TOovercrowded classrooms, often dated buildings, a teaching staff that lives with chronic precariousness and salaries among the lowest in Europe: the Italian public school it is burdened by obvious structural difficulties that penalize the daily work of those who work there and the study path of those who frequent it. In this already rather complex scenario, instead of directing resources where they are needed, politics intervenes with a measure which, instead, is aimed at private institutions. In fact, it could come into force from 2026 a new economic bonus intended for families who choose private private schools.
The new bonus for private private schools
The measure arises from an amendment to the budget law and provides support of up to 1,500 euros per family unit. The benefit will be reserved for families with an ISEE (the instrument that measures income and assets) not exceeding 30 thousand euros. The incentive will not have a fixed amount for everyone: the figure will progressively decrease as the ISEE increasesfollowing a gradual logic designed to favor lower incomes. The total fund allocated for 2026 would amount to 20 million euros.
Who will be able to access the benefit
The bonus will be intended for students enrolled in private schools in the first cycle of education, therefore lower secondary school, commonly called middle schooland the first two years of the second cycle, that is the initial two years of high school. The last years of high school and the entire nursery school segment remain excluded, at least for now. According to the most recent data from the Ministry of Education, updated to summer 2024, students who attend private schools in Italy are just under 772 thousand. A number which, while describing a reality parallel to the state system, places private schools as a numerically limited component within the Italian school system.
The bonus for private schools has reignited the debate on the role of private schools and the use of public resources (Getty)
From intentions to practice
It should be specified, however, that we are talking about “intentions”. In fact, before the bonus becomes operational, further steps will be needed. A decree from the Minister of Education, adopted in agreement with the Minister of Economy, must define in detail the criteria, access methods and application procedures. A central aspect will be coordination with the contributions already foreseen by the Regionswhich in many parts of Italy have long offered forms of support to families who choose private schools.
The bonus for private schools and article 33 of the Constitution
The introduction of a bonus for private schools encounters various opposing positions, expressed by trade unions, educational associations and some members of the parliamentary debate. The objections do not focus so much on the number of potential beneficiaries, which is very lowas well as on the principle that regulates the use of public resources in the education sector. The most recurring reference is article 33 of the Constitutionwhich recognizes the freedom to establish non-state schools, but establishes that these operate “without burden to the State”.
Public resources for public schools
Over the years, the Constitutional Court has clarified that indirect contributions, such as tax breaks or family support, do not automatically violate this principle. However, according to critics, every new measure of this kind risks progressively shifting public resources towards the equal system, in a context in which state schools present critical issues extensively documented.
An intervention that reignites the debate
The introduction of a national bonus for private schools comes at a delicate moment for public schools, still waiting for structural investments capable of impacting the quality of provision, working conditions of teachers and safety of buildings. Own this concomitance makes the measure the subject of discussionbetween those who consider it a concrete help to families and those who fear a shift of resources and attention from the state system.
Beyond the positions, the new bonus tells of a political choice and opens broader questions about the future of education in Italy. The direction that will be taken in the coming years, in fact, will say a lot about how the country intends balance support for the plurality of educational offerings given that at the moment, public schools with their 8 million students remain the fundamental pillar of the right to education.