Schools
Understanding ganim, school streams, registration, and supporting bilingual kids.
Practical Guidance
Israel's education system starts at age 3 with free public preschool (gan) and runs through grade 12. The system has multiple streams — secular (mamlachti), religious (mamlachti dati), and ultra-Orthodox — plus private and international options. Understanding which stream fits your family, how registration works, and how to support a child learning in a second language is crucial for any Anglo parent.
The Israeli education system can initially seem complicated, particularly when you encounter terms such as gan, iriya, mamlachti and mamlachti-dati.
But once you understand the basic structure, it becomes considerably easier.
Before School
Young children may attend childcare before entering the municipal kindergarten system.
You'll commonly hear:
Maon – daycare, usually for younger children.
Mishpachton – smaller childcare setting, often home-based.
Gan – kindergarten/preschool.
Registration arrangements vary according to age and municipality, so your local authority should be one of your first stops.
Understanding School Streams
Israel doesn't have one uniform school model.
Families may encounter:
Mamlachti – state/secular education.
Mamlachti-Dati – state religious education.
There are also independent religious schools, Arab education, international/private schools and other frameworks.
Your choice will therefore involve more than simply finding the nearest school.
Consider the school's educational philosophy, religious environment, English support, community and the experience of other families.
Children Arriving Without Hebrew
Don't automatically assume that a child needs an English-language school.
For many families, integration into an Israeli school combined with Hebrew support is the right choice.
The Ministry of Education has programmes and resources dealing specifically with immigrant pupils, including Hebrew acquisition and social and academic integration.
Ministry of Education – information for new immigrants
Check out our Best English-Language Schools & Preschools for Olim Kids and Raising Bilingual Kids in Israel guides for some further reading.
Supporting Bilingual Children
Don't view English and Hebrew as competing languages.
Hebrew gives children access to Israeli friendships, education and everyday life. Maintaining English gives them another language, cultural connection and potentially strong literacy in two languages.
At home, books, audiobooks, films, conversations with relatives and visits abroad can all help keep English natural rather than turning it into another school subject.
Anglo Dad tip: Ask prospective schools how they support children who are new to Hebrew. The practical answer from the school is often more useful than the label attached to the school.
Frequently Asked Questions
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