Austria's school system is easy to describe and slightly harder to live. The structure is clear: Kindergarten, primary, then a fork at age ten. The practice varies from one province to another, in term dates, enrolment paperwork and child-care fees. This guide sets out how schools in Austria work for children who arrive from another country, from the compulsory Kindergarten year to the Matura.
How does the system of schools in Austria work?
School is compulsory for nine years, starting on 1 September after the sixth birthday, for any child who lives in Austria durably, whatever the nationality. The path:
- Years 1 to 4 (ages 6 to 10): Volksschule, the primary school.
- Years 5 to 8 (ages 10 to 14): the Mittelschule (MS), or the lower cycle of the AHS (allgemeinbildende höhere Schule, general upper school running eight years and leading to the Matura, roughly the equivalent of a school-leaving diploma).
- Year 9 (ages 14 to 15): the Polytechnische Schule (orientation towards an apprenticeship), the upper cycle of the AHS, or a vocational school at medium or higher level.
- After that, a training obligation until 18: school, apprenticeship or other training.
The choice between Mittelschule and AHS is made at the end of year 4. Both can lead later to the Matura, so do not treat the fork as final.
Public school is free of tuition. You pay contributions for supplies and, in all-day schools, for meals and afternoon care, set by the school operator. Aid exists depending on income.
How does the compulsory Kindergarten year work?
Before school, the Kindergarten (generally ages 3 to 6) is compulsory in the last year: a child who turned 5 by 31 August must attend at least 20 hours a week, from September to June (outside school holidays; five weeks of leave are possible). It is free of charge for these 20 hours without meals, across Austria. A written exemption can be requested (child already in school, illness, disability, very remote home, care at home or by a childminder). In Vienna, the obligation is at least 20 hours over at least 4 days a week, and an exemption must be declared in writing before 30 June.
Missing the obligation without an exemption is an administrative offence with a fine depending on the province: in Vienna, up to €440. In the last year, a national language tool (BESK KOMPAKT, or BESK-DaZ KOMPAKT for children whose second language is German) assesses language, and the result goes to the primary school.
Before that year, the Krippe (crèche, up to age 3) and Kindergarten are optional. The fees depend on the province:
- Vienna: free full-time from age 0 to 6 (different rules if the child's main residence is not in Vienna).
- Burgenland: free half-time or full-time from 0 to 6. Carinthia: from 1 to 5.
- Lower and Upper Austria: free half-time from 0 to 6.
- Salzburg: free half-time from 3 to 6. Tyrol: from 4 to 6.
- Styria: only the compulsory year (half-time, up to 30 hours a week); other fees follow a scale based on net family income and hours.
- Vorarlberg: no general free care; for a three-year-old, a single price of €46 for up to 25 hours a week in 2025/26 in some settings.
Meals are often charged even if care is free. Places in crèches are limited: register as soon as you can. In Vienna, the main registration period for municipal Kindergartens is in November and December for the following year, with online registration possible.
How do you enrol your child in schools in Austria?
- Check the age. The obligation starts on the 1 September after the sixth birthday.
- Register at your catchment school during the registration period announced publicly. A letter invites you. Bring the child: the head assesses their school readiness. For an arrival during the school year, contact the school or the Bildungsdirektion, the education directorate of your province.
- Bring the documents. The list is set by each directorate; in Vienna, for the 2027/28 entry (registration 9 to 20 November 2026): proof of address (Meldezettel), birth certificate, proof of nationality (the passport, for example), proof of the social security number (e-card), and if needed a work certificate for afternoon care and medical certificates.
- Translate old school reports into German or English, to help place your child in the right class.
Enrolment deadlines and documents change with the province and the type of school. Moovy can help you build a list for your own case and flag the questions to ask the school. It does not enrol your child for you.
What help is there for children who do not speak German?
A child with insufficient German can be enrolled as an extraordinary pupil and receive support in dedicated classes or courses, assessed with the MIKA-D test. From the 2026/27 school year, schools can organise this support autonomously, and since 2026 the summer school is compulsory for pupils in German support classes. The Kindergarten is an important place to learn German before school, so the sooner the better.
What are the international and private options?
Private schools exist, mostly in Vienna: international schools and schools in another language. Ask early about their Öffentlichkeitsrecht (official recognition). A private school without it cannot issue official reports; you must inform the education directorate before the end of the previous school year, and the child sits a control exam every year. For French families, the Lycée français de Vienne is a school managed directly by the AEFE, approved by the French education ministry from the first year of nursery to the final general year (order of 19 June 2026), and French children may be entitled to a scholarship under conditions. Home education or education abroad is possible only if the directorate is informed, recognises the equivalence and the child passes an exam each year.
What about foreign diplomas?
For university studies, a foreign qualification with no substantial difference gives access to university; the IB and the European Baccalaureate also qualify. The university decides on admission. Nostrifikation, the formal recognition of equivalence of a foreign school certificate, is useful only where a right requires it, such as a regulated profession. The application goes to the education ministry with sworn translations; fees are €21 for the application, €21 for the certificate, €6 per attachment and €21 for legalisation. For most jobs and studies, a simple assessment is enough. Advice centres in Vienna, Linz, Graz and Innsbruck help for free.
What does the school calendar look like?
For 2026/27: the school year starts on the first Monday of September in Vienna, Lower Austria and Burgenland, and on the second Monday elsewhere. Autumn break: 27 to 31 October 2026. Christmas: 24 December 2026 to 6 January 2027. Semester break: 1 to 6 February 2027 (Lower Austria, Vienna), 8 to 13 February (Burgenland, Carinthia), 15 to 20 February (Upper Austria, Salzburg, Styria, Tyrol, Vorarlberg). Easter: 20 to 29 March 2027. Summer from 3 July 2027 (Burgenland, Lower Austria, Vienna) or 10 July elsewhere. Each province also gives its patron saint's day and 2 November as school-free days. Practical life with a family is covered in daily life in Austria and in the guide to moving to Austria; the choice of a city is in best places to live in Austria.
What should you ask before choosing among the schools in Austria?
Visit before you decide, and ask the same questions everywhere. Which language is used in class, and how does the school support children who are new to German? What are the afternoon-care hours, and how much do meals cost? Does the school have official recognition? What does the school do about the move between years 4 and 5, when the paths divide? In a Kindergarten, ask how many hours are on offer, whether lunch is included in the fee, and how long the waiting list is.
Parents who move mid-year should contact the education directorate rather than only the school. It decides where a child is placed, can explain the rules for your province and knows which schools have room. If your child has a disability or a chronic illness, bring the medical certificates to the first meeting, since they are part of the registration documents in Vienna.
How do you avoid the common mistakes?
- Waiting for the start of term to enrol. The registration period for the first year of primary school falls well before the start, and for Vienna's municipal Kindergartens it is in November and December. Ask as soon as you arrive.
- Assuming the obligation applies only to Austrians. It applies to every child who lives in Austria durably.
- Choosing too fast between Mittelschule and AHS. Both can lead to the Matura.
- Forgetting the afternoon. Free tuition does not mean free afternoon care or meals.
- Ignoring the province. Holidays, documents and child-care fees vary by province.