Single school zone: 94.14% of 4th year Infant students get their first choice in a year of less demand
Applications for places decrease by 11% due to the birth rate decline and facilitate the fit between supply and demand
PalmaThe enrollment process for the 2026-2027 academic year in the 4th year of early childhood education (3 years old) has registered 94.14% (+0.15 compared to the 2025-2026 academic year) of first-choice assignments, in a context marked by the implementation of the single school zone model in practically all municipalities of the Balearic Islands and by a notable reduction in the number of applications compared to the previous year, in line with the declining birth rate. Last year there were 7,473 and this year 6,651, a decrease of 11% which has facilitated the placement of children.
This new single zoning scheme applies to the majority of municipalities in Mallorca, with exceptions such as Selva, Calvià, Santa Margalida, and Andratx; in Menorca, Maó maintains a differentiated zone for Sant Climent; and in Ibiza, several zones are maintained.
The decrease in demand has been generalized to all islands. In Mallorca, 5,068 applications have been registered, 12.95% less than the 5,822 of the previous academic year; in Menorca, 549 applications, 7.42% less than 593; in Ibiza, 988, 1.40% less than 1,002, and in Formentera, 46, 17.86% less than 56. This lower pressure on the system has facilitated the alignment between the demand from families and the availability of places.
According to data from the process managed by the Ministry of Education and Universities, 94.14% of 3-year-old children have obtained a place at the center chosen as their first option, a figure slightly higher than that of the previous academic year (93.99%) and which consolidates the trend of improvement in recent years.
The Minister of Education, Antoni Vera, has celebrated the results and defended the single zone model, assuring that "the freedom of families has been reinforced" and that efforts are being made so that "freedom of choice is not a problem in the application process." In this regard, he stated that families "are satisfied" and that the improvement is around 2% compared to the previous year. Nevertheless, it should be remembered that the single zone has been rejected by a large part of the educational community, who consider it segregating.
Ibiza, the island with the worst results
By islands, the results show high performance in all territories. In Mallorca, 95.24% of the 5,068 children have been admitted to the center requested as their first choice (94.60% last school year). In Menorca, the figure reaches 94.54% of the 549 students (94.26% the previous year), while in Ibiza it stands at 87.96% of the 988 children, and it is the only island where the percentage has decreased compared to the last school year (90%). In Formentera, 100% of the 46 applicants have obtained a place as their first choice.
In total, 3.98% (265 children) have been assigned to one of the alternative options proposed by families, mostly as a second choice. In parallel, 1.88% (125 cases) of cases could not be resolved in either the first or second choice, and the affected families have already been summoned by the enrollment services to complete the place assignment: 67 in Mallorca, 39 in Ibiza, and 6 in Menorca.
In Palma, where it had been pointed out that the single zone could have a more negative impact or favor segregation, the data show an improvement compared to the previous year. 1,947 children, (96.63% of the 2,015 who applied for a place) have entered the chosen center as their first option, while 2.73% (55) have done so as their second preference and only 0.65% (13) have not obtained an assigned place in this phase. Overall, 94.35% of families have been served with a place within the same municipality, between the first and second option.
Education highlights as positive the increase in online processing and that the adjustment of educational supply to demand have contributed to improving the efficiency of the process. The overall improvement in indicators and the increase in family satisfaction, estimated at around 2% compared to the previous academic year, are also valued.