Schools Around the World – Portugal

Portugal’s public school system is overseen by the Ministry of Education. Portugal offers both a mix of state (public) and private schools, but most families send their children to state schools because they are free and local. Roughly 80% of students in Portugal attend state schools.

School Structure and Calendar

Primary education (Ensino Básico) is compulsory from age 6 to 15 and is divided into three cycles. The First Cycle (Grades 1–4), the Second Cycle (Grades 5–6), and the Third Cycle (Grades 7–9). Secondary education then runs from Grades 10–12 and offers three tracks. A science/humanities stream for university-bound students, a vocational/professional stream leading to trade certifications, and a specialized arts stream.

At the end of the 9th grade, students sit exams in Portuguese and Mathematics before moving on to secondary school. To complete secondary school, university-bound students must take national exams to earn their diploma and qualify for higher education. Entrance to universities is then determined through a national process where students are ranked based on their grades and entrance exam scores in subjects specific to their chosen program.

School Calendar

The Portuguese school year is very similar to the calendar in the United States. School starts in September, with the first semester running through January and the second from February to June. The year is divided into three terms, and includes a Christmas break in mid-December through early January, a short Carnival break in February, and an Easter break in late March/early April. The summer holiday runs from June through mid-September — the longest stretch of the year.

Dress Code, Classrooms, and Expectations

Unlike most of the other countries we have visited this year, Portugal does not have uniforms for public school. Kids dress very similar to what we are used to back in the states. We have witnessed this while walking around Lisbon and past several schools. If our kids had a backpack on they would fit right in.

The curriculum is consistent across all public schools and includes Portuguese, mathematics, science, history, geography, and English — which is a mandatory subject. Even though all students learn English, all instruction is given in Portuguese. The relationship between teachers and students is described as more collaborative than authoritative. The teachers are an authority figure, but there is an emphasis on mutual respect.

Mandatory Foreign Language

In Portugal, most students learn two foreign languages to near-fluency by graduation, typically English and either German or French. We were talking about languages with one of our Uber drivers and he said “Portugal is so small, we have to learn other languages”. I had never thought about it like this. We have said time and again this year how lucky we are that English is so widely spoken throughout the world.