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Education System
Schools in Andorra:
the education system
For any parent, schooling is one of the first questions when relocating. Despite Andorra's small size, its schools are genuinely first-class: every parish has its own primary school, most have a secondary, and there are creches and private nurseries for the youngest. Education is compulsory between ages 6 and 16, and families choose between three public systems and two private schools.
Public schooling
Andorra's public schools are completely free, and they underpin a literacy rate of 100% — a claim few countries in the world can make. Whichever system you choose, pupils grow up exposed to English, French, Spanish and Catalan, the official language.
Attendance is compulsory until your child turns 16, and home-schooling is not currently permitted. The aim across all three systems is the same: well-rounded students who move between languages and cultures without thinking about it.
Choosing a public system
The three run in parallel and all are free. The choice usually comes down to where you expect your child to study afterwards.
Roughly half of Andorran children attend the French system, which makes it the largest of the three. Pupils formally enter at 6, though a maternal stage starts at 3, and the focus falls on literature, music, mathematics, the French language and art.
Each passing year adds a subject to the curriculum, so the load broadens rather than deepens. On finishing upper secondary, children receive a diploma — and graduates can go on to university in France tuition-free, which is why many families pick it.
Once one of Andorra's most common systems, the Spanish option has lost ground over the years and is now the least common choice among expat families. It is run by the Spanish state and follows its structure: primary (3–6), basic general education (6–12) and baccalaureate (12–18).
Its appeal is what comes next. Graduates move straight into Spanish higher education, which opens up a far larger university system — and a job market Andorra cannot match in scale.
Given how many expats come from neither Spain nor France, the Andorran system is the most popular choice among them. Catalan is the main language of instruction, and French is taught from a very early age.
On finishing secondary, students receive a certificate that lets them continue studying in Andorra — but they are not confined to the principality: it is recognised by colleges and universities across Europe.
The private option
Many English-speaking families go private. Both schools offer a multinational, multilingual environment and easy access to winter and summer sport — skiing, golf — alongside the usual extra-curriculars. Unlike the public systems, they are not free.
A private school in La Massana with boarding for ages 9 to 18 and a curriculum taught in four languages: Catalan, English, French and Spanish. With students of many nationalities, the school is practised at teaching Catalan from scratch and getting everyone fluent across the set.
Annual tuition starts at around €7,450 and rises with the year group.
See the full cost of living breakdown →English is the core language here, with some Catalan alongside, and pupils from 3 to 18 follow the British National Curriculum. It is run by the team behind the British College of Gavà, and annual tuition is close to €10,000.
It sits on the site of a former hostel in La Comella, in Andorra la Vella — plenty of nature on the doorstep, which most parents rate highly, but not central, which makes winter drives a chore. There is a school bus service both ways.
Levels of schooling
Maternal (3–6)
Non-compulsory early years, building communication, social skills and emotional and cognitive foundations.
Primary (6–12)
Where formal schooling begins: mathematics, social science, science and technology, and physical education.
Secondary (12–16)
The same shape as primary with a broader curriculum — art, music, nature and literature join the list. Compulsory schooling ends here.
Upper secondary (16–18)
Optional. It closes formal schooling and leads to the diploma most students take into higher education.
The stages below are those of the Andorran system. The French and Spanish systems follow their own countries' structures — note that "baccalaureate" means ages 12–18 in the Spanish system and 16–18 here.
University & tertiary
Andorra is small, but it does have higher education of its own, with courses typically running four years. Many students still move to Toulouse or Barcelona — both are within reach — but staying is a real option.
The Universitat d'Andorra is young and building a solid reputation, particularly in computer science, nursing and management, and it runs a well-regarded virtual campus for online study. The Universitat Oberta La Salle adds distance master's programmes in business and computing. Either way, students come out with Catalan.
What to expect
For a country this size the system is unusually advanced: three public routes, all free, two private schools, and a literacy rate of 100%. Whichever you choose, children come out speaking several languages, having spent a good deal of their childhood outdoors, and equipped for university or work anywhere in Europe.
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