STEM education—science, technology, engineering and mathematics—is increasingly central to how Spain prepares young people for a digital, innovation-driven economy. The country has overhauled its school framework under LOMLOE (Organic Law 3/2020), a reform rolled out through the 2023/24 year that shifts teaching toward competence-based learning and modernises curriculum and evaluation across stages.
International benchmarks show both progress and headroom. In PISA 2022, only 6% of Spanish 15-year-olds reached the highest levels in mathematics (Levels 5–6), compared with an OECD average of 9%, underscoring the need to grow top-end performance even as systems focus on broad competence.
At the same time, structural indicators are moving in the right direction. Early school leaving has fallen to 13.7% (2023), expanding the pool of learners who can progress into advanced STEM pathways. And on the digital front, 66.2% of people aged 16–74 in Spain now have basic digital skills, with a national goal of 85% by 2030—a strong foundation for future STEM uptake.
Taken together, these trends set the stage for what follows: a closer look at Spain’s policy environment, the equity agenda (with a focus on gender), and the classroom innovations—like project-based learning—that are shaping the next phase of STEM education.
1. What Policies Are Shaping STEM Education in Spain Today?
Spain’s education system has gone through several major reforms over the past three decades, each reflecting shifting priorities. The LOGSE law (1990) expanded compulsory secondary schooling and introduced the idea of “basic competences,” but classrooms remained largely focused on content memorization. The LOE law (2006) consolidated these competences, while the LOMCE reform (2013) emphasized standardized testing and accountability, a move criticized for increasing inequality.
The latest reform, LOMLOE (Organic Law 3/2020), fully rolled out in the 2023/24 school year, marks a clear break with this trajectory. Its aim is to modernize Spanish education by aligning it with the EU’s lifelong learning framework and the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals. The law introduces a competence-based curriculum, shifting the focus from what students know to what they can do with that knowledge. For example, mathematics is no longer treated purely as formulas to memorize, but as tools to solve practical problems. Science is taught through inquiry and experimentation, and digital skills are integrated across all subjects.
For the first time, STEM competence is explicitly recognized as one of the eight key competences, on equal footing with literacy, sustainability, digital competence, and civic values. The reform also brings in diagnostic assessments in primary and lower secondary education, strengthens teacher training frameworks, and mandates policies for gender equality and inclusion in schools. These measures aim to make learning more adaptable, equitable, and relevant to the needs of a digital economy.
International benchmarks highlight both progress and challenges. In PISA 2022, only 6% of Spanish students reached the highest levels of mathematics proficiency, compared with an OECD average of 9%. This suggests Spain is relatively effective at supporting its broad student base, but still struggles to cultivate top-end excellence. Large regional disparities add another layer: regions like Castile and León and the Basque Country often post PISA scores comparable to high-performing nations, while others like Andalusia or the Canary Islands have historically lagged, reflecting ongoing socioeconomic and structural inequalities.
One area where clear improvement is visible is student retention. Spain’s early school leaving rate has fallen dramatically—from 28% in 2010 to 13.7% in 2023—bringing it much closer to the EU average of 9.5%. This means more young people are completing secondary education and can progress into higher-level studies, including STEM careers.
Taken together, Spain’s policy landscape and retention gains provide a strong foundation. The challenge now is to translate this broader participation into higher levels of achievement and innovation. And that brings us directly to one of the most persistent hurdles in Spanish STEM education: gender equity.
2. Why Is Gender Equality Important in STEM Education in Spain?
Despite ongoing reforms, Spain still faces a persistent gender gap in STEM pathways. Official figures show that only 28% of women choose a STEM career at university, and in fields such as computer science the share drops to just 13%. By contrast, women overwhelmingly choose education and health-related degrees, revealing how uneven the distribution remains.
These imbalances start early. A study titled “Does My Daughter Like Math? Relations Between Parent and Child Math Attitudes and Beliefs” found that by the age of six, many girls already perceive mathematics as a “male” subject. By age 15, only 1.3% of Spanish girls envision a career in ICT, compared with more than 10% of boys. This creates a narrowing pipeline: fewer girls choose STEM in secondary school, which leads to lower participation in universities and eventually in the workforce.
To address this, Spain has aligned its education policies with the UN’s 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, especially SDG 4 (Quality Education) and SDG 5 (Gender Equality). One flagship initiative is the STEAM Alliance for Female Talent, launched by the Ministry of Education to unite schools, universities, and businesses in promoting STEM among girls. Another is STEM Talent Girl (Poderosas), which provides mentoring and female role models to inspire young women. Alongside these programs, universities and nonprofits are working to counter stereotypes and encourage broader participation.
Progress is gradual but visible. The share of women enrolled in engineering and architecture degrees has grown from about 25% in 2018 to roughly 28% in 2023. LOMLOE also reinforces gender equity by requiring schools to integrate strategies that reduce imbalances.
Closing the gender gap, however, is about more than policy frameworks. It requires changing cultural perceptions, offering visible role models, and building girls’ confidence in STEM subjects from an early age. These cultural shifts will be most effective when combined with another cornerstone of Spain’s educational strategy: stronger digital skills and better-prepared teachers.
3. How Is Spain Building Digital Skills to Strengthen STEM Education?
In Spain, digital competence is not just a general skill — it is one of the core building blocks for delivering quality STEM education. Under LOMLOE, STEM and digital literacy are listed side by side among the eight key competences, reflecting the idea that science, mathematics, and technology can no longer be taught in isolation from digital tools. The government’s EU-backed Recovery and Resilience Plan has reinforced this connection by investing heavily in teacher training, infrastructure, and resources that allow schools to integrate technology directly into STEM teaching.
