School enrolment in Poland: preschool and Polish

If you are coming to Poland with your family, one of the first questions is your child's school: which school at which age, is it paid, how will a child who speaks no Polish study? School enrolment in Poland follows the same rules for foreign children as for Polish children, and public schools are free. Based on the Education Law and the regulation on educating foreign pupils, this article explains how to enrol your child, which documents are requested and how Polish-language support works.

Short answer: For school enrolment in Poland you apply to the catchment primary school (szkoła rejonowa) linked to your address; that school must admit your child. Compulsory school starts at 7, and one year of pre-school education is compulsory at 6. Foreign children use public kindergartens and schools on the same terms as Poles. They are placed in a class based on their Turkish school documents; no recognition is needed. A child with insufficient Polish gets free extra Polish lessons for up to 24 months.

The Polish education system: ages and obligations for a Turkish family

The Education Law (Prawo oświatowe, art. 31, 35, 36) sets the ages as follows:

Ages 3–5: the right to kindergarten (wychowanie przedszkolne). The right begins at the start of the school year in the calendar year the child turns 3. In particularly justified cases a child aged 2.5 may also be admitted.
Age 6: one year of pre-school preparation is compulsory; it takes place in a kindergarten, a kindergarten class in a primary school or another form of pre-school education.
Age 7: compulsory schooling (obowiązek szkolny) begins at the start of the school year in the calendar year the child turns 7 and lasts until the end of primary school, at most until age 18. Primary school in Poland has eight grades (I–VIII).
Until 18: the obligation to learn (obowiązek nauki) continues; after primary school it is fulfilled in a general secondary school, a technical school or a vocational school.

If the parents wish, a child may also start primary school at 6; this requires that the child attended kindergarten the previous year or has a positive opinion from a psychological-pedagogical counselling centre.

The right to free education and kindergarten hours in Poland

Article 165 of the Law is clear: children who are not Polish citizens use

public kindergartens and other forms of pre-school education,
public primary schools, if they are of compulsory school age,

on the same terms as Polish citizens. Young people subject to the obligation to learn study at public secondary schools (szkoła ponadpodstawowa) on the same terms until age 18 or until they finish school.

Public primary school provides free education. A public kindergarten is free for the time set by the municipality, which is at least 5 hours a day (art. 13). For hours beyond that, the municipal council sets the fee; it may be charged until the end of the school year in which the child turns 6, and the law caps it per hour (act on financing educational tasks, art. 52). Get the amount and the meal fee in writing from the kindergarten before enrolling; we cover these items in the family budget in our cost-of-living article.

After 18 the conditions for adult schools and vocational courses differ and depend on residence status; this article is about children under 18.

School enrolment in Poland step by step

1. Find your catchment school. Every public primary school has a catchment area (obwód). A child living in that area is admitted to grade I on the parents' notification (zgłoszenie) (art. 133). For foreign pupils the regulation says it explicitly: the catchment school admits the child to grade I and to grades II–VIII ex officio (z urzędu) (regulation on educating foreign pupils, § 4). So your address needs to be settled first; we covered address registration and PESEL in our first-week article. Ask the school how to show your address.

2. Prepare the documents. The regulation refers to these documents:

a report card, student certificate or similar document issued by the school in Turkey: it should show that the child attended school and which grade or stage of education they completed,
a document showing the total number of years of schooling; if this cannot be seen from those documents, a written declaration by the parent.

The regulation does not require a sworn translation or apostille for these documents; ask the school in writing before enrolling which language and form of document it wants. If you have no documents at all, the child is placed in a class through a placement interview (rozmowa kwalifikacyjna); for a child who does not speak Polish the interview is held in the foreign language the child uses, with someone who speaks that language taking part if needed (§ 12).

3. If you want a different school. A school outside your catchment area admits the child only if it has free places. If refused, you can ask the head teacher for the reasons within 7 days and, within 7 days of receiving them, appeal to the school's appeal committee; the committee's decision can be challenged before the administrative court (§ 13–15).

4. For kindergarten. A foreign child is admitted to kindergarten under the same enrolment rules as Polish children; if enrolment happens mid-year, the head of the kindergarten or school decides (§ 3).

Turkish school documents and class placement

The Ministry of Education's page on pupils arriving from abroad states that pupils arriving from abroad are admitted to public schools on the basis of foreign school documents, without the need for recognition (nostryfikacja). The exceptions are the second-stage vocational school (branżowa szkoła II stopnia) and post-secondary schools, which require prior education to be recognised in Poland.

The head teacher decides which class the child goes into. Alongside the documents, the head teacher may also take into account the child's age and the parent's oral or written opinion (§ 11). The grade in Turkey and the grade in Poland will not always match one to one; when you discuss your child's situation with the head teacher, state your view clearly.

