Published 02 September 2026 | Community

TL;DR: Some 9,534 children under three are due to start the 2026/27 school year in Almeria, with 95% receiving free early-years education under Andalucia’s expanded support scheme.

95% of under-threes get free places

A total of 9,534 children under the age of three are expected to begin the 2026/27 school year in Almeria’s infant schools on 3 September. Of these, 9,087 children — around 95% — will have their socio-educational care covered by the Junta de Andalucia.

The free provision applies to children attending schools managed by the regional government, as well as participating centres included in the family support programme. The measure has been extended this year to include one-year-olds, following the introduction of free provision for two-year-olds during the previous school year.

More one-year-olds enrolled

The figures show a clear rise in enrolment among children aged one. The total number of children starting the year is 366 higher than last year.

Of the 9,534 pupils, 639 are aged under one, 3,779 are one-year-olds and 5,116 are two-year-olds. Enrolment for the first cycle of early-years education will remain open throughout the school year, meaning the current total could continue to increase.

The Junta expects enrolment in the province’s infant schools to pass 11,100 children during the academic year. A total of 13,727 places have been made available for this period across a network of 238 public schools and private centres participating in the regional programme.

Support by age group

Children aged one are now included in the free education scheme, with the measure backed by an investment of 40 million euros. In total, the regional Education Ministry has allocated 290 million euros in family support for this stage of education, within a wider budget of 420 million euros.

For children under one, free provision is currently more limited. Around 30% of this group — 192 children — will receive free education during the coming school year. The Junta plans to introduce full free provision for this age group in 2027/28.

The expansion is intended to encourage earlier participation in education and make it easier for families to balance work and childcare, with particular attention to working and middle-income households. Early-years education is also being treated as part of the education system, rather than only as a childcare service.

School hours and fees

Infant schools will operate on working days throughout the year, except in August, from 7:30 to 17:00. Each child may attend for up to eight hours a day.

The ordinary school period will begin on the third working day of September and finish on the penultimate working day of July each year. The stated starting tariff for the service is 240.53 euros per pupil, rising to 250.15 euros from January 2027 under sector agreements. The amount families pay will depend on the support available to them through the regional scheme.

Rising participation

Andalucia expects the early-years enrolment rate to reach 60.14%. That would be 16 percentage points higher than in 2018 and above the national average of 49.2%. It would also remain above the European Union recommendation of 33%.

The province’s figures form part of a wider regional effort to increase access to the first cycle of infant education. For families in Almeria, the immediate change is the extension of free provision to one-year-olds, alongside continued support for many children in the younger age groups and an enrolment system that remains open during the school year.

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