Nearly seven million students and one million teachers are preparing to return to school in Italy from early September. When they enter the school gates, they will be met with stricter rules on a number of items, including cell phone bans.
In Summary
- First schools reopen on September 8 in Bolzano; most on September 15.
- Cell phones banned in all classrooms for all grades.
- Stricter conduct grades and new sanctions introduced.
- Changes announced to the high school final exam.
What’s new this year?
To help families and students navigate the reforms, here are the key changes coming into effect:
- Cell phone ban: no use in class or during school hours, across all grades.
- Conduct grades: a 5 means repeating the year; a 6 requires a citizenship test.
- Suspensions: short suspensions include in-depth behaviour activities, longer ones require civic support work.
- Final exam: oral exam becomes multidisciplinary; refusal to take it means automatic failure.
- Curriculum: elementary and middle school revisions postponed to 2026–27.
School Calendar
The first lessons begin on September 8 in the autonomous province of Bolzano. On September 10, schools reopen in Trento, Piedmont, Veneto, and Valle d’Aosta. Students in Friuli Venezia Giulia follow on September 11, and those in Lombardy on September 12.
Most regions – Abruzzo, Basilicata, Campania, Emilia-Romagna, Lazio, Liguria, Marche, Molise, Sardinia, Sicily, Tuscany, and Umbria – will return on September 15. The last to reopen, on September 16, are Puglia and Calabria.
Cell phone ban
From this school year, the use of mobile phones is banned in all schools during class and school hours. The Ministry of Education confirmed in June that the ban will extend to all high school years, not only the first year, where restrictions were already in place.
Conduct and Sanctions
New stricter rules on conduct grades also take effect in September. A grade of 5 will mean repeating the year, while a 6 in high school requires students to pass a test on citizenship values to be promoted.
For middle schools, conduct grades will again be expressed out of ten and included in the average. For high schools, behavior grades affect admission credits to the final exam: the top bracket requires a grade of nine.
Suspensions have also been redefined. Those suspended for up to two days will complete in-depth activities related to their behaviour, while longer suspensions involve civic support work at approved facilities.
Final Exam Changes
Education Minister Giuseppe Valditara confirmed several changes to the esame di maturità. The oral exam will become multidisciplinary, assessing skills across subjects. Students refusing the oral exam will fail, following controversies this year where some graduates boycotted the interview but still passed.
While the first written Italian exam remains unchanged, the second subject-specific paper may see modifications. Broader curriculum revisions for elementary and middle schools are planned, but not before 2026–27.
Rising costs for families
Meanwhile, parents face the yearly expense of textbooks. Many are turning to discounted stalls to avoid high costs. Critics accuse publishers of making minor edits each year to force families to buy new editions, even when curricula remain unchanged.
