Ujué school closes temporarily due to falling enrollment

The Government of Navarra has ordered the temporary cessation of activity at the Ujué/Uxue Early Childhood and Primary Education College (CPEIP) effective from the start of the 2026-2027 academic year, due to the reduction in enrollment. This is established by Resolution 177/2026, of August 5, from the Director General of Infrastructure, Digitalization, and Educational Services, published in the Official Gazette of Navarra number 174, of September 3, 2026.

The decision was adopted following the proceedings initiated at the request of the Educational Inspection Service, which reported on the circumstances of the enrollment reduction and proposed the temporary cessation of activity. The resolution is issued in accordance with Article 2 of Foral Decree 80/2019, of July 3, which reorganizes the network of Public Educational Centers of the Chartered Community of Navarra, and by virtue of the powers conferred by Foral Decree 245/2023, of November 15, which establishes the organic structure of the Department of Education.

A rural center affected by depopulation

The school, with center code 31007801, is located at Arrabal del Sol Street, number 13, in the town of Ujué/Uxue, a municipality in the central area of Navarra that is suffering a progressive population decline. The drop in the number of students has led the foral administration to temporarily cease its activity, a preliminary step that may lead to the definitive suppression of the center.

Obligations before the closure

Prior to the cessation of activity, the center’s management must conduct an inventory of all existing school and administrative materials. Additionally, it must request in writing that the Ujué/Uxue City Council take charge of the conservation and maintenance of the premises, furniture, and school materials, as well as the custody of administrative and academic documentation.

The documentation to be preserved includes:

• Evaluation minutes, academic records and certificates, and guidance reports.
• Minutes of the collegiate participation and governing bodies.
• Enrollment records and records relating to the center’s personnel.
• Account books and administrative and economic management documentation.

Procedures and possible definitive suppression

The temporary cessation will be entered into the Register of Teaching Centers of Navarra and will be forwarded to the Register of Teaching Centers of the Ministry of Education, Vocational Training, and Sport. The resolution will be notified to the management of the Ujué/Uxue school, the CPEIP “Marqués de la Real Defensa” of Tafalla, and the Ujué/Uxue City Council.

In the event that the Government of Navarra agrees to the definitive suppression of the center, the custody of academic and administrative documentation must be assumed by the CPEIP “Marqués de la Real Defensa” of Tafalla. Once the notification has been received, the City Council may request the Infrastructure Service of the Department of Education to remove the educational use designation of the school’s premises and facilities.

Another blow to “Empty Spain”

The temporary closure of the school in Ujué/Uxue is a new episode of rural depopulation affecting numerous Navarrese municipalities, where the loss of students compromises the viability of educational services. The measure, which leaves the families of the municipality without their own school center, opens the door to a definitive suppression that would further aggravate the demographic decline of the town.

Source: Official Gazette of Navarra, number 174, September 3, 2026, section 1.7 Others, pages 31590-31591 (official reference: Resolution 177/2026, of August 5).