School

Steps

1. Place your child in the system. Jasle (crèche) for the youngest, often paid; if you work or study and you have residence in Slovakia, the ÚPSVaR (office of labour, social affairs and family) pays you the príspevok na starostlivosť o dieťa (childcare contribution) until the child is 3: at most €280 per month for a crèche under Act 561/2008 (base amount, which the government may raise every 1 January: 2026 amount to be confirmed); materská škola (nursery school) from 3 to 6 years old, possible from age 2 exceptionally, if there is room and the child is autonomous for basic tasks; základná škola (primary and lower secondary school, 9 years: 1st stage from 1st to 4th year, 2nd stage from 5th to 9th); then stredná škola (secondary school, including the gymnázium) up to the maturita (baccalaureate).
2. Nursery school: submit the prihláška (application for admission) to the school head between 1 April and 31 May, with a paediatrician's certificate mentioning the compulsory vaccinations. Children for whom the year is compulsory (5 years old on 31 August) take priority.
3. Compulsory nursery school year: if your child is 5 on 31 August, they must attend a year of nursery school before primary school.
4. Primary school, starting in 1st year: submit the application on the ministry's form between 1 February and 31 March of the year school starts, then come to the zápis between 1 and 30 April with your child (place and time set by the municipality or the school's operator). The ministry also offers the ePrihlášky portal for online applications.
5. Choice of school: your child is assigned to the public school of their catchment area (školský obvod), according to their permanent or habitual residence; you can choose another if it accepts them. Children with permanent residence in the catchment area take priority.
6. Arriving during the year: for a foreign child without permanent residence, the school head places them in a class without delay after your application, according to their level and command of Slovak. They may place them provisionally according to age; a lower class requires your agreement.
7. Slovak lessons: Slovak courses are organised for foreign children (Act 245/2008, § 146), and the school adapts in particular the content and assessment to their level of Slovak.
8. Canteen: request meal support (dotácia na stravu) in writing, through the school canteen; the State pays €1.40 per day in the last year of nursery school, €2.10 per day in the 1st stage and €2.30 per day in the 2nd stage (2026 scale). The rest of the meal price is set by the municipality or the body running the school, and varies from place to place: ask the canteen for the price.
9. Foreign diplomas: to continue studies, have a foreign school report or baccalaureate recognised by the regionálny úrad školskej správy (regional school administration office), or a university degree by the Ministry of Education.

Documents

• The child's identity document and proof of residence in Slovakia.
• Medical certificate from the paediatrician with vaccinations (nursery school).
• The child's latest school reports, with translation (useful for placement).
• For recognition of a diploma: application, copy of the identity document, certified copy of the diploma, statement of subjects and examinations, certified translation into Slovak, proof of payment of the fees.

Costs and timelines

• Public school: free. Foreign children are entitled to education, boarding accommodation and canteen on the same terms as Slovaks.
• Public nursery school: monthly contribution set by the municipality (capped by law); free for the compulsory year.
• Meal support (2026): €1.40 / €2.10 / €2.30 per day depending on the level.
• Recognition of a foreign school diploma: €7 if Slovakia has a bilateral recognition agreement with the country, €40 otherwise (scale of Act 145/1995 at 01/09/2026; half price for an online application on slovensko.sk); decision within 2 months of a complete file (30 days when recognition relies on an international agreement, Act 422/2015, § 39). The Ministry of Education page on recognition of a secondary diploma without a bilateral agreement still displays €30 (50% less online): the scale in the law prevails.
• 2026-2027 calendar: classes from Tuesday 1 September 2026 to Wednesday 30 June 2027. Holidays: autumn (jesenné prázdniny) on 29 and 30 October 2026; Christmas from 23 December 2026 to 7 January 2027; mid-year break on 1 February 2027; spring from 15 to 19 February 2027 (Banská Bystrica, Žilina and Trenčín regions), from 22 to 26 February (Košice, Prešov), from 1 to 5 March (Bratislava, Nitra, Trnava); Easter from 25 to 30 March 2027; summer from 1 July to 31 August 2027.

Common pitfalls

• Missing the dates. The February-March (primary) and April-May (nursery) deadlines are set by law; outside them, you depend on remaining places.
• Forgetting the compulsory nursery school year. It also applies to a resident foreign child aged 5.
• Thinking the canteen is free. State support covers part of the meal, on request; the rest is at your expense.
• Coming without translations. Foreign reports and diplomas must be translated (certified translation for official recognition).
• International schools: they are private and fee-paying, with fees set by each school: ask them. In Bratislava, the École française internationale de Bratislava (358 pupils) is approved by the French ministry from petite section (first year of nursery school) to terminale (final year); only the toute petite section (the youngest age group) is not (AEFE directory, October 2026).

What changes by country of origin

• All countries: the right to public school depends on the child's legal residence in Slovakia, not on their nationality.
• Czech citizens: diploma recognition may benefit from a bilateral agreement (fee of €7 instead of €40, to be confirmed).
• French families: the École française internationale de Bratislava allows you to follow the French curriculum, approved from petite section to terminale (AEFE); French families can apply there for a school grant, means-tested (the child and the applicant must be registered in the register of French nationals living abroad), through the French embassy in Bratislava; a grant is not an entitlement and is reviewed every year.
• Swiss citizens: same rights if the child has authorised residence; for diploma recognition, Act 422/2015 treats Switzerland like EU and EEA states.
• British citizens (Scots included): same rights if the child has authorised residence; for diploma recognition, the United Kingdom is a third country (Act 422/2015, § 2): €40 fee, or €7 if there is a bilateral agreement.