Homeschooling in secondary school and applying to university

Secondary school (10.º to 12.º ano) is where fewest families homeschool. In 2022/23 only 30 of the 592 pupils in ensino doméstico and individual were at secondary level.77. Ensino individual e Ensino doméstico, 2022/2023DGEEC The reasons are easy to see: the exam load is heavy, and the results feed directly into university applications. It can be done, though, and some teenagers do well with the flexibility. This guide sets out the rules so you can decide with open eyes.

Which secondary courses can be done at home

Home education covers compulsory schooling in ensino básico and in the general academic secondary courses (cursos científico-humanísticos) only.11. Decreto-Lei n.º 70/2021, de 3 de agostoDiário da República Vocational courses (cursos profissionais) and other secondary routes are not covered.1

There are four general academic courses:1

Each course combines a general component (Português in all three years, a foreign language and Filosofia in 10.º and 11.º, Educação Física in all three years, and Cidadania e Desenvolvimento across the curriculum) with a specific component: one three-year subject (Matemática A, História A or Desenho A), two two-year subjects and, in 12.º ano, optional one-year subjects.66. Decreto-Lei n.º 55/2018, de 6 de julhoDiário da República The choice of course and of the three-year subject shapes which exams your child will sit, so make it with university plans in mind.

Compulsory schooling ends when your child obtains the secondary diploma or, failing that, during the school year in which they turn 18.55. Lei n.º 85/2009, de 27 de agostoDiário da República

How assessment works in secondary

Homeschoolers are external candidates (self-entered candidates (autopropostos)). In the final year of each subject they take the national exam (exame final nacional) where one exists, and otherwise an equivalence test (prova de equivalência à frequência) set by the school.22. Despacho Normativo n.º 3/2026, de 23 de fevereiro (Regulamento das Provas 2025-2028)Direção-Geral da Educação / EduQA44. Guia Geral de Exames 2026Direção-Geral do Ensino Superior (DGES) They follow the same transition and approval rules as pupils of the general academic courses.4

Subjects end in different years. Many end in 11.º ano (for example Filosofia, Biologia e Geologia, Física e Química A, Geografia A, Economia A). Others end in 12.º ano (for example Português, Matemática A, História A, Desenho A).33. Despacho n.º 14616-A/2025, de 9 de dezembro (calendário de provas e exames 2025-2026)Diário da República In practice this means two heavy exam seasons, at the end of 11.º and of 12.º.

Rules for secondary equivalence tests:2

• Tests with two components are weighted 70% written and 30% oral, or 70% written and 30% practical. Educação Física is the exception: 30% written and 70% practical.
• If your child misses either component, the subject gets no grade and is failed.
• Secondary equivalence tests are marked from 0 to 200.

Registration dates and fees

Source: Despacho Normativo 3/2026.2

Registration is free within compulsory schooling if made on time; late registration costs EUR 25.2 Exam dates for 2026/27 had not been published by late September 2026; the 2025/26 calendar came out in December 2025.3 Our secondary exams guide has the details and the calendar will show the dates once published.

Sources: Despacho Normativo 8-B/2026 and Despacho 10430/2026.88. Despacho Normativo n.º 8-B/2026, de 21 de julho (época extraordinária de exames)Diário da República99. Despacho n.º 10430/2026, de 21 de agosto (calendário escolar 2026/27)Diário da República

Access to higher education

To apply to higher education in Portugal, your child needs the secondary diploma plus the national exams that the chosen courses require as entrance exams (provas de ingresso). Exam grades feed into the application.4 Homeschoolers choose their school of enrolment when they register for the exams.4

Check the entrance exams for the courses your child is considering early, ideally before 10.º ano, using the DGES guides. An exam that is also an entrance exam does two jobs: it completes the subject and counts towards the application.

How the final secondary average is calculated for external candidates is not something the texts we reviewed set out in full. Ask the school of enrolment and read the DGES guide for the year your child applies.

Children still learning Portuguese can take the national exam in Português Língua Não Materna (839) after a proficiency diagnosis by the school of enrolment.2

If exams do not go well

Home education authorisation is cancelled after two consecutive years of non-approval in the 11.º ano final-year subjects or at the end of secundário.1 A single bad year does not end it, but it does mean retakes and a delayed timetable. See If things go wrong.

What to consider before choosing

• Exam load. Every subject ends in an external test. Count them for 11.º and 12.º ano, including oral and practical components.
• Practical components. Some subjects have practical or laboratory components. Think about how your child will prepare for them at home.
• Language. All tests are in Portuguese except foreign-language tests.2
• Curriculum changes. The new Aprendizagens Essenciais for Matemática A reach 12.º ano in 2026/27.1010. Homologação das novas Aprendizagens Essenciais de Matemática para o Ensino SecundárioDireção-Geral da Educação A wider revision of all subjects is planned to phase in from 2027/28.1111. Revisão das Aprendizagens EssenciaisEduQA See Curriculum.
• Teaching capacity. Secondary subjects are specialised. Many families combine home teaching with tutors, courses or online resources. The educator named in the request still has to deliver the curriculum in person.1
• Your teenager's view. At this age the young person's own motivation matters more than any plan.

Where to go next

• Secondary exams in detail
• The annual plan
• Returning to school