First Grade Primary School Enrolment in Montenegro 2026/27 and 2027/28: Which Children Enrol, Online Application from 1 April, Medical Check, Testing, Postponing School and Free Textbooks

In Montenegro the first grade of primary school takes children who turn six during the calendar year in which they start school: for the 2026/27 school year that means children born in 2020, and for 2027/28 children born in 2021. Enrolment as a rule takes place in April on the basis of a medical check, and for 2026 parents could apply online from 1 April on the upisi.edu.me portal. A child enrols in the school whose area covers the address of permanent or temporary residence, and the start of school can be postponed by one school year if the child is not ready. Every primary school pupil is entitled to free textbooks paid by the state budget.

This guide explains who enrols, how enrolment works, how the start can be brought forward or postponed and what applies to textbooks.

Which children enrol in the first grade?

• Children who turn six during the calendar year in which they start school are enrolled.
• Compulsory primary education lasts from the age of six to 15.
• A school's area is the territory from which children enrol according to permanent or temporary residence, and the municipal authority decides which settlements belong to which school.
• By the end of February the civil registry authority sends the municipality a list of children of school age, and by the end of March the municipality passes it to the schools.

How does enrolment work?

• The Ministry of Education, Science and Innovation announces the start of enrolment; in 2026 it began on 1 April.
• Parents can apply online on the upisi.edu.me portal.
• Enrolment is based on a medical check of the child.
• The head teacher appoints an enrolment committee, and schools that have the means test the children.
• Under the immunisation schedule, a child aged five to eight receives, on enrolment in primary school, the vaccine against diphtheria, tetanus, polio and whooping cough and the second dose of the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine.

Can a child start earlier or later?

• In exceptional cases a child can enrol before turning six, on the parents' proposal and with the approval of the school committee.
• The start of school can be postponed by one school year if the child is found not to be ready, on the proposal of the committee or the parents.
• A special committee of a pedagogue or psychologist, a class teacher and a preschool teacher decides on the postponement.
• The committee takes into account the opinion of the parents and of the relevant health service.

What happens if a child is not enrolled?

• The school must report the parents of a child who is not enrolled or does not attend compulsory education to the competent inspectorate within 15 days of the enrolment deadline.
• A parent who organises home education informs the school where the child is enrolled in writing at least two months before it starts.
• The school's teachers' council decides on home education, and the school checks the child's knowledge at the end of the term or of the teaching year.
• Every primary school pupil has been entitled to free textbooks paid by the state budget since the 2021/22 school year.

How a child enrols in kindergarten and what it costs is covered in our guide to kindergarten, and which vaccines a child gets before school in our guide to child vaccination. What applies to foreign children and international schools is explained in our guide to schools for foreign children, and how secondary school enrolment works later in our guide to secondary school enrolment.

Frequently asked questions

Which birth year goes into the first grade in 2026/27? Children born in 2020, because they turn six during 2026.

When does first grade enrolment start? Enrolment as a rule takes place in April; in 2026 it began on 1 April.

How do I enrol my child online? A parent applies on the upisi.edu.me portal, and enrolment is completed on the basis of the child's medical check.

Can a child start school at five? In exceptional cases, yes, on the parents' proposal and with the approval of the school committee.

Can the start of school be postponed? Yes, by one school year, if the committee finds that the child is not ready.

Are first grade textbooks free? Yes, every primary school pupil is entitled to free textbooks paid by the state budget.

Sources

The age rule, enrolment in April on the basis of a medical check, testing, postponement, school areas and home education are set by the Law on Primary Education (Arts. 31 to 38), and free textbooks by its 2021 amendment (Official Gazette 59/21, Art. 2b). The start of enrolment and the online application for 2026 were announced by the Ministry of Education, Science and Innovation. The information was checked on 28 September 2026. Fijaka is a classifieds platform; this text is not legal advice.