The Spanish educational system has four main stages: pre-primary school for ages 3-5 which is not compulsory; primary school for ages 6-12 which is compulsory; secondary school for ages 12-16 which is also compulsory; and high school for ages 16-18 which is not compulsory. At each stage, students learn core subjects like Spanish, math, sciences, English, art, music, and physical education to prepare them for the next level or university.