Schooling and childcare in Porto

State schools go through one portal

Enrolment in state pre-school, basic and secondary education is done centrally on the Portal das Matrículas at portaldasmatriculas.edu.gov.pt, not at the school gate, and DGEstE directs all applicants there. There is no single window: first entry into pre-school and the 1st year runs in spring, while the other year groups are staggered across June and July, and in the 2025 round the last of them closed on 22 July. The exact dates are reset every year, so take them off the portal or DGEstE's matrículas FAQ rather than from a secondary source. The governing texts are Despacho Normativo n.º 6/2018, de 12 de abril, as amended by Despacho Normativo n.º 5/2020 and Despacho Normativo n.º 10-B/2021, with Despacho Normativo n.º 2-B/2025 alongside them.

Portuguese as a second language

State schools must provide Português Língua Não Materna to pupils whose first language is not Portuguese, under Portaria n.º 223-A/2018, de 3 de agosto, for basic education and Portaria n.º 86/2025/1, de 6 de março, for secondary. Pupils are placed at a proficiency level, from zero through A1, A2, B1 and B2. A newly arrived beginner gets progressive curriculum integration, immersion activities, tutoring and mentoring under a pedagogical follow-up plan. Ask the school which level it has assigned and to show you that plan in writing.

The international schools close early

The Lycée Français International de Porto ran its whole 2026-2027 campaign from 20 December 2025 to 31 March 2026 for Petite Section, the age-three intake, and from 8 January 2026 to 31 March 2026 for every other year group. CLIP is effectively full for 2026/27, waitlisting applicants for most year groups from Pre-K to Form 9 and for Form 11, and it does not admit new students into Form 10 or Form 12 at all. For 2027/28 CLIP takes applications for its main entry points, Pre-K, Reception and Form 5, between September and November 2026, and for the remaining years between February and April 2027.

• LFIP: register on the EDUKA platform with supporting documents, wait for the assignment committee to allocate a place as one frees up, then pay a first-time enrolment fee of €1,030, which is not refunded if you withdraw. admission@lfip.pt, +351 226 153 038.
• CLIP: an online form, a photocopy of the passport or identity document, the most recent school report and any specialist reports, then an interview and assessment with the Director or a representative.

What Oporto British School costs

Tuition for 2026/2027 runs from €9,530 for Pre-Prep, Prep and Reception to €11,105 for Forms 1 to 5, €12,885 for Forms 6 to 8, €15,315 at IGCSE and €17,570 for the IB Diploma. On top of that there is a non-refundable registration fee of €160 with the application and a non-refundable acceptance fee of €475 due within two weeks of an offer. The place is only held once you pay a refundable deposit of one term's tuition, within five weeks. Annual extras are a capital and maintenance charge of €745 and pupil insurance of €55, and examinations cost €920 for the IB Diploma and €165 per IGCSE subject.