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Monaco schools and crèches – enrolment dates, free state schools, International School and grants

Last updated 25 September 2026Rules checked every MondayOfficial sourcesSources & methodology →

Monaco schools are free, follow the French curriculum and teach English from age three – but your school depends on your address, the enrolment window closes in March, and crèche places go to residents first. Here is how it works for a family arriving in 2026, from crèche to university.

A teacher helps a small group of children at their desks in a bright Monaco classroom, the sea and hillside through the window
Illustration: Relocate in Europe

If you are moving to Monaco with children, three things changed just before you arrived. Ministerial Order 2026-377 of 3 July 2026 confirms that foreign students qualify for State scholarships only after ten years of uninterrupted residence, and then with 30 per cent less. The Mairie de Monaco (town hall) announced a new municipal crèche, crèche Ida, due to open in September 2026. And the school year began on Monday 7 September 2026 on Monaco's own calendar, set by Ministerial Order 2026-132 of 16 March 2026.

Monaco schools are few – ten public and two Catholic schools under State contract – but free, recognised as French schools abroad and attached to the Académie de Nice for exams.

Is school compulsory in Monaco, and from what age?

Under Law 1.334 of 12 July 2007, school is compulsory from age 6 until 16 for every child who is Monegasque or whose parents live in Monaco, in a school in the Principality. A school outside Monaco or home education must be declared to the Direction de l'Éducation Nationale, de la Jeunesse et des Sports (DENJS – the education department) every year. Nursery school (école maternelle) is optional from age 3; a Monegasque child must be given a place on request, and children of residents within the limit of available places.

StageAgesClasses and diploma
École maternelle (nursery), optional3–5–
École élémentaire6–10CP to CM2
Collège11–146e to 3e, ending with the Diplôme National du Brevet
Lycée15–172nde to Terminale, ending with the baccalauréat

Source: Mon Service Public and Law 1.334 of 12 July 2007, read 24 September 2026.

Which Monaco schools can your child attend – state, Catholic or international?

The public system has seven nursery and elementary schools, one collège and two lycées; the 2026 baccalauréat pass rate was 99.5 per cent, according to the Government. Two Catholic schools under contract with the State charge fees set by that contract: Cours Saint-Maur and the Institution François d'Assise–Nicolas Barré (FANB). Outside the contract, the International School of Monaco is bilingual in French and English and affiliated to the International Baccalaureate Organization; the British School of Monaco follows the British system. No private fees appear on the official pages.

SchoolTypeGood to know
Seven public écoles: Carmes, Parc, Stella, Condamine, Fontvieille, Saint-Charles, RévoiresPublic, free, nursery and/or elementaryYour sector decides; Saint-Charles has an FLE section
Collège Charles IIIPublic, free, ages 11–14Anglais plus, European section, international option
Lycée Albert IerPublic, free, ages 15–17International option of the baccalauréat, European English section
Cours Saint-Maur (primary) and FANB (nursery to Terminale)Catholic, under contract, feesEuropean Italian section at FANB
International School of MonacoPrivate, outside the contractBilingual, International Baccalaureate
British School of MonacoPrivateYear 1 to Year 6; online A-level courses

Source: Mon Service Public and the Government of Monaco, read 24 September 2026.

Public and contracted schools all teach English from age 3, Catholic religious instruction unless the parents ask for exemption, the history of Monaco and the Monégasque language, compulsory from CE2 to 3e – part 11 covers the languages. The school year lasts 36 weeks, from September to July.

How do you enrol – catchment, dates and documents

Monaco is divided into five sectors for public nursery and elementary schools, and your address decides the school. To change sector you write to the DENJS before 1 May; meanwhile your child attends the sector school. On-time applications from neighbourhood children, Monegasque or resident, come first.

SchoolEnrolment for 2026–2027
Public and private nursery and elementary schoolsMonday 5 January to Friday 13 March 2026, online or on paper by appointment
Collège Charles III1 May to 19 June 2026 – Monegasque or resident pupils only
Public lycées12 January to 19 June 2026
FANB collège and lycéeFrom 5 January 2026 to 13 March (collège) or 1 June (lycée), by appointment

Source: Mon Service Public, read 24 September 2026.

