The Ministry of Education, Culture and Sport has published a ruling in the Official Gazette of the Generalitat Valenciana, reducing the maximum ratio in the 3-year-old Infant stage for the academic year 2023-2024 in 65 municipalities with low birth rates, 10 more than in the current academic year 2022-2023.
The 3-year-old Infant stage is when, in a general way, the students begin their schooling in centres supported with public funds. The next academic year, boys and girls born in 2020 will be enrolled in 3-year-old Infants. The crude birth rate in Valencia in 2020 reached its lowest level in 46 years with 7.5 births per 1,000 inhabitants. This year, 35,761 girls and boys were born in Valencian territory, the lowest figure in the last 25 years. This, together with the decrease in the arrival of new populations, means that the population that must attend school has been reduced considerably, especially in some Valencian towns.
3-year-old students who enroll in classrooms with a maximum of 20, 22 or 23 male and female students continue their schooling with these maximums established in the following courses until the end of Primary.
In the regions of Alicante, a total of 19 municipalities will have reduced ratios in the 3-year-old Infant stage. In 14 of these the maximum ratio at this initial level will be 20 students per group, and they are Alcoy, L’Alfàs del Pi, Banyeres de Mariola, Catral, Elda, Guardamar del Segura, Monóvar, Muro de Alcoy, Novelda, Petrer, Pinoso, Sax, Villena and Jijona. In the remaining five, the maximum ratio will be 23 students per classroom, and they are Cocentaina, Ibi, Pego, San Vicente del Raspeig and Jávea.
Parallel to this reduction in ratios for 3-year-old Infants in the municipalities where the birth rate is lowest, it must be remembered that Education is offering 123 new 2-year-old Infant classrooms in public schools for the next academic year, which means an increase of around 2,200 the offer of places to facilitate early incorporation into the educational system, since all these classrooms have a low ratio of 18 students per unit.
Admission in Infant and Primary for the next academic year 2023-2024 will be open from April 20 to 28 on the web telematricula.es.
Girls and boys born in 2020 opt for the 3-year-old Infant places for admission this year, and the 2-year-old Infant population, the population born in 2021.