Placement into general secondary and technical schools is also based on documents; some schools (language-focused, sports, arts) may set additional requirements or an aptitude test. Recognition in Poland of a secondary school diploma obtained in Turkey is a separate process handled through the education superintendent (kurator oświaty) (gov.pl, recognition of education obtained abroad).

Polish lessons and support for foreign pupils

For a pupil who does not speak Polish or whose Polish is not enough to follow lessons, the law (art. 165) and the regulation provide this support:

Free extra Polish lessons: for up to 24 months; organised by the body running the school (usually the municipality). Lessons are individual or in groups and amount to at least 2 lesson hours a week; the head teacher sets the weekly schedule (§ 17).
Catch-up classes: if a teacher identifies curriculum gaps in a subject, an extra 1 lesson hour a week for that subject; for up to 12 months.
Upper limit: extra Polish and catch-up lessons together may not exceed 5 lesson hours a week per pupil (§ 19).
Help in the home language: the head teacher may employ someone who speaks the child's language as a teaching assistant; this help lasts up to 12 months.
Intercultural assistant: the school may employ an assistant who supports the child and the family in the school environment.

These rights are put into practice by the school's management; a good start is to tell the school in writing, at enrolment, your child's level of Polish and what support they need.

Turkish language and culture lessons: The law provides that the diplomatic or consular mission of the child's country in Poland, or a cultural and educational association of that nationality, may organise home-language and culture lessons at the school in agreement with the head teacher. At least 7 pupils must sign up and the lessons may not exceed 5 hours a week (§ 20). Ask your school whether such lessons are offered there.

The preparatory class (oddział przygotowawczy)

The body running the school may open a preparatory class for pupils whose Polish is insufficient. This is an option, not a right: not every school has one.

The class has at most 25 pupils; pupils are selected by a team of two teachers and a pedagogue or psychologist.
Minimum weekly lesson hours: grades I–III 20, grades IV–VI 23, grades VII–VIII 25, secondary school 26. Of these, Polish is at least 6 hours a week (§ 16).
The preparatory class lasts until the end of the school year in which the pupil was admitted; depending on the pupil's progress, the teachers' council may shorten or extend it by no more than one school year (art. 165).
If their own school has no preparatory class, a child may attend another school's preparatory class on the parent's request and with the running body's consent.

In a school without a preparatory class the child studies in a regular class and receives the extra Polish lessons described above.

Frequently asked

Can I enrol my child in school in Poland in the middle of the school year?

Yes. The regulation says a pupil arriving from abroad is admitted to the catchment primary school ex officio and does not limit this to the start of the school year. The head teacher sets the class based on the Turkish school documents, the child's age and your opinion. For mid-year kindergarten enrolment the head decides. Contact the school as soon as your address is settled.

Is public school in Poland paid for foreign pupils?

No. Under the Education Law, foreign children use public kindergartens and primary schools, and public secondary schools until age 18 or until they finish school, on the same terms as Poles. A public kindergarten is free for at least 5 hours a day; for more, the municipality may charge a fee within a legal cap. Get private school fees in writing from the school.

How does my child who speaks no Polish get support at school?

Under the law they get free extra Polish lessons for up to 24 months; the regulation sets these at least 2 lesson hours a week. If needed, catch-up classes for up to 12 months and an assistant who speaks their home language can be provided. The body running the school may also open a preparatory class, where Polish is at least 6 hours a week. Tell the school the need in writing at enrolment.

How we run it

Based on your child's age and your address we identify the catchment school or kindergarten, arrange the first meeting with the school, fill in the enrolment form with you, find out in writing which documents the school wants and complete the list. If the Turkish school documents need translating, our sworn translator partner does it. We explain the school's letters and the administrative matters raised at parent meetings in Turkish. We do not provide educational consultancy; the school decides the class and the support. In-person accompaniment to the school is currently only in Szczecin; in other cities we handle the appointment and paperwork, and you go to the school. The residence side of coming as a family is covered in our family reunification article.

Sources

Last checked: 26 September 2026. This article is general information; your own case needs assessment by a licensed partner.

Tell us your child's age, which grade they are in in Turkey and which Polish city you are moving to; we'll work out together what needs to be ready for enrolment and when. Tell us your situation or see the Coming to Poland page.

This article is for information only; it is not legal advice. Basis: the Education Law (art. 13, 31, 35, 36, 133, 165; consolidated text of June 2026), the regulation on educating foreign pupils (23 August 2017, consolidated text of 2023, as amended on 25 August 2026), the act on financing educational tasks (art. 52) and official information from the Ministry of Education, as of September 2026. For your own case the last word rests with the school management.

Author

Savaş Dere · Founder, CEO

Close to twenty years in software and e-commerce: web and application development, automation, digital products. At Senavia he runs process design, the technology infrastructure and integrations; a founder who has been through company formation and settling in Poland himself.

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School enrolment for children in Poland: kindergarten, primary school and Polish support