Government Presents Bill to Reform the School Admission System (Chile, June 2026)
The government presented and signed a bill to modify Chile’s School Admission System. The proposal would replace the current lottery-centered model with a mixed application model that includes mutual choice and random allocation mechanisms.
Source: Dirección de Educación Pública
The government presented and signed a bill to modify Chile’s School Admission System. The proposal would replace the current lottery-centered model with a mixed application model that includes mutual choice and random allocation mechanisms.
What Changed?
The proposal would allow oversubscribed schools to use objective and non-discriminatory criteria such as academic performance from 7th grade, voluntary adherence to the educational project, attendance at information activities, specific aptitudes for specialized programs, interviews, and territorial proximity. The process would remain on a single Ministry-administered platform, with reserved places for priority students and students with disabilities or permanent special educational needs.
Old System vs New System
The current SAE assigns places through a centralized digital process where oversubscribed schools rely mainly on the existing priority rules and random allocation when demand exceeds vacancies.
The proposed model would create two mechanisms: voluntary Elección Mutua for oversubscribed schools using permitted criteria, and Asignación Aleatoria for schools that do not use Elección Mutua or for places left after that stage.
Who Is Affected?
Student Impact
If approved, students applying to oversubscribed schools could be evaluated under additional permitted criteria, while protected reserved places would remain for priority and special-needs groups.
Parent / Family Impact
Families would need to understand whether each school uses Elección Mutua, what criteria it applies, and how the single admission platform manages the process.
School / Institution Impact
Oversubscribed schools could gain the option to use a defined set of criteria aligned with their educational projects, subject to legal approval and Ministry platform rules.
Teacher / Staff Impact
No direct teacher-specific operational change applies yet, because the proposal is still under legislative review.
Key Dates
- 2026-06-23: government presented and signed the SAE reform bill
- next stage: congressional review.
What To Do
- Families and schools should treat the proposal as not yet implemented and follow congressional processing before changing admission planning.
What To Watch Next
Track congressional debate, possible amendments, final approval or rejection, and any Ministry implementation calendar if the bill becomes law.
Global Context
The proposal is relevant for comparison of centralized school choice systems, admission fairness, protected student groups, and the role of school autonomy.
Source Record
Source type: Official announcement
Source name: Dirección de Educación Pública