The Ministry of Education, Science and Youth of Georgia has determined the deadlines and conditions for the registration of first-graders in public schools for the 2026-2027 academic year.

According to information disseminated by the Ministry of Education, registration of first-graders will begin on February 18.

Deadlines for first-grade registration for the 2026-2027 academic year:

Stage I – During the first stage of registration, from February 18 to March 2, 2026 (inclusive), children with special educational needs will be registered in schools.

Parents of children to be registered at this stage must apply in writing to the desired public school. The school administration will register the child in the Education Management Information System (EMIS). To confirm special educational needs, the parent fills out the relevant referral form at the school, after which the child will be assessed and their educational needs determined by psycho-educational assessment and counseling specialists of the Inclusive and Special Education Support Center (Department) of the Legal Entity of Public Law – Educational Institutions Mandate Service. In case of confirmation of special educational needs, the school will ensure the enrollment of the student based on the psycho-educational assessment conclusion and relevant documentation.

The period for submission of documents and enrollment for children registered at the first stage is from March 4 to April 17, 2026 (inclusive).

A child may be considered to have special educational needs if they have:

1. a) physical disability;
2. b) intellectual development disorder;
3. c) learning disability;
4. d) sensory development disorder (hearing and/or vision);
5. e) speech development disorder;
6. f) behavioral and emotional disorder;
7. g) long-term hospitalization need;
8. h) learning difficulties caused by social factors, due to which they cannot meet the requirements of the national curriculum;
9. i) autism spectrum disorder.

Children whose special educational needs are not confirmed will have the opportunity to register at subsequent stages.

Stage II – At this stage, student registration and submission of documentation will take place from April 21 to May 8, 2026 (inclusive).

At this stage, the following children are registered: those whose sibling(s) study at the desired school; those whose parent is an employee of the desired school; those from families where two or more children are entering first grade simultaneously. Registration is ensured by the public school based on the submitted documentation.

Stage III – Territorial principle online registration – will continue from May 15 to May 25, 2026 (inclusive); registration will be carried out on the official website of the Education Management Information System: registration.emis.ge. Registration is ensured by the parent/legal representative.

Acceptance of necessary documents for enrollment of students registered electronically at Stage III in public schools will take place from May 27 to June 12, 2026 (inclusive).

Stage IV – Universal online registration will begin on June 15, 2026 and continue until July 3, 2026 (inclusive).

Registration will be carried out on the official website of the Education Management Information System: registration.emis.ge. Registration is ensured by the parent/legal representative.

Acceptance of necessary documents for enrollment of electronically registered students will take place from July 6 to July 17, 2026 (inclusive). In case of failure to submit the required documents within the specified period, registration will be automatically canceled.

Stage V – At this stage, registration of students who could not register at Stages I, II, III and IV, or who wish to change their registration, will be carried out for the remaining free places or places vacated at previous stages. Registration and submission of documentation for this stage are set from July 20 to July 31, 2026 (inclusive). Based on the necessary documentation submitted by the parent/legal representative, the public school will ensure the student’s registration at the fifth stage.

Documents required for enrollment in first grade:

Application of the student’s legal representative, which must contain information about the legal representative’s place of residence and telephone number and meet the other requirements established by Article 78 of the General Administrative Code of Georgia;

Copy of the legal representative’s identity document and copy of the document confirming residence in Georgia (if any). In case documents are submitted in a foreign language, they must be accompanied by a translation into Georgian performed in accordance with the procedure established by the legislation of Georgia;

Copy of the student’s birth certificate or identity document, or copy of the document confirming residence in Georgia (if any). In case documents are submitted in a foreign language, they must be accompanied by a translation into Georgian performed in accordance with the procedure established by the legislation of Georgia.

The Ministry of Education, Science and Youth of Georgia calls on parents to carefully familiarize themselves with the registration deadlines and conditions in order to ensure timely and smooth enrollment of the child in school,” – the information states.

According to them, an amendment has been made to the Law of Georgia “On General Education” regarding school age. Specifically, for the 2026-2027 academic year, children who will turn 6 years old by September 15 (inclusive) will be able to register in first grade.

“From the 2026-2027 academic year, a change has also been introduced in the first-grade registration process. Before the start of universal registration, a third stage – ‘territorial principle registration’ – has been added, the purpose of which is to increase the possibility of enrolling students in a public school close to their place of residence (registration).

The territorial principle registration stage will include 12 cities – Tbilisi, Kutaisi, Batumi, Rustavi (which are divided into school districts) and Poti, Zugdidi, Telavi, Ambrolauri, Akhaltsikhe, Ozurgeti, Mtskheta and Gori (which are limited by administrative boundaries).

In the case of Tbilisi, students living within the administrative boundaries of school districts will have the right to register also in schools of adjacent school districts that are no more than 1 kilometer away from their place of residence. The list of such addresses and corresponding schools will be determined by an individual administrative-legal act for the purpose of greater flexibility. Registration at the third stage will be carried out according to the student’s registration address as of April 1, 2026 in the electronic database of the Legal Entity of Public Law – State Services Development Agency,” – the information states.