School in Czechia: compulsory after ninety days, and language support for twenty-four months

A child coming from the Netherlands goes to state primary school in Czechia free of charge. The Czech government puts it broadly: all foreigners living in Czechia have access to basic education, regardless of their right of residence and regardless of whether they speak the language. Compulsory schooling starts for a foreign child as soon as it has lived in Czechia for more than ninety days. And since 1 September 2025 a foreign child of compulsory school age has been entitled to 24 months of free language support, instead of the shorter period that applied before. That is the finding: whoever enrols a child in 2026 falls under the broader rules.

When is your child of compulsory school age?

Compulsory schooling in Czechia lasts nine years. It starts in the school year after the sixth birthday, if your child is six on 31 August. With a deferral from the head it starts at the latest in the year your child turns eight, and it runs at most until the end of the school year in which your child turns seventeen. For foreigners, compulsory schooling applies as soon as they have lived in Czechia for more than ninety days. Whoever doesn't send their child to school commits an offence that carries a penalty.

What	Age, duration or deadline	Cost
Compulsory schooling for a foreign child	after 90 days of residence in Czechia	—
Basic education (years 1 to 9)	from the school year after the 6th birthday, 9 years	free at state schools
Regular enrolment in year one	15 January to 15 February	—
Enrolment during the school year	possible	—
Language support at primary school, since 1 September 2025	24 months' entitlement; 400 lessons, possibly 200 extra	free
Language preparation at secondary school	with at most 36 months of education in Czechia; up to 400 lessons over 30 months	free
Lunch and after-school care	—	usually paid

Which school does your child go to?

In principle basic education is followed at the municipal school in the school district where your child has its permanent residence, the spádová škola, unless you as a parent choose another school. Regular enrolment for year one runs from 15 January to 15 February, but you can also enrol a child in the middle of the school year. If you arrive in September or March, you don't have to wait until the next year.

How does the language support work?

Since 1 September 2025 the Czech Education Act has been amended. According to the European Commission's summary, the hours of language support have been increased from 200 to 400, with the option of 200 more, and language training now lasts twenty months instead of ten. A foreign child of compulsory school age is entitled to it for 24 months, and there is now also language support in the preparatory classes.

The regional authority also designates schools that give Czech courses to children of foreigners.

Ask at enrolment when the 24 months start. The entitlement is limited in time. Ask how and when the school places your child in a group with language support, and have the start date recorded, so you don't lose months in the waiting room.

And secondary school?

Secondary school has an entrance exam. A pupil who previously went to school abroad can, on request, be exempted from the Czech part; the school then checks their knowledge of Czech in a conversation. For the other written tests, such as maths, they automatically get 25% more time and may use a translation dictionary. A certificate from an international school in Czechia doesn't count as education abroad for this purpose.

At secondary school, a pupil who has been educated in Czechia for at most 36 months is entitled to free language preparation: up to 400 lessons, spread over at most thirty months, usually outside regular lesson time.

What do you arrange first?

The address. The district school depends on your child's place of residence, and many counters, schools included, need the rodné číslo, which you get via the registration certificate (see rodné číslo and the reporting duty in Czechia). Where school fits into the order of moving and registration is in the step-by-step plan for Czechia.

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 Czechia or go straight to step 5.4 in the open plan.