The Spanish education system is composed of five levels of education:
- Infant education (between 0 and 6 years) is not compulsory; there are two stages (1º cycle is 0 to 3 years old and 2º cycle is 3 to 6 years old).
- Primary education (between 6 and 12 years old) is compulsory (and, due to this, is free in public institutions, including the text books in some autonomous communities).
- Secondary education (ESO is the acronym in Spanish) contains four separate years for students between 12 and 16.
- Post-compulsory secondary education refers to the four types of courses independent of each other and require the student to have obtained the ESO qualification available: the Bachillerato (two courses), visual arts and design and sport.
- Higher education (SUIII on the course chosen) covers, in an independent manner, university education, higher arts courses, higher professional formation, higher visual arts and design, and higher sports.
- Special courses are languages, the arts, and sport.[1]