Life
Discover the Andorran education system: a quality education for your children. Read on and find out everything you need to know!
How many education systems coexist in Andorra?
In line with Andorra's multicultural society, you can find a wide range of options, specifically four. In Andorra you can choose, according to your origin, preferences, language, etc., the educational system you prefer for your children. You can even choose between different schools within the same system.
You will be able to choose between the three public systems : Andorran, Spanish (both secular and confessional) or French education systems, and you can also opt for international private schools.
To help you choose, here are the main features of each of them:
Andorran education system
- The vehicular language is Catalan, with French being the second language.
- Activities and subjects are carried out in English by specialist teachers during the second and third cycles.
- Spanish is introduced in the third cycle and is taught by specialist teachers.
- Free Public Education.
- It has schools located in all the parishes: Canillo, Encamp, Ordino, La Massana, Andorra la Vella, Sant Julià de Lòria and Escaldes-Engordany and also in Pas de la Casa (Encamp) and Santa Coloma (Andorra la Vella).
French education system
- The vehicular language is French.
- There is an agreement between the Government of the Principality of Andorra and the Government of the French Republic in the field of education to provide free public education through French establishments in the Principality.
- Free Public Education.
- It has schools located in the parishes of Andorra le Vella, Escaldes-Engordany, Encamp, Sant Julià de Lòria, La Massana and Ordino and also in Santa Coloma (Andorra la Vella) and Pas de la Casa (Encamp).
Spanish education system
- The vehicular language is Spanish.
- There is an agreement between the Government of the Principality of Andorra and the Government of the Kingdom of Spain to maintain a Spanish public education system in Andorra made up of centres owned by the Spanish State.
- Free Public Education.
- It has schools located in Andorra la Vella, Santa Coloma and Escaldes-Engordany.
- Likewise, in Andorra you can find three confessional centers subsidized by the Government of Andorra in which the vehicular language is Catalan, all of them governed by the Spanish educational system.
Private education system
- Vehicle language: English.
- Private education.
Private schools in Andorra use English as the vehicular language in their teaching, and the main difference is that the English-speaking country recognizes the validation of its educational programs.
- Agora International School Andorra allows you to obtain a double qualification: the Spanish and the American baccalaureate. It is located in La Aldosa (Parish of La Massana)
- The British School of Andorra: the educational program they follow is based on the British National Curriculum. It is located on the Carretera de la Comella, in the parish of Andorra la Vella.
How is education distributed in Andorra according to grades and ages?
Primary and secondary school education in Andorra
Home schooling is not allowed in Andorra. Education is free for all resident children, and attendance is compulsory for children between the ages of 6 and 16. Parents who have recently moved with their family to Andorra can choose between the three different public or private education systems listed above
The three public education systems share the following characteristics:
- A very high level of education focused on general subjects such as mathematics, science, languages, history and art.
- Primary school: compulsory for children between 6 and 12 years old.
- Secondary school: compulsory for children between 12 and 16 years old.
- Multilingual children: foreign children often acquire a high level and fluency in Catalan, Spanish, French and English due to the continuous contact they have with different languages at school.
- Playing sports: Sports are a very important part of all education systems. In Andorra, skiing is the national sport, so all students from all public systems practice this sport in the country's resorts during the winter season thanks to the support of the Government of Andorra.
- High school
Those students who wish to access university through the selectivity can take the two years of baccalaureate in the respective educational systems in the Principality of Andorra and also take the selectivity in the country in accordance with the corresponding education system.
What to do after high school?
Students who pass the university entrance exams can access universities in neighbouring countries without any problem and continue their professional training there. The different educational systems and the great commitment to languages in all of them allow a great mobility of Andorran students. However, Andorra has its own public university, the University of Andorra, which offers undergraduate and postgraduate studies, as well as virtual courses that are available at its Virtual Studies Centre.
Due to Andorra's location, located between the south of France and the north of Spain, many of these university courses are taught in collaboration with the most prestigious universities in these two countries.
Andorra has been a member of the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) since 2003. This ensures that a higher degree obtained in Andorra is recognised by the other 49 Member States. This is a very important factor for multilingual Andorrans looking for work after their studies, as this degree opens up many options throughout Europe.
Frequently asked questions
Compulsory schooling in Andorra, as in many other countries, extends until the age of sixteen. Once the student exceeds this age or successfully completes compulsory education, he or she must choose how to continue his or her education.
Four languages are taught in all the schools of the three education systems, Catalan, Spanish, English and French, with the greater or lesser number of classes in each language being characteristic of each system.
Three public education systems coexist in Andorra, the Andorran, French and Spanish systems. There are also private education centers.