Madrid, Spain – The Community of Madrid has been identified as the region with the highest educational segregation in Spain and one of the highest in Europe, according to a comprehensive report titled “School Segregation, an Unresolved Social Justice Issue: Analysis and Proposals.” The report, presented by the Comisiones Obreras (CCOO) trade union, highlights a concerning trend where nearly half of the students in the autonomous community are enrolled in private or state-subsidized charter schools.
Public School Enrollment in Decline
The CCOO report reveals that enrollment in public schools in Madrid has fallen to 54%, a stark contrast to the national average of 67% for the 2022-2023 academic year. Across Spain, 24.79% of students attend charter schools, and 8.26% are in private institutions.
The study criticizes the “uncontrolled expansion of the education business” in Madrid and the “alarming” reduction in public school student numbers. It also points to the regional administration’s practice of ceding land to private companies for the construction of private schools, a policy initiated under Esperanza Aguirre’s government and continued despite opposing views in the LOMLOE education law.
Segregation Index Reveals Disparities
The latest available data for 2022, focusing on compulsory secondary education students, indicates an average school segregation index of 0.36 for Spain. This means that 36% of the wealthiest and poorest students would need to switch schools to achieve equitable distribution across institutions. However, this national figure masks significant regional variations.
For socioeconomically disadvantaged students (the 25% of students from lower-income families), the Community of Madrid stands out with a segregation index of 0.42, making it by far the most segregated region in Spain. It is followed by the autonomous city of Melilla, Catalonia, and Asturias.
Madrid Among Europe’s Most Segregated
While Spain as a whole ranks in a medium-low position among European countries for segregation, below France or Italy but not Portugal, the Community of Madrid is positioned among the highest. It trails only a few Eastern European countries such as Hungary, Romania, Slovakia, and Bulgaria, which top the ranking, but exhibits significantly higher segregation than France, Italy, Portugal, or the United Kingdom.
Comisiones Obreras strongly criticizes Madrid’s educational policies, which it argues introduce market-driven logics such as competition, choice, supply, and demand into a system that remains publicly funded. The union notes that low-income families prioritize proximity when choosing schools, whereas middle and high-income families have the flexibility to travel further.
Impact of Single School Zones
Madrid’s policy of offering a single school zone for each municipality, including the capital, or highly restricted zoning, complicates school choice for lower-income households, according to CCOO. The union argues that this system, far from promoting the principle of choice for publicly funded schools, actually hinders it for those with fewer resources, especially in large municipalities within the Community of Madrid.
The report also highlights that Madrid has the highest number of religious and private universities in Spain, with four more expected to open in the coming years, according to the regional government.
Disadvantaged Students Underrepresented in Charter Schools
Charter schools in Madrid enroll significantly fewer immigrant, disadvantaged, or special needs students. The total amount of fees collected by charter schools in Spain ranges between 950 and 1,200 million euros for students aged 3 to 16. Catalonia, Madrid, and the Basque Country account for 70% of these fees, coinciding with the regions having the highest enrollment in this education network and higher average incomes.
These figures are drawn from the 2024 study “The Cost of Access to Charter Schools in Spain: The Fees Families Pay and Their Causes,” by Xavier Bonal, Ángel Martínez, and Lucas Gortázar.
CCOO expresses regret that none of the analyzed plans seriously propose ending the fees charged by charter schools, given their public funding. A study by the Spanish Confederation of Parents’ Associations and the Association of Private and Independent Schools indicates that 87% of charter schools charge monthly fees, with the average in the Community of Madrid being 129.10 euros.
“It is important to note that private charter schools, after residential segregation, are the largest source of discrimination by socioeconomic origin in Spain, far exceeding that of neighboring countries. They explain, on average, 19.2% of school segregation, reaching 32.8% in the Community of Madrid,” the CCOO report concludes.
Sara Castro, a journalist writing for the Madrid section of El País, contributed to this report. Her biography notes her previous work at elDiario.es and Informativos Telecinco, and her completion of the UAM – EL PAÍS Journalism Master’s program.
