Yes, you can move your child to a different public or concertado school, even in the middle of the year. But the rules, timing and odds of success depend on when you apply. Maybe the class dynamic isn’t right, the commute is unworkable, the school isn’t meeting your child’s needs, or your family has moved.
Two ways to change schools
There are two routes, and which one you use depends on the calendar.
| Ordinary admission (plazo ordinario) | Extraordinary admission (plazo extraordinario) | |
| When | 1–31 March, for a September start | Any time after the ordinary process ends, including mid-year |
| Points system (baremo) | Yes: proximity, siblings, income, etc. count if a school is oversubscribed | No: priority points are lost; placement depends on available seats |
| Who decides | Schools handle the process following junta guidelines and protocol | The provincial education office (Delegación Territorial), though you can ask the school directly as well |
| Best for | Planned moves for next school year | Moves that can’t wait |
The ordinary window is your strongest option if you can wait until September. Applying outside it means losing all priority rights you’d otherwise have, so you get whatever seat is free rather than the school you’d score highest for.
Switching mid-year: step by step
A mid-year move goes through the extraordinary procedure under Decreto 21/2020 and the Orden de 20 de febrero de 2020. Here’s how it works in practice.
- Find out where there are seats. Call or visit the schools you’re considering and ask whether they have vacantes in your child’s year. A school with a waiting list will usually fill seats from that list first.
- Submit one application. You file a single solicitud, either at the school you want or at the provincial education office. You can list other schools in order of preference as backups.
- Wait for the placement. The education authority assigns a seat based on availability, not on your address. If your chosen schools are full, you’ll be offered another school, which may be in a different area.
- Enrol quickly. Once a seat is assigned, you generally have just two working days to complete enrolment (matrícula) at the new school.
- The new school requests the records. You don’t need to carry your child’s file yourself; the new school requests the expediente from the old one.
Transfers can’t be authorized during the third term (roughly April to June). The exceptions are cases of bullying or gender-based violence, where the province must arrange immediate placement once the situation is documented. These cases also require a report from the education inspectorate.
If you’re considering a move because of bullying, document everything and raise it formally with the school first. The school must open an acoso protocol, and that paperwork is what unlocks the fast track.
Switching for next September
If your child can finish the year where they are, applying in March gives you the best shot at the school you actually want. For the 2026/27 year, the window ran until 31 March 2026, and the window opens again on 1 March each year.
- Shortlist schools in January and February. Visit, attend open days (jornadas de puertas abiertas), and check each school’s área de influencia to see how your address scores.
- Apply between 1 and 31 March. Submit online through the Junta’s Secretaría Virtual or in person at your first-choice school. You can rank several schools.
- Check the provisional lists. If a school has more applicants than seats, it applies the baremo and publishes provisional scores. Keep in mind that points only set the order of the queue. A school can only admit as many new students as it has free seats in your child’s grade, and outside entry grades like 3 años or 1º ESO there are often very few. A high score won’t get your child in if there’s no vacancy. You then get 10 school days to file objections (alegaciones), in the event you feel you were not awarded all points you qualify for.
- Get your result and enroll. Final lists come out in spring. Primary enrollment typically happens in early June; secondary in July.
Your child keeps their current place while you apply. If you don’t get a seat anywhere you listed, you don’t need to worry about losing your current seat as nothing changes until you un-enroll.
Practical tips before you move
- Talk to the school first. A meeting with the tutor or jefe de estudios sometimes fixes the problem, and it creates a paper trail if it doesn’t.
- Don’t withdraw before you have a new seat. Schooling is compulsory from 6 to 16. Keep your child enrolled and attending until the new school confirms the place.
- Be realistic about vacancies. Popular schools in Málaga, especially concertados, are often full mid-year and do not have many slots past age 3. Have two or three backup schools you’d genuinely accept.
- Have your paperwork ready. Bring your child’s NIE or DNI (or passport), the libro de familia or birth certificate, proof of address (empadronamiento), and any relevant reports.
What about private schools?
Private schools sit outside the Junta’s admissions system, so the rules above only apply to one side of the move.
Public or concertado to private: The private school sets its own admissions, often with an interview, assessment, and enrollment fee. Once you have a confirmed place, let your current school know your child is leaving. The private school then requests the academic records. Some international schools may also need an equivalency (homologación) for students coming from a foreign curriculum.
Private to public or concertado: You apply through the Junta like any other family: in March for September, or through the extraordinary procedure mid-year. Seats depend on vacancies, so start looking early. If your child has been in a foreign-curriculum school, ask the new school what documents it needs to place them in the right year.
Need a hand?
Changing schools is stressful, especially when you’re juggling Spanish bureaucracy at the same time. Españaula helps families in Málaga find schools with real vacancies, prepare the paperwork, and handle conversations with schools and the Delegación. Get in touch and we’ll walk you through your options.
This guide reflects the rules in Decreto 21/2020 and the Orden de 20 de febrero de 2020. Procedures and dates can change, so always confirm with the school or the Delegación Territorial de Educación.
Leave a Reply