Since 2020, the EASIE data collection has taken place annually. Before 2020, it took place every two years. The default view below is the most recent school year available.

The data is presented in tables, focusing on different aspects of inclusive education. Unless stated otherwise in the notes, the data displayed is from the selected school year.

Click on the icon in the data tables to open a pop-up window containing the data sources and notes.

The Country Report presents the indicator tables, which are generated from the data in the data tables. The HTML versions of the Country Reports on the webpage are accessible; the PDF downloads are automatically generated and may not be fully accessible. To view the Country Report, click the 'View Country Report' button below.

Where data is not displayed, the following reasons have been given: 

  • Data tables – ‘M’ for missing data, ‘NA’ where data is not applicable
  • Indicator tables – ‘NC’ where indicators cannot be calculated.

The ‘Background Information’ questionnaires are completed to give context to the data in the data tables. You can download the background information for the 2012/2013, 2014/2015 and 2016/2017 datasets as PDFs. For all other datasets, use the drop-down menu below.

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2022/2023 Data:

Question ISCED 02 ISCED 1 ISCED 2 ISCED 3
Boys: Girls: Total: Boys: Girls: Total: Boys: Girls: Total: Boys: Girls: Total:
1.1 Actual population of children/learners in the typical ISCED age ranges
129,882
123,824
253,706
1.1
263,478
249,497
512,975
1.2
147,061
142,289
289,350
1.3
150,608
144,500
295,108
1.4
1.2 All children/learners enrolled in any form of recognised education
129,678
122,526
252,204
2.1
292,102
277,553
569,655
2.2
169,207
161,067
330,274
2.3
188,940
187,323
376,263
2.4
1.3 All children/learners enrolled in mainstream (pre-)schools
129,674
122,524
252,198
3.1
291,965
277,469
569,434
3.2
168,639
160,860
329,499
3.3
188,940
187,323
376,263
3.4
1.3a All children/learners educated with their peers in mainstream groups/classes for 80% or more of the time
129,469
122,437
251,906
4.1
288,728
275,867
564,595
4.2
165,917
159,319
325,236
4.3
187,305
186,309
373,614
4.4
1.3b All children/learners educated in separate groups/classes, spending less than 80% of the time with their peers in mainstream groups/classes
205
87
292
5.1
3,237
1,602
4,839
5.2
2,722
1,541
4,263
5.3
1,635
1,014
2,649
5.4
1.4 All children/learners educated outside of mainstream (pre-)schools
4
2
6
6.1
137
84
221
6.2
568
207
775
6.3
NA
NA
NA
6.4
1.4a All children/learners educated in separate special (pre-)schools or units organised by the ministry of education
4
2
6
7.1
137
84
221
7.2
568
207
775
7.3
NA
NA
NA
7.4
1.4b All children/learners educated in separate special (pre-)schools or units organised by other sectors/ministries
NA
NA
NA
8.1
NA
NA
NA
8.2
NA
NA
NA
8.3
NA
NA
NA
8.4
1.4c All children/learners educated in other recognised forms of alternative education
NA
NA
NA
9.1
NA
NA
NA
9.2
NA
NA
NA
9.3
NA
NA
NA
9.4
1.4d All children/learners educated in recognised forms of home schooling
NA
NA
NA
10.1
NA
NA
NA
10.2
NA
NA
NA
10.3
NA
NA
NA
10.4
1.5 All children/learners who should, by law, be in some form of recognised education, but who are out of any form of recognised education.
NA
NA
NA
11.1
NA
NA
NA
11.2
NA
NA
NA
11.3
NA
NA
NA
11.4
Question ISCED 02 ISCED 1 ISCED 2 ISCED 3
Boys: Girls: Total: Boys: Girls: Total: Boys: Girls: Total: Boys: Girls: Total:
2.1 Actual population of children/learners with an official decision of SEN in the typical ISCED age ranges
4,237
1,512
5,749
1.1
28,923
16,853
45,776
1.2
18,962
11,802
30,764
1.3
10,933
7,300
18,233
1.4
2.2 All children/learners with an official decision of SEN in any recognised form of education
4,237
1,512
5,749
2.1
28,923
16,853
45,776
2.2
18,962
11,802
30,764
2.3
10,933
7,300
18,233
2.4
2.3 All children/learners with an official decision of SEN educated in mainstream (pre-)schools
4,233
1,510
5,743
3.1
28,786
16,769
45,555
3.2
18,394
11,595
29,989
3.3
10,933
7,300
18,233
3.4
2.3a All children/learners with an official decision of SEN educated with their peers in mainstream groups/classes for 80% or more of the time
4,028
1,423
5,451
4.1
25,549
15,167
40,716
4.2
15,672
10,054
25,726
4.3
9,298
6,286
15,584
4.4
2.3b All children/learners with an official decision of SEN educated in separate groups/classes, spending less than 80% of the time with their peers in mainstream groups/classes
205
87
292
5.1
3,237
1,602
4,839
5.2
2,722
1,541
4,263
5.3
1,635
1,014
2,649
5.4
2.4 All children/learners with an official decision of SEN educated outside of mainstream (pre-)schools
4
2
6
6.1
137
84
221
6.2
568
207
775
6.3
NA
NA
NA
6.4
2.4a All children/learners with an official decision of SEN?educated in separate special (pre-)schools or units organised by the ministry of education
4
2
6
7.1
137
84
221
7.2
568
207
775
7.3
NA
NA
NA
7.4
2.4b All children/learners with an official decision of SEN? educated in separate special (pre-)schools or units organised by other sectors/ministries
NA
NA
NA
8.1
NA
NA
NA
8.2
NA
NA
NA
8.3
NA
NA
NA
8.4
2.4c All children/learners with an official decision of SEN educated in other recognised forms of alternative education
NA
NA
NA
9.1
NA
NA
NA
9.2
NA
NA
NA
9.3
NA
NA
NA
9.4
2.4d All children/learners with an official decision of SEN educated in recognised forms of home schooling
NA
NA
NA
10.1
NA
NA
NA
10.2
NA
NA
NA
10.3
NA
NA
NA
10.4
2.5 All children/learners with an official decision of SEN who should, by law, be in some form of recognised education, but who are out of any form of recognised education
NA
NA
NA
11.1
NA
NA
NA
11.2
NA
NA
NA
11.3
NA
NA
NA
11.4

