According to article Non-university private institutions provide any of the non-university levels and stages of education, both general and specialised. Article 21 of the LODE develops article On the other hand, it forbids the ownership of private institutions to:.
Depending on their source of funding, non-university private institutions can be classified into two types:. Publicly-funded private institutions are financed with public funds through the so-called educational agreements, providing that they meet the requirements set by the education regulations.
They have the right to define their own nature, as long as the education provided respects freedom of conscience and the constitutional framework. Confessional practices must be voluntary. Private institutions not receiving public funds are financed by the fees paid by the pupils' families, although they may also obtain income from subsidies or from private institutions: cooperatives, foundations, the capital of religious orders, etc. They are free to choose their name, provided that it is not the same as or confusingly similar to that of any public school.
Their opening and running must be authorised by the corresponding education authority, as long as private schools meet the standards required by every educational institution, regardless of their ownership and source of funding, in order to ensure the quality of education. Any change in the nature of a private centre, due to a change in ownership or any other circumstance, must be notified to the educational community with sufficient time in advance.
The general legislative framework establishes the system of educational agreements as a procedure for financing with public funds those institutions meeting certain conditions, mainly in the compulsory education stages. Thus, the education authorities of the autonomous communities do not allocate public funds only to public education, but also to the private sector. The amount of public funds earmarked for educational subsidies is yearly established in the Spanish General Budget, setting the economic amount applicable to every school unit in the different education stages.
