) and a vocational qualification certificate.

This is how the education system works in Italy.

We hope you found the above information useful. If you have any questions about migration or you are looking for property in Italy, or you are just preparing to move – write to us at the contacts listed on the site.

We’d be happy to help!