Moving to Portugal with school-aged children? Or considering homeschooling instead of the traditional education system?

Here are the official enrollment (matrícula) periods for the 2025/2026 academic year, as established by Despacho n.º 3640-A/2025, de 21 de março.

Preschool & 1st grade of basic education:
→ From April 22 to May 31, 2025

 

6th to 11th grades:
→ From June 16 to June 27, 2025

 

2nd to 5th grades:
→ From July 1 to July 11, 2025

 

10th and 12th grades:
→ From July 15 to July 22, 2025

✉️ Renewals

  • Most renewals happen automatically.
  • Renewal by request is required when changing schools, cycles, or curriculum.

🔗 Important Additional Deadlines

25 July 2025 (basic education) and 5 August 2025 (secondary education) for special cases (e.g. changing schools).

31 December 2025 for late enrollments in recurrent education.

📆 Publication of Admitted Students

  • Until the 1st working day of July 2025: Preschool & 1st grade of basic education.
  • Until the last working day of July 2025: All other grades.

According to Despacho n.º 8368/2024, de 25 de julho, the school year is organized as follows:

Start of the school year:

  • Between September 11 and 15, 2025 (1st term)

School terms:

  • 1st term ends: December 16, 2025
  • 2nd term: January 5 to March 27, 2026
  • 3rd term: April 13 to:
    • June 5, 2026 → 9th, 11th, and 12th grades
    • June 12, 2026 → 5th–8th and 10th grades
    • June 30, 2026 → Preschool and 1st–4th grades

🎅 Christmas Break: December 17, 2025 – January 2, 2026

🎊 Carnival Break: February 16–18, 2026

🐣 Easter Break: March 30 – April 10, 2026

⛱️ Summer Break: Starts after final school dates

  • You must still complete the enrollment process online.
  • You will need to formally request homeschooling and be attached to a supporting school.
  • Some schools require end-of-term or end-of-semester reports, while others request a final report in June.
  • Additional details and step-by-step guidance will be shared soon on this site.

📊 Notes

  • These dates apply to public schools, private schools with public contracts, and recognized institutions of education and training.
  • Enrollment must be submitted via the official platform: Portal das Matrículas

 

🔹 This post is for informational purposes only. For official updates and access to enrollment, consult the Portuguese Ministry of Education website.