Schools and gans in Beit Shemesh: registration, zones and what olim need

School is usually the first big decision for families moving to Beit Shemesh, and the registration rules catch people out. This guide follows the municipality's own registration page for the 5787 (2026-27) school year, plus NBN's guidance for olim.

When registration happens

For 2026-27, registration for municipal gans and schools (state, state-religious and state-Haredi) ran online from 19 January to 8 February 2026 (1-21 Shevat 5786). It is not first-come, first-served: any time inside the window is fine (municipality (opens in a new tab)).

2027-28 (5788): the city had not published dates when we checked on 9 October 2026. In 5787 the window opened in mid-Shevat (January), so watch the city's registration page (opens in a new tab) and the English municipal WhatsApp group from December.

During the window the city runs a registration hotline, 02-990-2011, 09:00-16:00, and an online enquiry form (municipality (opens in a new tab)).

Which year your child goes into (2026-27)

Israeli school years go by calendar year of birth (municipality (opens in a new tab)):

Born in	2026-27
2020	1st grade
2021	Gan Chova (age 5)
2022	Trom Chova (age 4)
2023	Age-3 gan

Children born from 1 January 2023 cannot be registered as above-age, and keeping a 6-year-old in gan for another year needs the gan teacher's and psychologist's approval (municipality (opens in a new tab)).

How placement works

• Gans are split into 3-4 and 4-5 age groups. Criteria include continuing children, registration zones and "feeder" gans. Placement results go up on the city website in early June, and you can appeal online for two weeks afterwards (municipality (opens in a new tab)).
• 1st grade: placement letters by 19 March 2026; appeals until 16 April; appeal answers by 14 May (municipality (opens in a new tab)).
• 7th grade (middle school): pupils chose preferences online in the same January-February window, schools held introductory meetings from 1 February, placements went out on 26 March and pupils then registered at their school (municipality (opens in a new tab)).
• High school: list three high schools in order of preference; if one is oversubscribed there is a lottery, and pupils who miss out are placed in their second or third choice where possible (municipality (opens in a new tab)).

State-religious (mamad) registration zones

From 5787 the city split state-religious elementary registration into two zones (municipality: elementary registration guide (opens in a new tab)):

• Old city and Givat Sharett: Uziel, Gesher, Orot Boys and Orot Girls.
• Ramot Beit Shemesh: Harel and Tzabar.
• Ahavat Yisrael (boys and girls) stays city-wide "because of its role in absorbing aliyah and serving the English-speaking population".

The same guide says registration is for Beit Shemesh residents only and asks for a valid arnona payer number; new tenants without one attach a lawyer-signed affidavit of residence. State-Haredi (mamach) schools now register only through the city system, and the city, not the school, sends the answer (municipality (opens in a new tab)).

Recognised Haredi and exempt schools

Recognised-unofficial (mukar she'eino rasmi) and exempt institutions are run by their own networks, so you register directly with the school's owning body, which also decides placement. Registration for recognised-unofficial gans is by "Appendix D" from the gan office and a voice line, 074-760-1960 (municipality (opens in a new tab)). Private schools and Talmud Torahs likewise register directly (ShemeshPhone, Jan 2026 (opens in a new tab)).

New in the city, or new in Israel

Moving from another Israeli town: fill in the city's online new-family form and attach both parents' Teudat Zehut with the sefach listing the children, a "cancellation of registration" form from your previous local authority, and your Beit Shemesh purchase or rental contract (municipality (opens in a new tab)).

New olim who live in the city register on the same digital form. Olim-to-be must contact the municipal Aliyah and Absorption Department to register children; the department lists English-speaking contacts and an education coordinator (municipality (opens in a new tab); absorption department (opens in a new tab)). NBN adds that olim should bring both parents' Teudat Zehut with the sefach and proof of residence (NBN (opens in a new tab)).

Children from outside the city (including Moshav Yish'i and Zecharia) are placed only after all city children, if there is room (municipality (opens in a new tab)).

Costs, after-school and transport

• Gan parent payments (2026-27): NIS 362 a year (culture basket 69, accident insurance 73, science and music centre 95, Keren Karev 125), paid by credit card at registration in two instalments (municipality (opens in a new tab)).
• Tzaharon (after-gan / after-school): registration for the "Nitzanim" programme opens after gan and school placement, through the community-centre network's Maagalim office, which runs tzaharonim in gans and in schools for grades 1-3 (municipality (opens in a new tab); Matnas Maagalim (opens in a new tab)). See childcare listings.
• Rav-Kav funding: pupils in grades 1-4 who study 2 km or more from home, and grades 5-10 at 3 km or more, can get help funding their Rav-Kav; apply online (municipality (opens in a new tab)).
• Special education: eligibility requests for 2026-27 closed on 31 March 2026; a child with a life-threatening allergy needs a new medical-aide request each year (municipality (opens in a new tab)).

Under 3: daycare (maonot)

Subsidised, supervised maonot register online with the Ministry of Labour, usually for three weeks in February; mid-year you can apply directly to a maon with vacancies, and the Ministry of Education's daycare search shows supervised frameworks (municipality (opens in a new tab)). Organisations running subsidised maonot in the city include WIZO, Emunah, Na'amat, Hemed and the community-centre network (municipal list (opens in a new tab)).

The school streams, and English-oriented schools

NBN's Beit Shemesh guide maps three streams: Mamlachti (state), Mamlachti Dati (state-religious) and Chareidi, including Mamach (NBN (opens in a new tab)). Our directory now lists the city's state and state-religious schools from Ministry of Education open data (data.gov.il (opens in a new tab)).

Schools that describe themselves online as serving English-speaking families include Talmud Torah Toras Moshe, Magen Avos boys and Magen Avos Bais Yaakov girls, Talmud Torah Darchei Noam, the Ahavat Yisrael elementary schools and Yeshivat Ahavat Yisrael. YTA Beit Shemesh advertises itself as an English-speaking girls' high school with a full bagrut taught in English (ShemeshPhone, Jan 2026, advert (opens in a new tab)); that is the school's own claim.

Browse all schools and gans.