Education

Key ideas → The decline is concentrated where the Spanish system used to be strongest, and the fall in the top quartile across the OECD is the most striking result globally. Spain loses 45 points per decade in reading compared with 27 for the OECD, and falls back above all at both ends of the […]

This report analyses the state of Shadow Education (SE) in Spain using the latest available wave of the National Statistics Institute’s (INE) Household Education Expenditure Survey (EGHE 2023/24) and compares it with the immediately preceding available wave (2019/20), analysed in detail in the EsadeEcPol report by Moreno and Martínez (2023). We find that aggregate spending […]

Supported by Google ↓ Download the full report A new wave of AI-based tools is arriving on the heels of two decades of ICT in Spanish classrooms. Access, regulation, and investment are largely in place; whether this wave translates into improved learning depends on robust, evidence-based implementation. Basic evidence on what would work Lessons learned […]

In Spain, the maximum number of pupils per classroom is 25 in Primary education and 30 in lower secondary education (ESO). On 11 November 2025, the Ministry of Education, Vocational Training and Sport (MEFPD) presented the draft Bill to reduce the maximum class size to 22 pupils in Primary and 25 in ESO, and to […]

Reducing class size is one of the most popular education policies among families, teachers and governments. However, its effects on learning are generally small or nil. It is also a very costly policy, as it requires hiring more teachers (70-80% of education spending goes on salaries) and having more classrooms. In Spain, it is crucial […]

In collaboration with Fundación ‘la Caixa’ and Save the Children ↓ Download the full report Technical annexes: quantitative · qualitative This study seeks to identify and characterise those schools that, in contexts of high social vulnerability, enable their students to progress beyond what would be expected compared with other schools in their surroundings. Two case […]

El sistema de becas universitarias constituye un pilar clave de la política educativa para garantizar la igualdad de oportunidades en el acceso y la permanencia en la universidad. No obstante, a pesar de su relevancia, existe poca evidencia sobre su efectividad en España: diferentes análisis señalan que los estudiantes beneficiarios de beca tienden a obtener […]

In the verge of a new technological revolution, Math and Science skills will gain its importance as critical skills for social and economic progress. Why some countries are better than others in teaching such skills? Recent results of the international assessment TIMSS 2023 displayed poor results for both Spain and France in Math and Science […]

Teachers are the most decisive school factor for the quality of education systems. In Spain, the teaching profession is at a critical juncture, shaping education for the coming decades. Recent data show an increase in fatigue, feelings of isolation, and dissatisfaction among a portion of teachers. This report explores the state of the teaching profession […]

Subsidized education is a central element of the Spanish educational system. While 67% of students attend public schools, nearly 30% attend publicly funded but privately owned centers, called “centros concertados”(and only 4% attend self-financed private centers). The “concertados” fulfills an instrumental function in the development of Article 27 of the Constitution: freedom of education. However, […]

This study proposes the most in-depth and detailed analysis of gender inequality in STEM fields in Spain to date. Distinctively, we focus on areas with a significant emphasis on mathematics, where the most pronounced gaps occur; we cover everything from basic education, thanks to the latest PISA results, to the professional career, for which we […]

University grants are the central public policy for trying to equalise access to higher education for young people from socio-economically disadvantaged families. In Spain they have a coverage of approximately 25%, and are awarded on the basis of income level and family size, conditional on meeting minimum academic requirements. In this respect the Spanish system […]