The scale of this effort is striking. More than 800,000 teachers—almost the entire workforce—have participated in digital training, and over 500,000 have earned official certification in digital competences. Nearly every school now has a Digital Plan, which means that lessons in physics, chemistry, and mathematics can increasingly include coding platforms, online labs, robotics kits, or data analysis projects. These resources help transform abstract theory into hands-on exploration, aligning with Spain’s broader shift toward competence-based learning.
For students, digital readiness is equally crucial. According to the European Commission, 66.2% of Spaniards aged 16–74 already possess basic digital skills, compared to an EU average of 55.6%. Spain has set a goal of 85% by 2030, exceeding the EU’s target. Reaching this benchmark matters because STEM learning depends on digital literacy: coding in computer science, running simulations in engineering, or using data tools in mathematics all require baseline digital skills. To close gaps, programs like PROFEA (Plan de Fomento del Empleo Agrario), originally focused on rural employment, are now being leveraged to deliver digital training for rural women, ensuring that STEM opportunities are not limited to urban centers.
At the same time, structural issues in the teaching workforce complicate this digital-STEM agenda. More than 20% of teachers are over the age of 55, and around 22% remain on temporary contracts, though the government plans to reduce this to 8% by 2025. An ageing and unstable workforce makes it harder to recruit young specialists in mathematics, science, and technology. Without continuity and career stability, schools risk losing the very teachers who can bring digital innovation into STEM classrooms.
Still, Spain’s stronger digital foundation is opening the door for new pedagogies that directly support STEM learning. One of the most promising is project-based learning (PBL) within STEAM education. By combining digital tools with real-world problem-solving, Spanish schools are starting to move beyond rote instruction toward collaborative projects where students learn science, technology, and math through active creation. This is where digital competence and STEM education come together most visibly: not as separate goals, but as mutually reinforcing parts of Spain’s educational transformation.
4. What Role Does Project-Based Learning Play in Spain’s Classrooms?
Project-Based Learning (PBL) is gaining ground in Spanish schools as a way to make STEM and STEAM education more engaging and practical. Instead of memorizing theory in isolation, students work collaboratively on real-world problems that require them to apply science, mathematics, engineering, technology, and even the arts. For instance, a class might design a sustainable energy model, combining physics experiments, mathematical calculations, design thinking, and teamwork. These projects not only strengthen academic knowledge but also foster critical thinking, creativity, and communication skills.
A 2024 study named Evaluation of STEAM Project-Based Learning Instructional Designs from the STEM Practices Perspective examined 46 STEAM projects and found wide differences in quality. Some projects successfully integrated multiple disciplines and encouraged authentic problem-solving, while others leaned heavily on science and engineering but gave less attention to mathematics or artistic components. The researchers stressed that strong teacher training and careful project design are essential to ensure that all elements of STEM/STEAM are represented, and that students benefit from a truly interdisciplinary experience.
Spain’s growing adoption of PBL reflects the broader policy shift toward 21st-century competences under LOMLOE. With expanded professional development and digital resources, more teachers are now able to implement PBL not just as an occasional enrichment activity but as a core teaching strategy. In this way, PBL acts as the bridge between policy reforms, digital competence, and equity goals—turning abstract frameworks into tangible classroom practice.
This is also where WhalesBot (linktree link: https://linktr.ee/WhalesBot) contributes, by offering localized, hands-on robotics and AI learning tools in Spanish. Through its partnership with Abacus Cooperativa, WhalesBot offers lesson materials, software, storybooks, and user guides tailored for Spanish classrooms, helping teachers integrate PBL into STEM education more smoothly and inclusively.
5. How Is WhalesBot Supporting STEM Education in Spain?
At WhalesBot, we believe that learning should be inclusive, engaging, and locally relevant. In Spain, this vision is made possible through our partnership with Abacus Cooperativa, an inclusive distributor helping us bring robotics and AI learning solutions into schools and learning centers across the country.
To make STEM education accessible, WhalesBot offers fully localized Spanish materials—including curriculum-aligned lessons, software, user manuals, and storybooks. These resources remove language barriers, making it easier for teachers to adopt new approaches and for students to enjoy hands-on STEM experiences that align with national standards.
By combining localized content with PBL-ready robotics kits, we directly support Spain’s priorities: narrowing the gender gap, strengthening digital skills, and making STEM more engaging from an early age. These tools give teachers practical ways to translate reforms into classroom experiences and inspire students to see STEM as more than just a subject—they see it as a pathway to problem-solving, creativity, and innovation.
Looking ahead, Spain’s journey in STEM education shows real progress: modern reforms, stronger digital foundations, and inclusive initiatives are reshaping classrooms for the better. Yet important challenges remain — raising excellence at the top levels, ensuring gender equality, and giving teachers the tools and support they need. The coming years will be decisive. With sustained government action, EU investment, and the continued dedication of educators, Spain has the opportunity to close gaps and strengthen its position in STEM. The private sector is also stepping in: for example, Amazon has pledged to train half a million young people in Spain with digital skills by 2027, adding momentum to the national goal of preparing students for a technology-driven future. The next step is to refine classroom practices, expand innovative approaches like project-based learning, and empower students to see STEM not just as a set of subjects, but as a gateway to creativity, problem-solving, and shaping the future.