Arriving after the window? Newcomers use a separate procedure, online or at the DENJS. A receipt of your residence-card application is accepted provisionally; enrolment becomes final only when you show the carte de séjour (residence card). Bring the parents' ID, the child's birth certificate, vaccination record and last three school reports, and a custody judgment translated into French if relevant. A child whose mother tongue is not French sits a level test.

Crèches and childcare in Monaco – who gets a place?

The Mairie runs collective crèches for children from 2 months to 3 years, three micro-crèches, a family crèche with approved childminders, a jardin d'éveil and a summer Mini-Club – close to 400 places, reserved in priority for Monegasque and resident children. You pre-register online on the Mairie's Portail Familles; the Service Petite Enfance et Familles, telephone +377 93 15 61 80, allocates the places; no fee scale is published. IMSEE, the statistics office, counts 15 childcare structures, 13 of them public; 39.4 per cent of resident children aged 2 and under were in a crèche in 2025.

If you work, the CCSS (Caisse de Compensation des Services Sociaux – the health and family fund) contributes to crèche costs up to age 3 and day-nursery costs up to age 6 in approved facilities. Family benefits also depend on nationality and residence conditions – part 9 has the detail.

CCSS family benefitAmount per childCondition
Family allowance, from 1 October 2025€171.00 (age 0–3), €256.50 (3–6), €307.80 (6–10), €359.10 (over 10) a monthAt least 75 hours of work a month; full amount from 145 hours
Back-to-school allowance 2026€157, €236, €281 or €331 by the same age bandsQuotient familial not above €1,268; paid from the end of August
Crèche and day-nursery costsA contribution, within the green or pink card income levelsBoth parents work at least 75 hours a month; apply within 30 days

Source: Caisses Sociales de Monaco, read 24 September 2026.

Scholarships, canteen and transport – what a newcomer can claim

State scholarships (bourses d'études) go to Monegasque students, foreign spouses of Monegasques, foreign students with a Monegasque parent, dependants of State and Commune agents, and foreign students who have lived in Monaco for at least ten years without interruption – so a family arriving in 2026 waits a decade, and the last two groups get 30 per cent less.

SupportWho qualifiesDeadline or price
State scholarship (Ministerial Order 2026-377)Monegasques, family of Monegasques, foreign residents of ten years or moreApply to the DENJS from 1 June to the last Friday of September, 14:00
School-canteen allowance, public schoolsSame categories, plus a single parent, two working parents or three childrenLast Friday of November, 14:00
CAM school bus pick-up (Carmes, Parc, FANB)Any pupil, via the school€34 a term, 2025–2026 rate
Pass ScolairePupils in Monaco up to Terminale€10 for unlimited bus travel for a school year

Source: Journal de Monaco, Mon Service Public and the Compagnie des Autobus de Monaco, read 24 September 2026.

Universities and higher education in Monaco

The International University of Monaco (IUM) is a private English-language institution offering bachelor, master and doctoral programmes in management, finance and luxury goods and services, with degrees recognised by ministerial order in 2023. The hospital's nursing school, the Mairie's art school and post-baccalaureate courses (BTS, DCG) at the two lycées complete the picture. A student covered through a CCSS-insured parent keeps that cover up to 21, or 26 if studying in Monaco while the parent lives there.

What to do now

StepWhatWhen
1Find your school sector and note the enrolment windowAs soon as you have a lease
2Arriving outside the window: use the DENJS newcomer procedure with your residence-card receipt (+377 98 98 80 05)In your first days
3Gather the birth certificate, vaccination record and school reportsBefore the appointment
4Pre-register for a crèche on the Portail FamillesAs early as possible – residents have priority
5Ask the CCSS about crèche-cost help and family allowancesWithin 30 days of the placement

Source: Mon Service Public, Mairie de Monaco and Caisses Sociales de Monaco, read 24 September 2026.

Official sources

The official pages this guide is based on, read 24 September 2026. Links open the authority’s own website.

Relocate in Europe provides general information, not legal or financial advice for your individual situation. Check with the authority named above before you act – rules change, and your case may differ.