Financing for equity in primary and secondary education
1. Education resources to subnational governments
2. Education resources to schools
3. Education resources to students and families
4. Social policies and family support programmes
Introduction
In Spain, the education system is highly decentralised, with responsibilities divided among several actors: the General State Administration (GSA), which includes the Ministry of Education, Vocational Training, and Sports (MEFD) and the Ministry of Science, Innovation, and Universities (MCNU), as well as the autonomous communities, which have their own regional ministries and departments of education or universities. The financing system for the autonomous communitiesis governed by a multilateral agreement between them and the State, designed to ensure inter-territorial solidarity and maintain a consistent level of education spending as a fundamental public service across Spain. The autonomous communities enjoy significant management autonomy, including the authority to approve their own annual budgets and determine the allocation of resources.
1. Education resources to subnational governments
Territorial Cooperation Programmes
The Territorial Cooperation Programmes provide funding to the autonomous communities, supporting inter-territorial solidarity and addressing inequalities. These programmes are designed by the Ministry of Education, Vocational Training and Sports in agreement with the autonomous communities. Their implementation and management are carried out according to agreements signed by the relevant educational authorities, which receive funding from the Ministry based on annually agreed distribution criteria for each specific programme. The programmes cover various education sectors, including remedial interventions, textbooks, inclusive education, and students’ mental health.
Education Support and Enrichment Programmes
Several programmes are in place to support education, including PROA+ for educational enrichment, specialised support units for vulnerable students, and the ABA initiatives of 2018 and 2019 focused on guidance and academic reinforcement. Additionally, co-financed schemes such as the Textbook Aid Programme, the Inclusive Education Programme, and the Emotional Well-being Programme contribute to addressing diverse student needs.
2. Education resources to schools
Programas de Refuerzo, Orientación y Apoyo (Programmes for Reinforcement, Guidance, and Support)
The Reinforcement, Orientation and Support Programmes (PROA), established in 2005, comprise a series of targeted interventions in primary and secondary schools designed to enhance educational outcomes. This programme allocates additional resources to schools with a high concentration of students from low socioeconomic backgrounds. Support measures include extra tutoring, mentoring, and initiatives aimed at fostering positive changes in school culture and expectations.
The PROA was structured around two core components. The first was the School Accompaniment Programme, aimed at improving the educational outcomes of pupils facing difficulties in the final years of primary and in secondary education. Support was provided by school staff or accompanying tutors, working with small groups of pupils outside regular class hours, to address learning challenges and related problems. The second was the Support and Reinforcement Programme in secondary education, which offered schools additional resources to strengthen and enhance their overall educational practices.
Since 2020, the Programme for Guidance, Reinforcement, and Educational Enrichment (PROA+) has been in operation. It targets schools with high levels of educational complexity, including those located in rural areas, by providing resources to adapt educational projects to the specific needs of pupils. PROA+ promotes open and engaging learning environments and encourages personalised teaching approaches that foster inclusion, reduce underachievement, and prevent early school leaving. This program promotes school autonomy in designing strategies tailored to its needs. It frequently includes initiatives such as co-teaching, small group reinforcement, and supportive tutoring. Consistent with the earlier PROA initiative, priority is given to schools serving a high proportion of pupils in situations of educational vulnerability.
Program for the digitization of the education system.
Established in 2021 and running until 2026, with funding from the European Recovery, Transformation, and Resilience Plan, this program has provided schools with 300,000 digital devices available for loan to vulnerable students, with the aim of closing the digital divide.
3. Education resources to students and families
Inclusive Education
The Spanish Ministry of Education, Vocational Training and Sports provides educational support for individuals with specific needs arising from disability, severe behavioural, communication or language disorders, autism spectrum disorder, and high abilities.
For example, regions such as Madrid and Catalonia offer grants and subsidies to students requiring additional educational support due to disability, severe behavioural disorders, communication or language impairments, or autism spectrum disorder.
Individualised Support for School Transportation
The various autonomous communities provide support for school transport. For instance, in Madrid and Catalonia, regulated by Decree 11/96, grants are offered to assist with school transportation in cases where a formal school transport service cannot be established.
4. Social policies and family support programmes
In Spain, public subsidies are available to support work–life balance (such as morning care or extracurricular activities). These subsidies are provided by the Autonomous Communities (Comunidades Autónomas), see for instance Andalucíaor Cataluña.
Mínimo Vital child supplement
Spain provides child-related support through means-tested social assistance, primarily through the Ingreso Mínimo Vital(introduced in 2020) and the Ingreso Mínimo Vital child supplement (introduced in 2022). Benefits are targeted at low-income households and vary by the number and age of children at approximately EUR 115 per month for children aged 0–3, EUR 80 for ages 3–6, and EUR 57 for ages 6–18, and are means tested and financed outside the Ministry of Education. and its child supplement (introduced in 2022).
Family Allowance for the Care of Children with Disabilities
In Spain, families caring for minors with a disability of 33% or more, adults with a disability of 65% or more, and disabled persons who are orphans are entitled to a family allowance for the care of children with disabilities. This allowance is managed by the Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migrations. However, this allowance is not specifically linked to education.
5. School meal programmes
School meals are organised by the education departments of the autonomous communities (comunidades autónomas). Targeting criteria differ across these regions, ranging from universal coverage to selection based on individual characteristics, grade levels, school types, and specific school circumstances.
For example, in Catalonia, access to the lunchroom service is mandatory and free for students who must travel outside their municipality because the required educational level is not available locally. Additionally, individual canteen allowances—covering part or all of the cost—are provided to students from socioeconomically disadvantaged families. Similar support, in the form of canteen grants, is also offered by other autonomous communities such as Madrid, Castilla la Mancha, and Navarra.
This profile was reviewed by Mauro Mediavilla, Assistant Professor at the Department of Applied Economics of the University of Valencia; Marisa Hidalgo Hidalgo, Associate Professor at Universidad Pablo de Olavide (Sevilla), and; Daniel Turienzo, Head of Service; Francisco Javier Varela Pose, Technical advisor; Julio Albalad, Director of INTEF from the Ministry of Education.
