School admissions in Madrid: criteria, documents and deadlines

School admissions in the Community of Madrid apply when a family applies for a place at a publicly funded school and applications must be ranked. In these schools, if demand exceeds the number of available places, a common scoring system is used with priority criteria, complementary criteria, and tie-break rules.

Which schools and stages it affects

Decree 244/2021 of the Community of Madrid updates the admission criteria for publicly funded schools. In practice, it affects public and publicly funded private schools, and applies to the stages indicated in each call.

According to the Resolution of 26 November 2025, the call for the 2026/2027 school year includes scoring criteria for the second cycle of Early Childhood Education, Primary Education, Special Education, Compulsory Secondary Education, and publicly funded Bachillerato.

To compare the available provision by area, type of school management, stages, and services, you can consult the catalogue of schools in Madrid.

Usual stages of the process

Admissions are organised in successive stages. The resolution for each call sets out the timetable, but the general process follows this sequence:

1. Application submission: the family applies for a place and declares the circumstances they want to be assessed in the scoring system.
2. Verification and scoring: the school or the administration reviews the stated criteria and assigns the corresponding score.
3. Publication of lists: provisional results are published so families can review the score assigned.
4. Appeals: if the family detects errors in the scoring, they may submit objections within the deadline set by the call.
5. Final allocation: the final lists with the allocated places are published.
6. Enrolment: the family completes enrolment at the allocated school within the established deadline.

Timeline of the latest published call

The latest call included in the official sources provided is for the 2026/2027 school year. According to the Resolution of 26 November 2025, published in the BOCM on 9 December 2025, the process is regulated for that school year.

The official extract available for this guide does not include the full timetable for submitting applications, publication of lists, appeals, and enrolment. For that reason, specific dates for those stages are not reproduced. It does state that the criteria for the additional score agreed by each school, together with the documentation needed to prove them, must be publicly displayed on the school’s website before the start of the admissions application period.

Scoring criteria for Early Childhood, Primary, Special Education and ESO

According to Annex I of the Resolution of 26 November 2025, for the second cycle of Early Childhood Education, Primary Education, Special Education, and Compulsory Secondary Education, the following criteria apply:

Priority criteria

• Siblings enrolled at the school: according to the resolution, one sibling enrolled at the requested school adds 15 points; two or more enrolled siblings add 30 points.
• Proximity of the home or workplace: according to the resolution, if the home or workplace of one of the parents or legal guardians is in the same municipality as the requested school, it adds 12 points. In the municipality of Madrid, if it is also in the same municipal district as the school, 1 additional point is added. If it is in another municipality of the Community of Madrid different from that of the requested school, it adds 8 points.
• Family income: according to the resolution, if one of the parents or legal guardians receives the Renta Mínima de Inserción or the Ingreso Mínimo Vital, it adds 12 points.

Complementary criteria

• Parents or legal guardians working at the requested school: according to the resolution, this adds 10 points.
• Large family: according to the resolution, the general category adds 10 points and the special category adds 11 points. An unborn conceived child is counted for the purposes of this criterion.
• Multiple birth: according to the resolution, this adds 3 points.
• Single-parent family: according to the resolution, this adds 3 points.
• Foster care: according to the resolution, this adds 3 points.
• Legally recognised disability: according to the resolution, a physical, mental, or sensory disability of the applicant student, the parents, siblings, or legal guardians adds 7 points.
• Victim of gender-based violence or terrorism: according to the resolution, this adds 2 points.
• Former student: according to the resolution, the status of former student at the requested school of the applicant, the parents, legal guardians, or any of their siblings adds 4 points.
• Other circumstance agreed by the school: according to the resolution, this may add 3 points if it is established with objective criteria and published by the school.

Specific scoring criteria for Bachillerato

According to Annex II of the Resolution of 26 November 2025, publicly funded Bachillerato uses the same priority criteria for siblings, proximity, and income, and adds assessment of the academic record as a complementary criterion.

• Average mark of 9 or higher: according to the resolution, this adds 11 points.
• Average mark of 8 or higher and below 9: according to the resolution, this adds 9 points.
• Average mark of 7 or higher and below 8: according to the resolution, this adds 7 points.
• Average mark of 6 or higher and below 7: according to the resolution, this adds 6 points.

The resolution also states that, for admission to Arts Bachillerato, an additional assessment is made of the grades obtained in subjects directly related to this pathway, with a maximum of 1.5 additional points.

How ties are resolved

According to Decree 244/2021 and the Resolution of 26 November 2025, if several applications obtain the same score, tie-break criteria are applied in order. In Early Childhood, Primary, Special Education, and ESO, the following are considered successively: higher score for siblings, proximity, income, parents or guardians working at the school, large family, multiple birth, single-parent family, foster care, disability, victim of gender-based violence or terrorism, former student, and other school-specific circumstance. If the tie remains, the public draw held by the department responsible for Education is applied.

In Bachillerato, according to the same resolution, the tie-break includes assessment of the academic record after family income and before the criterion of parents or legal guardians working at the requested school.

Documents that may be requested

The Resolution of 26 November 2025 states that, when the information cannot be verified through consultation with other administrations, the application must be accompanied by the supporting documentation needed to justify the scoring criteria for which points are being claimed.

• Change of address: the resolution provides for proof of an expected change of address within the Community of Madrid or relocation to the Community of Madrid due to forced mobility of either parent or legal guardian, newly arising disability, or other situations included in the call.
• Former student: according to the resolution, applicants must indicate this circumstance in the application and attach the information or documentation that allows the school to verify it easily.
• Other school-specific circumstance: according to the resolution, each school must publish on its website the approved criteria and the documentation needed to prove this additional score.

What to review before submitting the application

Before submitting the application, it is advisable to review the scoring criteria applicable to the stage, the criteria that can actually be proved, and the documentation required by the school for its own additional score. In the call for the 2026/2027 school year, those school-specific criteria must be published before the start of the admissions application period.