Schools in Croatia are free, compulsory from the age of six and taught in Croatian. For a family moving with young children, that is both reassuring and a challenge: the system is simple to enter, but the enrolment window is short and the language is a real step. This guide follows the Ministry of Science, Education and Youth and EURES.
How do schools in Croatia work for expat families?
Primary school (osnovna škola) lasts eight years, usually from age 6 to 15, and is compulsory for all children who live in the country, whatever their nationality. After it comes secondary school (srednja škola), either general or vocational, and then university. Before primary school, nurseries and kindergartens (dječji vrtić) take children from the age of six months.
State schooling is free. The State sets every year, by decision, the criteria and financing of primary school meals; what remains for parents depends on the school and the town, so ask the school.
When and how do you enrol a child in primary school?
A child who is six on 1 April enters the first year in September. A child who turns six by 31 August can enter earlier at the parents' request, with approval from the administration, and entry can be postponed by a year. The enrolment is announced by the municipality, usually around February, and is done through the e-upisi.hr portal after an assessment of the child's development by the school's professional team. Every child has a health check too, according to EURES. The school depends on your catchment area (upisno područje) set in the enrolment plan of the county.
Get your child an OIB first (see the Croatia OIB number guide). The pages we read do not list the documents for primary enrolment; ask the school or the municipality. Plan for the child's OIB, proof of your registered address (see residence in Croatia for EU citizens) and the health record.
February is early if you arrive in autumn, and the portal and the assessment are in Croatian. Moovy can help you build the calendar for your child's age, list the documents to ask the school for and explain the official terms. It does not enrol children and it cannot replace a conversation with the school.
What about a nursery before schools in Croatia begin?
Each municipality publishes an annual notice for nursery places, often in spring (April or May) for children who are one year old on 31 August, but you can also enrol during the year if places remain. Each nursery sets its own priorities: large families, working parents, single parents, children in the year before school. EURES gives an average economic price of 294 euros a month, set by the town or the operator. A place near home can be hard to get in a popular town, so apply early. For the coast, see the best places to live in Croatia.
What if your child is already at school abroad?
To continue in a Croatian school, it is the receiving school that recognises the period of schooling done abroad. For a complete cycle finished abroad, recognition belongs to the AZOO (primary level) or the ASOO (vocational secondary). The director decides within 30 days of a complete application, with an administrative appeal possible, and since 1 September 2021 there has been no administrative fee for the ASOO. Bring original or certified copies of reports, with certified translations. The legal basis is the law on recognition of foreign qualifications (NN 69/2022).
What about secondary school and university?
Secondary school enrolment is online at srednje.e-upisi.hr, and children of EU citizens enrol on the same terms as Croats. Pupils from outside the EU can also enrol and follow a normal schooling. At university, foreigners enrol on the same terms as Croats but may have to pay some or all of the fees, and the AZVO recognises your secondary diploma at admission.
What is the 2026-2027 school calendar?
According to the Ministry's decision (NN 58/2026), the year begins on 7 September 2026 and ends on 15 June 2027 (21 May 2027 for final secondary classes). The first term runs from 7 September to 23 December 2026. Winter holidays are from 24 December 2026 to 5 January 2027, then 22 to 26 February 2027, and spring holidays from 25 March to 2 April 2027, with at least 175 teaching days.
Are there international schools, and how do you choose among schools in Croatia?
The choice is mostly about language and place. A state school is free, local and taught in Croatian; it is the fastest route to integration for a young child, and children generally pick up a language quickly, but you should ask the school what help it gives to pupils who arrive without Croatian. The pages we read do not describe a national programme of Croatian lessons for foreign pupils, so ask the school director directly. Older pupils, who are close to a school-leaving exam, face a harder switch, and parents sometimes weigh a school that teaches in their own language.
When you visit a school, ask about the catchment rules, the school hours, the meal arrangements, extra-curricular activities, and how the school communicates with parents who do not speak Croatian. Ask also how the school treats a child arriving mid-year, since the school year starts in September and the first term ends before Christmas.
For the rest of your family arrangements, think about the town. Schools, nurseries and doctors are easier to reach in the larger towns, while a village may mean a school bus or a longer drive. Compare towns in the best places to live in Croatia, and check the cost of a nursery against the monthly budget in the cost of living in Croatia.
The official pages we read do not mention French or other international schools. Ask your embassy and the schools directly about admission, fees and recognition. See also the guide to moving to Croatia.
How can you prepare your child for schools in Croatia?
Start well before September. Check the enrolment announcement of your municipality as soon as you arrive, and ask the school for an appointment with the professional team that assesses children before enrolment. Bring the child's OIB, the proof of your registered address, the health record and, for older children, the reports from the previous school with certified translations.
Then think about the child, not only the paperwork. A child who arrives at six with no Croatian will meet a new language and a new routine at the same time, so keep the rest of the day familiar: regular meals, sleep, a friend from the neighbourhood. Parents can help by learning a few words with the child and by meeting the teacher early. For a teenager in a final secondary class, talk to the school about what recognition of previous years and exams is possible, because the end-of-school calendar in Croatia ends early, on 21 May 2027 for the final classes.
Finally, keep the family budget in view. State school is free, but nursery, meals, trips and transport are not always, and you should ask the school for the current amounts. The school year also shapes your own calendar: the winter holidays run from 24 December to 5 January, and there are further breaks in February and spring, which matters if you work and need childcare.
What mistakes should you avoid?
- Missing the February enrolment.
- Mixing up the age rule. The key date is 1 April.
- Ignoring the language. Ask what support exists for children who do not speak Croatian.
- Not translating certificates.
- Assuming a nursery place is guaranteed.
Calendars, fees and local rules change every year. Confirm them with the school, your municipality and the Ministry.