Cycles of basic education

In Portugal, basic education covers primary (ISCED 1) and lower secondary education (ISCED 2) within a single structure.

Basic education lasts for nine years and is divided into three cycles (see table below).

The first and second cycles together correspond to primary education (ISCED 1); and the third cycle corresponds to lower secondary education (ISCED 2). 

Basic education is preceded by pre-primary education (see Chapter 4 - Pre-primary education and childcare) and is followed by upper secondary education (see Chapter 6 - Upper secondary and post-secondary non-higher education).

General objective

Basic education provides pupils with a common general education, with the learning necessary to continue studies at upper secondary level. There is also a set of values, principles and competence areas considered fundamental for pupils' learning during the 12 years of compulsory education, as found in the Exit Profile of Pupils Leaving Compulsory Education. 

Guiding principles

The principles guiding the organisation and management of the basic education curriculum, as well as learning assessment and curriculum development, are more specifically outlined in Decree-Law No. 55/2018, 6 July, in its current wording, and regulated by Ordinance No. 223-A/2018, 3 August, in its current wording, which regulates basic education provision (basic education and specialised artistic courses).

Designed to reinforce and consolidate schools’ and teachers’ pedagogical autonomy, thus encouraging them to adopt differentiating measures that facilitate didactic and pedagogical solutions that improve students’ learning conditions, the Ministry of Education, Science and Innovation (MECI) advocates some general guidelines to be applied to how school years should be organised through its Regulatory Decree No. 10-B/2018, 6 July, in its current wording.

The same legislation contains measures focussed on educational success, ensuring all students can achieve the competences in the Exit Profile of Students Leaving Compulsory Education.
The following measures should be highlighted:

• a multi-level approach that facilitates the use of universal, selective and additional measures, in cases where specific needs for access to curricular learning are identified
• hours set aside for educational support for pupils with learning difficulties
• measures of classroom support to encourage teamwork between teachers
• study support
• complementary provision in 2nd and 3rd cycle curricula to create new subjects to enrich the curriculum and
• specific tutorial support to students who have repeated the grade two or more times.

Schools should organise career guidance activities at specific times during the school year (announced to the school community in a timely fashion), to prevent school failure and early school leaving.

As part of the National Strategy for Citizenship Education, schools approve its strategy for citizenship education, defining the areas, themes and learning in each cycle and schooling grade, how work is organised, student projects, the partnerships with the community and the assessment of students' learning.

Education and training provision

Basic education in Portugal includes the following education and training provision:

a) General basic education: general basic education aims to provide students with a general education to continue their studies, in accordance with the principles, values and skills areas found in the Exit Profile of Students Leaving Compulsory Education.

b) Specialised artistic courses: the curriculum is strengthened in the artistic area to provide focus on specific training in the areas of dance, music, and Gregorian chant. 

c) Education and training courses (Cursos de Educação e Formação - CEF) prepare young people to continue upper secondary level studies and future qualified status in the job market geared towards concluding compulsory schooling and access to working life. 

d) Education and training courses for young people in the field of music (CEFJAM) - provide young people education in the field of music through vocational training. These courses provide students with a general education equivalent to general basic education that allows them to continue their studies into secondary education (Ordinance No. 203-B/2024/1, 10 September).

Types of institutions

General basic education and specialised artistic courses are taught in:

• public schools/school clusters.
• private and cooperative schools.

Education and training courses can run in:

• private and cooperative schools.
• public school clusters and non-clustered schools.
• public or private vocational schools.
• private and cooperative schools.

The Training Provision Portal provides a list of available courses and schools/ training bodies for all basic education level schooling and training.

For information on the types of educational institutions in Portugal, see the Structure of the national education system, in the Overview.

Reference legislation on basic education

Law No. 46/86, 14 October - Education Act.

Despatch No. 6478/2017, 26 July - Exit Profile of Students Leaving Compulsory Education

Decree-Law No. 54/2018, 6 July (in its current wording, attributed by Law No. 116/2019, 13 September and Decree-Law No. 62/2023, 25 July) - establishes the principles and rules that ensure inclusion. Such inclusion is viewed as a process that responds to the different needs and potential of every student via increased participation in learning processes and the life of the educational community.

Decree-Law No. 55/2018, 6 July (in its current wording, attributed  by Decree-Law No. 62/2023, 25 July´and by Decree-Law No. 12/2025, 21 February) - establishes basic and upper secondary education curriculum, the guiding principles of its design, operation, and evaluation of learning to ensure that all students acquire the knowledge and develop the skills and attitudes that contribute to acquiring the skills set out in the Exit Profile of Students Leaving Compulsory Education.

Ordinance No. 223-A/2018, 3 August (in its current wording) - regulates basic education provision, as stipulated in no. 2 of Article 7 of Decree-Law No. 55/2018, 6 July, namely general basic education, and specialised artistic courses. It defines the rules and procedures for the design and operation of the curriculum, as well as the evaluation and certification of learning, as stipulated in the Exit Profile of Students Leaving Compulsory Education.

Despatch No. 6944-A/2018, 19 July - approves the Essential Learning of the curriculum components and subjects included in the basic curricular matrices of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd cycles of general basic education.

Ordinance No 181/2019, 11 June (amended by Ordinance No 306/2021, 17 December) - defines the terms and conditions under which schools can manage over 25 % of the basic curriculum of basic and upper secondary education, with the aim of developing innovation plans.

Ordinance No 359/2019, 8 October - regulates the distance learning modality, provided for in paragraph a) of no. 1 of article 8 of Decree-Law No 55/2018, 6 July, defining the rules and procedures regarding the organisation and operation of the curriculum, as well as the attendance regime.

Decree-Law no. 70/2021, 3 August (amended by Decree-Law No. 8/2025, 11 February) - approves the legal framework of home schooling and individual tuition.

Decree-Law No. 12/2025, 21 February and Legislative Order No 2-A/2025, 3 March – approves a new model for external evaluation of students, launched by the Ministry of Education, Science and Innovation (MECI), in force since school year 2024/2025.

National Strategy for Citizenship Education

Essencial learning (Aprendizagens Essenciais)

For more reference legislation, see the Directorate-General for Education website.

Statistics on basic education

Pupils enrolled (and percentage distribution) in basic education, by type of educational establishment and education and training provision – Portugal (2022/23)

Source: Estatísticas da Educação 2022/23, Direção-Geral de Estatísticas da Educação e Ciência (DGEEC).

Number of educational establishments by type with ISCED 1 and 2 provision (1st, 2nd and 3rd cycles of basic education) - Mainland Portugal, 2024/2025

Source: Directorate-General for Education and Science Statistics (DGEEC), 2025. Notes: Only includes statistical information collected as part of the annual school census (kindergartens and educational establishments, public and private, pedagogically supervised by the Ministry of Education, Science and Innovation). Typologies according to Decree-Law 299/2007, 22 August.

For an overview of pupils/students’ profile at the different levels of education and teaching in Portugal, see the illustrated summary of Student Profile: Mainland 2022/23 (DGEEC). 

For additional information on basic education statistics, see Estatísticas da Educação 2022/23, p. 74, Direção-Geral de Estatísticas da Educação e Ciência (DGEEC).