Italy has approved a new Italy 30% cap on certain students in school classrooms, with the government saying the measure will help schools manage language differences and provide stronger support for pupils who have limited knowledge of Italian.
The Council of Ministers approved the school decree on Thursday, September 24, with the new classroom rules scheduled to apply from the 2027/2028 academic year. However, the measure does not simply apply to every student who does not hold Italian citizenship, as the government has said language ability and a student’s previous experience in the Italian education system will also determine who falls under the restrictions.
The government says the policy is intended to create a more balanced classroom environment, particularly in schools where large numbers of newly arrived students may need additional help learning Italian before they can fully participate in lessons.
Italy 30% Cap Targets Certain Students
Under the new rules, first-year classes will have to maintain a more balanced composition, with the number of pupils covered by the measure generally limited to 30% in certain circumstances.
In primary schools, the rule applies to pupils who do not have Italian citizenship and who were either not born in Italy or did not attend at least two years of preschool education in the country. Meanwhile, different criteria apply at the secondary-school level, where the rules take previous attendance and academic progress within the Italian education system into account.
The distinction is important because the Italy 30% cap is not simply a blanket restriction based on nationality, despite some reports describing it as a limit on foreign students. Education Minister Giuseppe Valditara has said the policy uses language proficiency as an important criterion, meaning students who already have adequate Italian skills or sufficient experience in Italian schools may not fall within the restricted group.
Furthermore, the government has made provisions for situations where schools cannot easily distribute students among nearby institutions because of local circumstances, while additional funding will support Italian-language teaching where students cannot be placed elsewhere.
Valditara said the government is particularly concerned about classrooms where the number of students requiring substantial language assistance is high, arguing that Italian-language skills are central to students’ ability to participate successfully in education. According to figures he gave after the decree was approved, around 34,000 classes currently have a foreign-student population above 30%.
The minister also cited differences in educational outcomes between Italian and foreign students, although those figures represent the government’s stated assessment of the situation rather than an independent evaluation of the new policy.
Government Expands Italian Language Support
Alongside the classroom limit, the decree introduces additional measures designed to strengthen Italian-language learning among students and, in some cases, their families.
For instance, where a student’s limited knowledge of Italian is considered likely to affect integration or academic performance and the family also lacks sufficient Italian skills, parents can be required to attend free Italian-language courses. According to ANSA, parents who fail to attend the required courses can face fines ranging from €200 to €1,000.
The government has presented the wider package as an effort to improve integration within schools while preventing classrooms from becoming heavily concentrated with students who require intensive language assistance.
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said after the cabinet meeting that the measures were intended to support integration and avoid what she described as isolated or “ghetto” classrooms, while the government has also linked the policy to providing students with more equal opportunities within the education system.
However, the policy has also drawn criticism from unions, school leaders and opposition figures, who have questioned how schools will implement the classroom limits and whether moving pupils between schools could create difficulties for families. ANSA reported that critics have also challenged the broader approach taken by the government in addressing integration within Italian schools.
The new rules therefore place Italian-language ability at the centre of Italy’s latest approach to managing increasingly diverse classrooms. From the 2027/2028 school year, schools and education authorities will have to apply the new requirements while also providing language support and taking local circumstances into account.
