Rising Numbers of Immigrant Students in Spanish Schools

Nearly 20 percent of students in Spanish primary and secondary schools come from immigrant backgrounds, according to data from Spain’s Education Minister reported by local outlets. This data suggests a notable uptick in migrant enrollment across these schools, reflecting shifting immigration trends in the country over the past decade.

For the upcoming 2024-2025 academic year, it’s projected that 1,151,694 migrant students will be enrolled, which is a significant rise from the 724,635 reported during the 2014-2015 school year. The majority of these students are located in regions like the Balearic Islands, Valencia, La Rioja, Aragon, Catalonia, Murcia, and Madrid, where the percentage of immigrant students exceeds the national average of 12.9 percent.

One publication noted a remarkable 115 percent increase in Hispanic immigrant students, particularly driven by a surge in Colombian students, who have seen their numbers quadruple in the last decade. Over the same period, the enrollment of South American students has risen from 164,465 to 352,677, accounting for 30.6 percent of all immigrant students. Colombian students alone have increased drastically, jumping from 27,957 to 114,723.

On the other hand, the enrollment of African students, traditionally a major source of immigration, has slowed. The number of African immigrant students rose from 219,048 to 260,139, an 18.8 percent increase that seems modest compared to the explosive growth among Hispanic students.

Moroccan students still represent the largest foreign group in Spain’s education system, but their numbers have slightly decreased. From 205,418 in the 2019-2020 academic year, enrollment has dropped to 200,487 for 2024-2025.

Comparing regional growth highlights the substantial shift: South America added 188,212 students over the past decade, while Africa saw an increase of just 41,091—showing that the growth from South America was six times that of Africa, specifically Colombia surpassing Africa’s growth rate by over 16 times.

Factors influencing these changes include shifts in U.S. immigration policies enacted following the 9/11 attacks. Before the turn of the century, approximately 72 percent of Hispanic immigrants resided in the United States. Research indicated that by 2018, Spain was home to 47.4 percent of Europe’s Hispanic immigrant population, likely due to the lack of a language barrier, historical connections to Latin America, and relatively lenient immigration processes in Spain.