The Portuguese School Year 2026/27 and Age-to-Grade Guide

If you’re moving to Portugal with children, two questions come up fast: which year will my child go into, and when does the school year actually run?

This guide answers both in plain English. It covers the Portuguese system from creche to 12.º ano, how Portuguese years line up with UK, US and IB year groups, the official 2026/27 dates for public schools, and what’s free for babies and pre-schoolers.

Every rule and date here comes from Portuguese government sources, which we link at the end. Where a rule is complicated, we’ve kept it simple and pointed you to the original.

Last checked: 21 October 2026.

The Portuguese system at a glance

Portuguese education has four stages. School becomes compulsory at 6 and stays compulsory until 18.

A few things worth knowing:

• Creche isn’t part of the school system. Officially, education in Portugal starts at 3. Creche, for children under 3, counts as family support, and free creche places are handled by Segurança Social.
• “Ensino básico” covers nine years. That’s 1.º to 9.º ano, split into three cycles. Ages are approximate. Your child’s year depends on their birthday, as explained below.
• Compulsory schooling ends when your child gets a secondary school diploma (12.º ano), or in the school year they turn 18, whichever comes first.
• Private and international schools count. The law requires enrolment in a public, private or cooperative school or another recognised institution, and regular attendance.

Age-to-grade converter

This is the question we hear most: “My child is in Year 4 in England. What’s that here?”

The table lines up the usual year groups by your child’s age at the start of the school year in September. It’s a guide, not a rule. Each country uses a different birthday cut-off, so children born in late summer or autumn can land in different years. We explain this below the table.

About the IB column. The IB describes its programmes by age. The PYP covers ages 3 to 12, the MYP covers 11 to 16, and the Diploma Programme covers 16 to 19. Because the PYP and MYP overlap at 11 and 12, each school decides where one ends and the next begins.

About US grades. There’s no single national cut-off date in the US. It varies by state and by school, so treat the US column as approximate.

The Portuguese birthday rule for 1.º ano

This is the official rule for Portuguese schools, from the national enrolment rules (Despacho Normativo n.º 6/2018, as republished in April 2026):

• Children who turn 6 by 15 September must enrol in 1.º ano that September.
• Children who turn 6 between 16 September and 31 December can join 1.º ano if their parent or guardian asks. Their place is conditional. It only becomes final if there’s a place in a class that’s already been formed, after children with priority have been placed. Once it becomes final, the enrolment can’t be cancelled after the child starts compulsory school.
• In exceptional cases set out in law, the Minister of Education can authorise starting 1.º ano a year early or a year late. Parents apply to the school’s director, supported by a proposal from the school’s inclusive-education team.

Pre-school follows a similar pattern. Children who turn 3 by 15 September can enrol in pré-escolar that September. Children who turn 3 between 16 September and 31 December are accepted conditionally, if there’s a place.

A worked example for September 2026:

• Born in March 2020: 1.º ano in Portugal, Year 2 in England, usually Grade 1 in the US.
• Born on 10 September 2020: 1.º ano in Portugal (they turn 6 by 15 September), but Year 1 in England, because England’s year groups run from 1 September to 31 August.
• Born in October 2020: pré-escolar in Portugal by default, or 1.º ano if you ask and there’s a place. Year 1 in England.

International schools use their own cut-offs

The 15 September rule applies to Portuguese schools. International schools place children using their own system, and that can differ:

• British schools usually follow England, where a year group runs from 1 September to 31 August. Children start Reception in the September after they turn 4. The British School of Lisbon, for example, allocates year groups by age on 1 September.
• Some schools state their own rule. Oeiras International School places children in Year 1 at age 5 on 15 September. Its “Year 1” is not the same as Portuguese 1.º ano.
• American and IB schools use grade names, and most publish an age chart on their admissions pages.

So always ask each school which year group your child would join. Bring your child’s birth certificate and their latest school reports. If your child is near a cut-off date, ask early, because some schools are flexible and some aren’t.

Key dates for 2026/27 (public schools)

The official calendar for public pre-schools and schools is set by Despacho n.º 8368/2024, which fixed the dates for four school years at once, from 2024/25 to 2027/28. For 2026/27, it was changed once, by Despacho n.º 10430/2026 (published 21 August 2026), to move the start date for general-track secondary courses.

Terms

Holidays (interrupções letivas)

Public holidays during term also apply.

Your local school’s dates can differ slightly. Each school sets its exact first day within the official start window. Schools can also swap one or two days for other school activities, or move up to two days of the Easter break, after agreeing it with the local câmara. Some schools organise the year in semesters instead of terms. Your school’s own calendar is the final word.

Looking ahead to 2027/28? The same despacho says term 1 of 2027/28 starts between 13 and 15 September 2027. It has already been changed for other years, so check again closer to the time.

Private and international schools set their own calendars

The official calendar is for public schools. Private and international schools publish their own term dates and holidays, and these often differ from the public calendar. Find each school’s calendar through our guide to private and international schools in Cascais.

