Back to school in Madrid: More than one million students start the new year

More than one million students are returning to school across Madrid, but the new academic year begins with both expanded resources and the possibility of an open-ended public education strike.

The region will have 1,251,281 students in the 2026/27 school year. Some 94.5% of families secured a place at their first-choice school. The return will take place in stages: early-childhood schools, primary schools and special education centers begin on Monday, followed on Tuesday by secondary schools, vocational training centers, music and dance conservatories, official language schools and other upper-level institutions.

Public schools and institutes will have 68,899 teachers, 1,280 more than last year. Including publicly funded private schools, the network will employ 95,502 professionals. An additional 673 teachers will join public-sector staff, backed by an investment of more than €32.3 million, to support students with special needs and strengthen areas such as reading comprehension, mathematics and mental health.

The main structural change is a broader reduction in class sizes. The limit in the second cycle of early childhood education had already fallen from 25 to 20 students. This year, all secondary education classes will drop from 30 to 25 students, while the first and second years of primary school will have 20 students per class. The number of centers teaching the first two years of secondary education will more than double, from 52 to 101.

Vocational training enrollment will rise 2.2% to 192,590 students. The programs offer 168 qualifications across 22 fields in 178 public centers, with some courses reporting full employment placement. Early-childhood education enrollment also reached a record rate of 57.8%, with 89,067 children enrolled. Meanwhile, disagreements between the education department and unions have left a potential indefinite strike, possibly beginning Oct. 14, unresolved.