The legal basis for education in Poland is laid down in the Constitution of the Republic of Poland which states that:

• every person has the right to education
• education is compulsory until the age of 18
• education in public schools is free of charge
• parents are free to choose schools other than public schools for their children
• public authorities shall provide citizens with general and equal access to education.

The main state bodies responsible for the education system in Poland are the Ministry of National Education (Ministerstwo Edukacji Narodowej) and the Ministry of Science and Higher Education (Ministerstwo Nauki i Szkolnictwa Wyższego).

Full-time compulsory education lasts for 9 years. It comprises the last year of pre-school education and 8 years of primary school education.

In the Polish educational legislation full-time compulsory schooling and part-time compulsory education are defined as follows:

Full-time compulsory schooling:

• Obligation to attend school by pupils aged 7-15 years.

Part-time compulsory education:

• Obligation to continue education in some form for pupils up to 18 years of age (aged 15-18).
• May be implemented either in school settings (a student attends secondary school) or in non-school settings (e.g. a student follows vocational training offered by employers).