Portugal - Country Background Information

Describing the forms of education in the country

The EASIE data collection covers all recognised forms of education at ISCED levels 02, 1, 2 and 3. This means any type of education organised by or approved by any recognised educational provider in the public or private sector: municipality, local or regional educational provider from the public or private sector, working with/for ministries responsible for education and areas such as health, social, welfare, labour, justice, etc.

What is the compulsory education age range in the country?

The compulsory age range in Portugal is from 6 to 18 years old.

What are the typical age ranges for the ISCED levels?

ISCED LEVEL 02 ISCED LEVEL 1 ISCED LEVEL 2 ISCED LEVEL 3
3–5 6–11 12–14 15–17
Is private sector education covered by the data provided for the country?
Yes

In Portugal, private schools mean they are promoted, controlled and managed by private entities, with pedagogical and scientific supervision by the Ministry of Education:

  • Dependent private education - Private education whose central funding is supported 50% or more by public entities, or whose teaching staff are paid by a government body
  • Independent private education - Private education whose central funding is supported 50% or less by public entities, or whose teaching staff are not paid by a government body.
Is recognised public or private education organised by sectors other than education (i.e. health, social, welfare, labour, justice, etc.) in the data provided for the country?
No
Are there recognised forms of alternative education covered by the data provided for the country?
Yes

In Portugal, home schooling is only available to respond to families who, for strictly personal or professional mobility reasons, wish to take on greater responsibility for their children's education, opting to develop the educational process outside the school context. The freedom of parents who opt for these education systems is thus guaranteed, as well as flexibility and adaptation to the pace of development of the learning of each child and young person.

According to Decree-Law no. 70/2021 of 3 August:

  • ‘Home schooling' takes place in the learner's home, taught by a family member or by a person who lives with them;
  • ‘One-to-one teaching' is teaching by a qualified teacher to a single learner outside an educational establishment.
Are there recognised forms of home schooling covered by the data provided for the country?
Yes

According to decree-law 70/2021, 3 August, articles 18 and 19, learners have a portfolio to make and discuss their learning and its evolution.

The completion of each ISCED level depends on carrying out a successful exam:

  • ISCED 1 and 2 – exams at the school level
  • ISCED 3 – national examinations.
Identifying an ‘inclusive setting’ in the country

In the EASIE data collection, an inclusive setting is operationally defined as:

A recognised form of education where the child/learner follows education in mainstream classes alongside their peers for the largest part – 80% or more – of the school week.

The 80% time placement benchmark clearly indicates that a child/learner is educated in a mainstream class for the majority of their school week. At the same time, it acknowledges possibilities for small group or one-to-one withdrawal for limited periods of time (i.e. 20% or one day a week).

Very few participating countries can provide exact data on children/learners spending 80% of their time in a mainstream group/class. However, all countries can apply one of three agreed proxies that provide an approximation to this benchmark:

  • Placement in a mainstream class implies over 80% or more.
  • Data is available on the number of hours of support allocated to a child/learner.
  • Placement in a mainstream class implies over 50% or more.
What an ‘official decision of SEN’ means in the country

In the EASIE data collection, the agreed operational definition is:

An official decision leads to a child/learner being recognised as eligible for additional educational support to meet their learning needs.

Countries may have different types of official decision, but for all official decisions:

  • There has been some form of educational assessment procedure involving different people. This procedure may involve the child/learner, parents, school-based team members, as well as professionals from multi-disciplinary teams from outside the child’s/learner’s (pre-)school.
  • There is some form of legal document (plan/programme, etc.) that describes the support the child/learner is eligible to receive, which is used as the basis for decision-making.
  • There is some form of regular review process of the child/learner’s needs, progress and support.
What ‘out-of-education’ means in the country

Within the EASIE data collection, specific questions examine children/learners who are out of education. This means children/learners who should, by law, be in some form of recognised education, but who are out of any form of recognised education. A recognised form of education is any type of education organised by or approved by any recognised educational provider in the public or private sector.

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