Catchment schools in Prague: how to find yours
Your catchment school isn't decided by the neighbourhood but by the child's exact address of permanent residence. How to find it, who gets priority and what to watch out for when you move.
The address decides the catchment area, not the neighbourhood
Each district (městská část) sets the catchment areas of its primary schools (ZŠ) and nursery schools (MŠ) by a catchment ordinance (spádová vyhláška; §§ 178 and 179 of the Education Act, školský zákon). The boundaries run along streets and often down the middle of them: even numbers may belong to a different school than odd ones. What counts is the child's address of permanent residence.
Who gets priority
- At primary school, children with permanent residence in the catchment area get priority, up to the school's capacity.
- At nursery school, priority goes to children with permanent residence in the catchment area who turn three by the start of the school year. Pre-school education is compulsory in the year before starting school.
- Other children are admitted according to criteria the school publishes before enrolment.
Moving house?
- The catchment is based on permanent residence on the date of enrolment. If you're moving, register your child at the new address in good time.
- Some districts check that newly registered children really live in the catchment area.
- With a new build, it's worth checking whether the address is already in the ordinance; new streets are added to the ordinances with a delay.
Enrolment
Enrolment (zápis) for the first year of primary school runs from 15. 1. 2027 to 15. 2. 2027, and for nursery schools from 15. 3. 2027 to 15. 4. 2027.
Prague has 321 primary schools and 444 nursery schools. Each one has its inspection reports, programme and parents' reviews.
Frequently asked questions
How do I find my catchment school?
Enter your child's address of permanent residence into the catchment search on Městomat. The catchment area is set by the district's ordinance; we show both the catchment primary school and nursery school.
Does the catchment school have to accept my child?
Children with permanent residence in the catchment area get priority until the school is full. When there are more catchment children than places, the school's criteria decide, often by lottery.
Can I send my child to a school other than the catchment one?
Yes. You can apply to several schools; a non-catchment school accepts children if it has places left after the catchment children, according to its published criteria.
Do catchment areas apply to nursery schools too?
Yes. Children aged three and over with permanent residence in the catchment area get priority at the catchment nursery school. In many Prague districts all the nursery schools share one catchment area.