Pillar 08 · Practical Info

Schools in Żejtun: A Local Guide for Parents

A short local guide to the schools in Żejtun and nearby — state primary and secondary, church-run options, and the route into independent and international schools elsewhere on the island.

This article is a stub. Specific schools and current admission information to follow.

The Maltese school system, briefly

Maltese schools fall into three groups: state schools (free, organised into colleges by region), church schools (free, run by Catholic religious orders, often heavily over-subscribed and admitting by ballot), and independent schools (fee-paying). The compulsory school age runs from 5 to 16, and English and Maltese are both used as media of instruction depending on the school and the subject. Żejtun’s state primary and secondary schools are part of one of the regional colleges that covers the south-east; both are well-established and serve the town and several neighbouring villages. The Żejtun secondary school is also where the Roman villa was discovered in 1961, which gives the school an unusual archaeological profile in its grounds.

Independent and international schools are mostly clustered in the central part of the island; school-run buses make daily journeys from southern villages including Żejtun. [LOCAL FACT — Mattew to confirm the current state primary and secondary in Żejtun by name, the regional college they sit within, and any nearby church schools families typically consider.]

How school choice works in practice

School choice in Malta is shaped by three things: where you live (state schools admit by catchment), whether you secure a church school place (highly competitive ballot for some popular schools), and whether you’re willing to pay for an independent school (more options but higher cost). Families moving to Żejtun typically default to the state schools in the local college; they are well-regarded and serve the community. Some families opt into church schools elsewhere on the island; a smaller number choose international or independent schools clustered in the central part of Malta, with longer daily commutes.

What this article will cover

  • State schools in Żejtun by name and stage
  • The regional college and how admissions work
  • Church schools nearby and the ballot system
  • Independent and international school options reachable from Żejtun
  • School transport — daily buses and how to arrange them
  • Maltese-language requirements and how the schools handle bilingual instruction

Read more on this pillar

Part of our Practical Info pillar. Pair with moving to Żejtun, the Roman villa (in the secondary-school grounds), and the local council.

Mattew Cassar

Resident · Writer

Mattew writes zejtun.com from a flat above his grandfather’s old workshop on Triq San Girgor. He has lived in Żejtun for twenty-three of his thirty-one years.