Babies and toddlers: creche and pré-escolar

If you have a younger child as well, here’s how the early years work.

Creche (under 3)

Creche is daycare for children under 3. Places are offered by social-sector institutions (IPSS and Misericórdias), some public bodies, and private creches. Many international families use private creches, which set and charge their own fees.

Free creche through Creche Feliz. Under the Creche Feliz programme, Segurança Social pays for creche for children up to age 3. It applies to:

• creches and family creches in the social and solidarity network,
• creches and family creches run by Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Lisboa,
• Segurança Social childminders (amas),
• private and public creches that have joined the scheme’s list of participating creches (the “bolsa de creches aderentes”).

Who qualifies. The government’s own guide says every child born on or after 1 September 2021 is entitled to a free place at a creche or with an ama (childminder). In practice, that covers every child of creche age today.

A private creche outside the scheme isn’t covered, so ask any creche whether it takes part.

It depends on getting a place. When there are more requests than places, priority goes to children who were already at the creche the year before, children with a disability, siblings at the same creche, and families who live and work near the creche, among others. Lower-income families, single-parent families and large families also get priority.

How to apply. Since 9 April 2026, all requests for a place at a creche in the scheme go through the Segurança Social portal, online only. You can search for places and manage your applications there.

Turning 3 in the autumn? Children who turn 3 between 16 September and 31 December should apply for pré-escolar. They can stay in creche only if they don’t get a pre-school place.

Pré-escolar (3 to 6)

Pre-school isn’t compulsory, but it’s now meant to be available to everyone. Lei n.º 22/2025 says pre-school is universal for all children from the year they turn 3, and that the State must provide enough places.

In public jardins de infância, the educational part of the day is free by law. Other parts, like meals and after-hours family-support activities, can be charged, with state help depending on family income.

In practice, places still depend on availability. When a jardim de infância is full, the official order of priority is children turning 5 and 4 by 31 December first, then children turning 3 by 15 September, then those turning 3 between 16 September and 31 December.

You apply online through the Portal das Matrículas, or in person at the school office for your home area.

Private pre-schools, including the early-years classes at international schools, charge fees. Our fees guide lists what the international schools charge.

Joining mid-year

Lots of families arrive in January or after Easter, not September. That’s normal.

International and private schools. Most take new students during the year if there’s room in the year group. Exam years are harder to join. Our open days and enrolment calendar shows what each school says about joining mid-year.

Portuguese public schools. Children coming from a school abroad can enrol in any school year. The school first works out how your child’s previous schooling compares (an “equivalência”), and enrolment is completed once that’s done. You’ll usually need official school records, authenticated with an apostille or by a consulate, and an official translation into Portuguese. Children whose first language isn’t Portuguese can take Português Língua Não Materna (Portuguese as a second language) in place of the regular Portuguese class, after a short language test.

Start the paperwork as early as you can. Getting documents authenticated and translated takes time, especially from outside the EU.

Before you choose

Start with your child’s age on 1 and 15 September. That tells you roughly where they’d fit, in a Portuguese school and in a British one. Then ask your shortlisted schools directly, because their answer is the one that counts.

If your child is close to a cut-off, don’t worry too much about the label on the year group. A good school will talk you through the options and help you choose where your child will be happiest.

Last checked: 21 October 2026. Rules and dates can change, so please check the official sources below.

Sources

All checked on 21 October 2026.

School calendar

• Despacho n.º 8368/2024, Diário da República, 2.ª série, n.º 143, 25 July 2024: school calendars for 2024/25 to 2027/28 (PDF).
• Despacho n.º 10430/2026, Diário da República, 2.ª série, n.º 162, 21 August 2026: new 2026/27 start date for general-track secondary courses (PDF).
• Despacho n.º 9989/2025, 21 August 2025: the earlier change, which only affected 2025/26.

Enrolment and age rules

• Despacho Normativo n.º 7/2026, Diário da República, 2.ª série, n.º 72, 14 April 2026, which republishes Despacho Normativo n.º 6/2018 (enrolment rules, ages for pré-escolar and 1.º ano, and pre-school priorities) (PDF).
• Lei n.º 85/2009: compulsory schooling from 6 to 18.
• gov.pt: Ensino em Portugal para crianças, jovens e adultos (updated 5 May 2026): school stages, enrolment, equivalence of foreign studies and Português Língua Não Materna.

Pre-school and creche

• Lei n.º 22/2025, 4 March 2025: universal pre-school from the year a child turns 3. See also the DGE notice.
• Lei n.º 5/97 (Lei-Quadro da Educação Pré-Escolar), article 16: the educational component of pre-school is free.
• gov.pt: Ter uma criança: Educação das crianças e jovens (updated 16 September 2026): free creche and amas for all children born on or after 1 September 2021.
• Segurança Social: Creche Feliz (updated 21 April 2026): who it covers, priorities and how to apply.

Other countries’ year groups

• GOV.UK: School starting age (England).
• International Baccalaureate: Programmes: age ranges for the PYP, MYP and Diploma Programme.