In Hungary the school clock starts earlier than in many countries: kindergarten is compulsory from age three. That surprises families who planned to keep a three-year-old at home for a year. The good news is that, for an EU family, state schools and kindergartens are free and open on the same terms as for local children.
This article covers schools in Hungary for expat children: age rules, enrolment dates, language, meals and the options for a non-Hungarian curriculum.
At what age do children start school in Hungary?
- Kindergarten (óvoda): compulsory, at least 4 hours a day, from September of the year in which the child turns 3 by 31 August. An exemption until age 4 (5 in particular cases) can be requested before 15 April.
- School: compulsory from the year the child turns 6 on 31 August. You can ask for one more year in kindergarten, at the latest by 18 January of the enrolment year.
- End of compulsory schooling: the end of the school year of the child's 16th birthday.
Do not skip kindergarten at three. It is the most common surprise for newcomers.
Can your children attend state school for free?
Yes. If you are a citizen of the EU, EEA or Switzerland with a right of residence of more than three months, and so is your child, they attend state school on the same terms as Hungarian children, free of charge. Basic education is free and compulsory, and secondary education is free until the baccalaureate, according to the law. The school checks your right of residence at enrolment, so register your stay first; see residence in Hungary for EU citizens. Without it, a foreign family can be asked to pay.
British families need a Hungarian residence permit for the same access; without one, a state school may charge up to the real cost.
How does enrolment work in schools in Hungary?
- Find the school or kindergarten for your area with your town hall or the school district centre.
- Enrol in spring. For September 2027, first-year school enrolment (beiratkozás) takes place on 22 and 23 April 2027 (decree 1/2026 OGYM, art. 8). Kindergarten enrolment is between 20 April and 20 May, with exact dates announced at least 30 days earlier. Mid-year enrolment is possible.
- Bring the identity papers of the child and parents, the registration certificate, the address card, and the child's TAJ card (schools record that number). Bring recent school reports, translated if possible.
For the TAJ card, see healthcare in Hungary.
Enrolment dates, documents and the question "which school takes my child" differ by town. Moovy can build the checklist for your child's age and prepare the questions to ask the school about Hungarian language support. You enrol your child yourself.
What is the 2026-2027 school calendar?
The school year runs from 1 September to 31 August. For 2026-2027 (decree 1/2026 OGYM), lessons run from Tuesday 1 September 2026 to Friday 18 June 2027, with 180 teaching days. Breaks: autumn from 23 October to 1 November 2026 (back on 2 November), winter from 19 December 2026 to 3 January 2027 (back on 4 January), spring from 25 March to 4 April 2027 (back on 5 April). A school may move a few days by making up a Saturday.
What about language support?
Lessons are in Hungarian. The law does not guarantee Hungarian lessons for newcomers. The only official framework is decree 20/2012 EMMI (art. 185 para. 3): if lack of Hungarian or a gap between curricula prevents a child from continuing, the head may, with the parents' agreement, let the child repeat the year following only catch-up and language lessons, whose length and content the head decides. So ask each school what help exists before you enrol.
How do school meals and recognition of foreign certificates work?
Meals are free in nurseries and kindergartens for families with three or more children, children with chronic illness or disability, or when income per person is no more than 130% of the net minimum wage; half price for primary and secondary pupils in families with three or more children; otherwise the price is set locally.
To continue studies, the receiving school recognises foreign reports. For other uses, such as employment, recognition goes to the MEIK centre of the Education Office: 15,000 HUF, decision in 45 days, appeal 10,000 HUF. A certified translation may be needed, and a simple translation is accepted for English and German.
Are there international or French options?
Private and international schools set their own fees, often high. For a French curriculum, the Lycée français Gustave-Eiffel in Budapest is recognised from nursery to the general final year (decree list of 19 June 2026). French families can apply to their consulate for a school grant for an AEFE-recognised school, under conditions.
Costs are covered in the cost of living in Hungary. To choose a town with the right school, see the best places to live in Hungary. Dates change by decree each year.
What are the typical mistakes with schools in Hungary?
- Not enrolling a three-year-old. Kindergarten is compulsory, not only school.
- Missing the 18 January date if you want to keep your six-year-old in kindergarten for one more year.
- Arriving without a registered stay. The school checks your right of residence, and without it a foreign family can be asked to pay.
- Assuming Hungarian lessons exist everywhere. The law guarantees none. Ask at enrolment what the school offers.
- Mixing up the two recognitions. To continue at school, the receiving school is enough. The MEIK centre is for other uses and costs 15,000 HUF.
What if your child is already in the middle of a school year?
Enrolment during the school year is still possible. Bring the latest report and a certificate of enrolment from the previous school, with a translation if possible, and ask the head how the school will place your child. If the lack of Hungarian or the gap between curricula is a barrier, the head may, with your agreement, let the child repeat the year while following only catch-up and language lessons. Ask for the plan in writing, with its length, because the head decides it.
What papers does the school ask for?
Besides the identity papers, the school records the child's TAJ number, so apply for the TAJ card early; the first card is free. Keep copies of the registration certificate and the address card in the school file. If someone else enrols your child, give a written authorisation (meghatalmazás).
What do the costs look like?
State schooling is free. Private and international schools set their own fees. Meals depend on your situation, as above. For the budget as a whole, see the cost of living in Hungary, and for the other administrative steps of a family move, moving to Hungary.