School in El Salvador

Educación Inicial serves approximately ages 0 to 3 through institutional provision or Vía Familiar Comunitaria, which combines family and community participation with an educational function. Educación Parvularia is a three-year stage for approximately ages 4 to 6, commonly organized as P4, P5 and P6. Completing Parvularia is not required for entry to Educación Básica, and its completion allows unrestricted progression. Educación Básica lasts nine years, from 1° to 9° grado, divided into three three-year cycles; Tercer Ciclo covers 7° to 9° grado. The usual starting point for 1° grado is at least 6 years and 6 months. Educación Media follows Básica and offers Bachillerato General, normally lasting two years during the day or three years at night, and Bachillerato Técnico Vocacional, normally lasting three years during the day or four years at night. These are local upper-secondary pathways, not direct equivalents of German Hauptschule, Realschule or Gymnasium. Schools and centers include centros educativos and centros escolares, Complejos Educativos, Institutos Nacionales, colegios, inclusive mainstream centers and Educación Especial, including centers for deaf or blind students. Private centers operate under state regulation and inspection, with admission conditions set by the institution. Enrollment records and school administration use SIGES, the Ministry's education information system, for registration, confirmation, validation, withdrawal, transfers, daily attendance and grades. For Primera Infancia and 1° grado, the documented entry requirement is the relevant minimum age, and pedagogical guidance states that enrollment must not be refused on other grounds. Flexible pathways can address over-age enrollment and may require a previous-year certificate, a current birth certificate and, from 1° año de Bachillerato, a copy of the DUI. The reviewed national sources do not establish one nationwide catchment procedure, so a German-style automatic school-district assignment should not be assumed. Educación Parvularia and Educación Básica are compulsory by law; the reviewed norms do not establish Educación Media as a general compulsory stage. State-provided Parvularia, Básica, Media and Educación Especial are free, while private fees depend on the institution. Official centers may not block access or continued attendance because of unpaid contributions or a missing uniform, and families cannot be required to buy books, supplies or uniforms from a particular business. The 2025 Programa Dotación de Uniformes, Zapatos y Útiles Escolares provided eligible students in official and subsidized centers with up to two uniforms, one pair of shoes, school supplies and books or workbooks; Bachillerato Técnico Vocacional may also receive field uniforms and boots according to the specialization. The PASE, or Programa de Alimentación y Salud Escolar, provides a daily ration such as a snack, breakfast or lunch, and the Vaso de Leche program provides milk. The national curriculum is competency-based and guided by MINEDUCYT, the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology. Core learning areas include mathematics, language and literature, science and technology, social studies, citizenship and values, English and physical education. Teaching is primarily in Spanish. English is introduced progressively, while Náhuat, Potón and Cacaopera are supported through developing intercultural education; LESSA, the natural and official language of Salvadoran deaf people, is used in relevant educational settings. Public Bachillerato General added Proyecto de Vida y Carrera as a subject in 2025. Schools may adapt implementation, methods and materials to local context and student needs. Assessment is diagnostic, formative and periodic. Conociendo Mis Logros is standardized from 2° grado through 1° año de Educación Media, with the 2026 assessment covering mathematics, citizenship and values, science and technology, and language and literature. AVANZO is taken in 2° año de Educación Media as part of the process for obtaining the bachiller title; in 2026 it is delivered virtually, with free platform access, school-issued credentials and institutional support. The minimum passing grade is 5.0 in Básica and 6.0 in Media. Educación Inclusiva combines inclusive regular centers with Educación Especial and can provide reasonable adjustments to the environment, teaching methods and materials, including LESSA, Braille and adapted resources. MINEDUCYT sets national rules, curricula, calendars, examinations, accreditation and support programs. Fourteen Direcciones Departamentales de Educación implement policy territorially, while directors, teachers and school bodies manage enrollment, attendance, records and local delivery. Completion records include certificates and report cards in early childhood education, progression from Básica to later stages, and the bachiller title after completing the relevant plan, Servicio Social Estudiantil and AVANZO according to current MINEDUCYT requirements. After the first year of Bachillerato Técnico Vocacional, limited horizontal movement to Bachillerato General may be possible.