Schooling and childcare in Milan

The state system and how to enrol

Scuola statale is free, taught entirely in Italian, and organised as scuola dell'infanzia from three, primaria from six, secondaria di primo grado from eleven and secondaria di secondo grado from fourteen. Enrolment runs through the Ministry's iscrizioni online portal during a fixed window in January, and you log in with SPID. Places are allocated on catchment and stated criteria, so the flat effectively picks the school.

• The iscrizioni online window is normally in January for the following September.
• Arriving mid-year is handled directly by the school and the Comune, subject to space.
• At fourteen, families choose between liceo, istituto tecnico and istituto professionale — a consequential fork.
• Some state schools run English-language or bilingual streams; they are heavily oversubscribed.

Paritarie and the private sector

Scuole paritarie are privately run but recognised by the state and issue the same qualifications. Many are Catholic, fees are modest by international-school standards, and they are a mainstream choice rather than a niche one. They set their own admissions and can accept a child mid-year when the local statale cannot.

The international sector

Milan has British, American, French, German, Swiss, Japanese and IB-curriculum schools, spread between the city and the suburbs to the north and west. They are the standard route for families on a defined posting or expecting to return to a home system, and they fill early. Fees at the upper end of the sector are among the highest in Italy.

• Apply the winter before the September you want, and earlier for the established schools.
• Expect an assessment, an interview and the last two years of school reports.
• Registration fees and sometimes a capital contribution sit on top of tuition.

Nido and younger children

Asili nido cover the first three years and municipal places are allocated by a points ranking with fees scaled to the family's ISEE income assessment. Demand in Milan far exceeds supply, so private nidi fill the gap at market rates. Scuola dell'infanzia from three to six is free in the state sector and near-universally attended.

• Municipal nido applications run in a fixed annual window through the Comune.
• ISEE, the income indicator, must be calculated at a CAF office before you can be means-assessed.
• Private nido rates are considerably higher than the municipal scale.