Pupils participate in full-time compulsory education:

• in a school within their catchment area;

• in another school (for example, a non-public or public school chosen by the pupil and their parents);

• outside of school, with the consent of the head of the school within a given catchment area (so-called ‘home-based education’);

• through participation in rehabilitation-and-education classes in a school (for pupils with moderate and severe intellectual disabilities);

• through participation in rehabilitation-and-education classes outside a school (for pupils with moderate and severe intellectual disabilities);

• by following an individual programme in a rehabilitation and education centre (pupils with an intellectual disability combined with other disabilities);

• by attending a school at a Polish diplomatic mission abroad;

• by attending a school abroad on the basis of bilateral agreements between the relevant local government units;

• by attending a school at a diplomatic mission of another country in Poland;

• by attending a school in a different country (depending on the country where the pupil attended school, the learning outcomes achieved are subject to different recognition procedures set in Polish legislation).

Pupils with disabilities and ill pupils who would have difficult access to school or are completely unable to take part in school classes can receive a certificate recommending individualised learning. Such a certificate allows them to take home-based classes or individual classes at a school or another educational institution. Pursuant to the Regulation of the Minister of National Education of 9 August 2017 on the individualised programme for the compulsory preschool preparatory year and individualised teaching for children and young people, as subsequently amended (rozporządzenie Ministra Edukacji Narodowej z dnia 9 sierpnia 2017 r. w sprawie indywidualnego obowiązkowego rocznego przygotowania przedszkolnego dzieci i indywidualnego nauczania dzieci i młodzieży, z późn. zm.), the weekly number of individual class (teaching) hours that a pupil participates in is:

• 6 to 8 hours for Grades I to III;

• 8 to 10 hours for Grades IV to V;

• 10 to 12 hours for Grades VII to VIII.

Outstandingly gifted pupils may follow an individual learning programme or path. They may take one, several or all types of compulsory classes/subjects included in the weekly timetable for a given grade, based on a programme which is adjusted to their aptitudes or talents, interests and learning abilities. Pupils taking an individual learning path may learn curricular contents for two or more grades during one school year, and may be assessed and promoted throughout the school year. 

Different assessment arrangements are in place for pupils taking an individual learning programme or path. Pupils only take end-of-year qualifying exams in the types of class/subjects that are included in their individual learning programme or path. There is no ongoing or mid-year assessment. 

Home-based education is an alternative form of education where pupils participate in full-time compulsory education outside a traditional setting, usually at home. This a form of full-time compulsory education where parents rather than the school take responsibility for the teaching of their children. Children must be formally enrolled in a chosen school but learn at home. For children to participate in home-based education, their parents submit a request to the head of the school. Pupils can start home-based education when the head has favourably considered the request. They learn at their own pace and a way which is suited to their individual needs. To be promoted to the next grade, pupils must take compulsory qualifying exams which cover the parts of the core curriculum established for a given subject, education stage and grade. Qualifying exams take place in the school where the pupil is enrolled. Pupils also take the eighth-grader exam in the school where they are enrolled.

Art schools – primary education level 

Art schools in Poland enable children and youth with particular artistic abilities or aptitudes to undertake individualised training in specific fields of fine arts. In parallel to general education programmes, art education forms a separate system which is supervised by the minister responsible for culture and national heritage. The administration of some schools and the supervision of all art schools are the responsibility of the Department of Art Schools in the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage, and the Art Education Centre (Centrum Edukacji Artystycznej). Pursuant to the legislation in force, such schools and educational institutions may also be administered by local government units and other entities, but the State, represented by the minister responsible for culture, remains the key entity in this sector.

In addition to higher education institutions of art studies, the art education system in Poland comprises schools at the primary and secondary (post-primary) levels. Overall, it includes the following types of public and non-public schools and other educational institutions:

• art schools providing art education only;

• art schools providing general education and art education (with the general education component based on the national core curriculum and rules applied in general education schools);

• art centres where young people can develop their artistic abilities and interests;

• boarding schools providing art education and care to pupils studying outside their place of residence.

The following types of art schools provide in parallel general education and art education at the primary education level:

• General 1^st grade music schools (8 years) providing general education, with subjects based on the core curriculum for the primary school, and basic musical education; in the final year of education, pupils take the eighth-grader exam and the final exam in the main music subject.  

• General ballet schools (9 years) providing general education at the level from Grade IV of the primary school up to Grade IV of the general secondary school. The eighth-grader exam is conducted in Grade V. (At the next stage of education, corresponding to the education cycle in general post-primary schools, ballet school students can obtain a vocational diploma of Dancer and a maturity certificate.)

There are also types of art schools which do not provide general education. Children and young people attending primary schools can acquire knowledge and skills in an area of arts in two types of schools:

• 1^st grade music schools (a 4- or 6-year education cycle), with no vocational qualifications awarded at this level; and

• Schools of dance arts (a 9-year education cycle), where pupils can obtain the qualifications for the occupation of Dancer upon completion of the full education cycle.

For a description of art education at the secondary level, see Chapter 5.10, the section ‘Art education – post-primary education level’.

The Act of 14 December 2016, The Law on School Education (ustawa z dnia 14 grudnia 2016 r. – Prawo oświatowe) and the Act of 26 January 1982, The Teachers’ Charter (ustawa z dnia 26 stycznia 1982 r. – Karta Nauczyciela), as subsequently amended, set the legal framework for art education at the primary and secondary education levels. They provide the basis for detailed arrangements laid down in regulations of the ministers responsible for culture and national heritage and for school education.

Number of art schools and pupils in the school year 2024/2025:

The preliminary data on education in Poland in the school year 2024/2025, published  by the Polish Central Statistical Office, indicates that there were 57 art schools which did not award vocational qualifications. These schools had 684 classes, with 11,862 pupils (Source: Polish Central Statistical Office, Education in the 2024/2025 school year (preliminary data)).