The Portuguese education system has several levels including pre-school, primary school, and secondary school. Pre-school is not compulsory and aims to educate children ages 3 to 6. Primary school is compulsory and consists of 9 years of basic education divided into 3 cycles. Secondary school lasts for 3 years and offers both academic and vocational courses. The education is publicly funded and mostly free, with subsidized costs for low-income families. Standardized testing is used for assessment.