Schools in Czechia for foreign children: enrolment, rights and Czech lessons

Children in Czechia start school in the September after their 6th birthday and stay for 9 years. Foreign children who live here have the same duty, and every child staying in Czechia can go to a state primary school on the same terms as Czech children, for free. Parents enrol their child (zápis) between 15 January and 15 February, and children new to Czech get free Czech lessons at school.

When does school start, and for how long?

The school year runs from 1 September to 31 August.¹ Compulsory schooling lasts 9 school years, and at most until the end of the school year in which the pupil turns 17.² Primary school (základní škola) has 9 years: years 1 to 5 (první stupeň) and years 6 to 9 (druhý stupeň).³

A child starts in the school year that follows their 6th birthday,² so a child born by 31 August 2021 starts in September 2027, by our count from the law. Two exceptions:

• Starting early: a child who turns 6 between September and the end of June can start a year early if they're ready and you ask. You attach a recommendation from a school counselling facility (školské poradenské zařízení), and for a child born between January and June, from a specialist doctor too.²
• Postponing (odklad): if a child's health won't let them take part in lessons for a long time, you can ask in writing at enrolment to put off the start by one school year, only once. You need a recommendation from a doctor, not the child's GP or a paediatrician, or from a clinical psychologist, and from a school counselling facility.⁴

Does my child have to go to school here?

Yes, if they stay here long enough. Compulsory schooling covers EU citizens who stay more than 90 days, other foreigners with the right to stay permanently or for more than 90 days, and people applying for international protection.⁵

Every child staying in Czechia can go to primary school on the same terms as EU citizens, and primary pupils can use school meals and after-school clubs (školní družina) on the same terms too.⁶ For primary school the law doesn't ask for proof of the right to stay. For kindergarten, secondary school and some other school services it does, but not from EU citizens or their family members.⁶

Primary education at schools run by the state, a region or a municipality is free; only other schools, such as private or church schools, can charge for it.⁷ Primary pupils get approved textbooks for free, and first-year pupils keep theirs and get basic school supplies too.⁸ The after-school club may charge a fee, set by whoever runs the school.⁷

Which school will my child go to?

Each child has a catchment school (spádová škola), the municipal school for the area where they live; for a foreign child, the address where they're registered as staying (Register your address). You can choose a different school instead.⁹ The catchment school must take children who live in its area, up to its capacity, and your municipality must make sure there are school places for children living there, foreign children included.^{9 10}

The Ministry of Education's guidance for the 2026 enrolment says that at a school that isn't your catchment school, admission depends on the criteria the school publishes before enrolment, and that a school can decide to take only catchment children.¹¹

How does enrolment (zápis) work?

1. Find the date. Each school's headteacher sets the date and place of enrolment within the 15 January to 15 February window and announces them, also online.¹² Before enrolment, the school also publishes online its admission criteria, how many children it can take and the deadline for applications.¹³
2. Apply. You can apply in person, by post, by email with an electronic signature, or through a data box (datová schránka). One parent's signature is enough.¹¹
3. The meeting. The school may hold an informal part, to get the child used to the school, only if you agree, and for at most 30 minutes. Only a school not run by the state, a region or a municipality can require the child to come.¹³
4. The decision. The headteacher decides on admission.¹² Admissions are published as a list of registration numbers for at least 15 days; a refusal comes as a written decision, and you can appeal within 15 days of receiving it, to the regional office through the school.¹¹

What help is there with Czech?

Pupils who have been at school in Czechia for no more than 24 months can get free Czech language preparation (jazyková příprava):¹⁶

• Where: at designated schools (určená škola), in person or online. Each regional office publishes the list. If your child's school isn't on it, they can join a designated school in the same region.
• How to get it: you ask, and the designated school places your child in a group within 30 days. Your child's school tells you about it within a week of admitting them.¹⁷
• How much: 100 to 400 hours over up to 20 months, during lessons; your child is excused from the lessons it overlaps.¹⁸
• Group size: up to 8 pupils in years 1 to 5, up to 10 in years 6 to 9, and up to 5 online.¹⁹

A foreign child goes into the year that matches their age, or one year lower if that's in their interest, given their previous schooling.²⁰

Can my child go to an international school?

Yes. Private and church schools in the Czech school register can charge fees.⁷ A foreign school in Czechia that isn't in the register, teaching a foreign programme, counts for compulsory schooling only if the Ministry of Education has approved it for that school year; an approval lasts up to 5 years.²¹ A child at such a school who is a Czech citizen or a permanent resident must also be a pupil of a Czech school; this doesn't apply to children staying here temporarily, such as on a long-term visa or permit.²² This page doesn't recommend schools or compare fees.

Sources

1. Schools Act (Act 561/2004 Coll.), §24(1). ↩

2. Schools Act (Act 561/2004 Coll.), §36(1) and (3). ↩ ↩² ↩³

3. Schools Act (Act 561/2004 Coll.), §46(2). ↩

4. Schools Act (Act 561/2004 Coll.), §37(1) and (2). ↩

5. Schools Act (Act 561/2004 Coll.), §36(2). ↩

6. Schools Act (Act 561/2004 Coll.), §20(1) to (3). ↩ ↩² ↩³

7. Schools Act (Act 561/2004 Coll.), §123(1), (3) and (4). ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴

8. Schools Act (Act 561/2004 Coll.), §27(3) and (6). ↩

9. Schools Act (Act 561/2004 Coll.), §36(5) and (7). ↩ ↩²

10. Schools Act (Act 561/2004 Coll.), §178(1). ↩

11. Ministry of Education, information on organising enrolment for compulsory schooling in 2026, December 2025; it covers the January and February 2026 enrolment, and the ministry plans a new text for 2027. ↩ ↩² ↩³

12. Schools Act (Act 561/2004 Coll.), §46(1). ↩ ↩² ↩³

13. Decree 48/2005 Coll. on primary education, §3a. ↩ ↩²

14. Schools Act (Act 561/2004 Coll.), §36(4). ↩ ↩²

15. Schools Act (Act 561/2004 Coll.), §182a. ↩

16. Schools Act (Act 561/2004 Coll.), §20(9) and (10); Decree 48/2005 Coll. on primary education, §10 and §11. ↩ ↩²

17. Decree 48/2005 Coll. on primary education, §11(2) and (3), §11a(2). ↩

18. Decree 48/2005 Coll. on primary education, §11b(1) and (2). ↩

19. Decree 48/2005 Coll. on primary education, §11a(4) to (6). ↩

20. Decree 48/2005 Coll. on primary education, §9a. ↩ ↩²

21. Schools Act (Act 561/2004 Coll.), §38(1)(c) and §38a(1). ↩

22. Schools Act (Act 561/2004 Coll.), §38(3) and (7). ↩