Over 1,100 Students Remain on Waiting Lists for Secondary School Enrollment
More than 1,100 students entering their first year of secondary school are currently on waiting lists for the upcoming academic year, according to data released Tuesday by the general administration of education for the Wallonia-Brussels Federation.
The figures follow the first phase of the traditional enrollment process, which ran from February 2 through March 6, 2026. During this period, administrators recorded a total of 49,743 enrollment applications. Although the vast majority of students secured a spot, the results reveal a significant geographic divide in school availability.
93.2% of students were admitted to their first-choice school. However, this success rate varied sharply by region: 96.26% of students in Wallonia received their top choice, while that number dropped to 83.81% in the Brussels-Capital Region. This disparity underscores the ongoing pressure on educational infrastructure in urban centers, particularly in the northwest of the capital.
Despite these challenges, the number of students left without a school placement has decreased compared to the previous year. This year, 2.30% of applicants (1,145 students) failed to find a place among their selected choices, down from 2.71% (1,342 students) last year.
Of the 1,145 students currently on waiting lists, two-thirds—totaling 763 individuals—are located in the Brussels region, where the enrollment situation remains the most strained.
Second Phase of Enrollment to Start April 20
For students currently on waiting lists or those who did not participate in the initial phase, the second enrollment period is scheduled to begin on April 20, 2026. This follows a blackout period from March 7 to April 19, during which no inscriptions can be made.
Unlike the first phase, where the timing of the application did not affect placement, requests submitted starting April 20 will be processed chronologically. Officials noted that “confidential” sections of the application will no longer be considered, meaning students will no longer receive priority based on those criteria.
There is still significant capacity available across the federation. According to administration data, 351 schools remain incomplete, offering a total of 13,972 available spots. Of these, 1,622 openings are located within the Brussels-Capital Region.
Parents can monitor the real-time availability of educational establishments via the official enrollment service website.
The entire process is governed by the “Inscription Decree,” originally adopted on March 17, 2010, by the Parliament of the French Community and later integrated into the education code on May 3, 2019. The decree was most recently updated by the Parliament of the Wallonia-Brussels Federation in January 2022 to refine the admission procedures.
