Compulsory schooling in Italy starts in the year during which the pupil has his or her 6th birthday, and continues to 16. Following recent legislation, however, it is now possible for children to start school earlier, at 5 1/2. There are five years of Primary School (Scuola Elementare), three years of Middle School (Scuola Media), and five years of Senior School (Scuola Superiore), of which three are compulsory.

The school year in Tuscany begins mid-September (this varies from region to region in Italy, but usually only by a few days), and ends in the first or second week of June.

There are no half-term holidays, but schools close at Christmas from about 22nd December to the first working day after Epiphany (6th January - which is a national holiday), and at Easter for a week. There are also various national and local holidays through the year (which are lost however, if they fall on a Sunday).