School in Bulgaria: compulsory kindergarten from four, and why newcomers queue last for first grade

Can your child go to an ordinary public school in Bulgaria? Yes, and public education costs nothing: the compulsory kindergarten classes are free, and for the first seven grades the textbooks are free too. Two things differ from the Netherlands. Kindergarten is compulsory from the year your child turns four. And for first grade it matters how long you have lived near the school; anyone who has just moved comes last.

From what age must your child go to school?

Age or moment	What applies
The school year starting in the year your child turns 4	kindergarten compulsory, free in public schools
The school year starting in the year your child turns 7	start of compulsory schooling; at 6 is possible if the child is ready
Grades 1 to 4	primary school
Grades 5 to 7	lower secondary
After grade 7 or 8	entrance exam for specialised schools
Age 16	end of compulsory schooling
15 September	start of the school year, 1 September at sports schools

Since the 2023/2024 school year kindergarten has been compulsory for all four-year-olds. The state and the municipality must provide places for it. In public kindergartens parents no longer pay monthly fees for care and meals since the reform; only extra activities outside the curriculum cost money.

How are first-grade places allocated?

In places with more than one school the municipality sets up a system for admission to first grade. The main criterion is how close the school is to the child's permanent or current address. The children are then divided into four groups, according to how long they have lived in the school's area.

Anyone who has just arrived is in the last group. The groups run from more than three years in the area, via one to three years, to less than a year, and the school admits the groups in order. A family that has just moved therefore comes, at a full school, only after all the children who have lived there longer. A brother or sister up to twelve at the same school does put your child straight into the first group, regardless of address.

If a group doesn't fit, extra criteria decide, such as a brother or sister older than twelve at the same school, or a family with more than two children. Kindergarten works similarly: one of the general criteria is that at least one parent has their permanent or current address in the municipality or the kindergarten's area. In some cities enrolment runs through an electronic system with a points ranking.

In grades 1 to 6 your child can move to a vacant place throughout the school year, in the same or another school. So anyone arriving after the start of the school year can join if there is room.

How does your child learn Bulgarian?

Children from an EU country are entitled to free Bulgarian language lessons, and also to lessons in their mother tongue and culture. The language lessons only happen if the parent asks for them. They are given individually or in a small group, depending on what your child needs, their place of residence, age and health. So ask for them yourself at enrolment; it doesn't happen automatically.

What does the school year look like?

The school year starts on 15 September and consists of two terms; the first lasts eighteen school weeks. Children have autumn, Christmas, inter-term, spring and summer holidays. The school sets the start and end of the school day itself, and the head announces it before the start of each school year.

Which school fits, and where do you find them?

The Ministry of Education keeps a public register of all kindergartens and schools, with contact details for public, municipal and private institutions. In larger towns there are also private kindergartens and schools; there the conditions of the school and the contract you sign with it apply.

So the address determines your chances. Choose the area with the school in mind, not the other way round, and arrange the residence certificate for the whole family at that address. How school fits into the rest of your move is in the step-by-step plan for Bulgaria.

In Vertrekklaar this is phase 5 of 5 of the journey, step 5.4: the same steps, but for your situation — in your order, tickable, and with the deadlines watched. See the whole journey to Bulgaria or go straight to step 5.4 in the open plan.