Children of migrants
School entry testing for children
Since 1 April 2025 a foreign child is enrolled in school only after a test of their Russian. This comes from Federal Law 544-FZ of 28 December 2024; the procedure was approved by Ministry of Education order 170 of 4 March 2025.
The test is run by the school's own commission, not by a testing centre, and it issues no certificate: the outcome is enrolment or refusal. If the child does not pass, the retake is no earlier than three months later.
Two things keep children out, and language is the second of them. According to Rosobrnadzor reports, 23,600 children applied in 2025 and 2,900 were enrolled; in the May cut 81 % of applications were turned away at the document stage — those children never reached the test. That is why there are two pages here, not one: documents for enrolment and preparation for the test.
What is in this section
What is known for certain
The pass mark is 90 % and above, and that is not an exaggeration. The numbers come from the FIPI specification of diagnostic materials for each grade:
- grade 1 — 4 tasks, all spoken, pass mark 9 of 10;
- grades 2–5 — 11–13 tasks, pass mark 18 of 20;
- grades 6–9 — 13–14 tasks, pass mark 20 of 22;
- grades 10–11 — 14–15 tasks, pass mark 22 of 24.
The speaking part is worth 10 points in every grade from 1 to 11, and at least 9 of them must come from it. The written part cannot make this minimum up: a child can score full marks in writing and still fail. One mistake aloud is all there is room for — which is why this section starts with the speaking part.
The speaking part is the same everywhere: taking part in a dialogue, a monologue, reading aloud and working with a text (in grade 1, instead of reading — listening comprehension and naming words).
Choose the school year
Pick the grade the child is entering — each has its own numbers and its own tasks:
The speaking part can be said out loud and recorded — free of charge. Each grade page holds all four speaking tasks: the situation, the questions, the text to read and a model answer. The machine transcribes what it heard and shows what came through and what the child missed.
None of the eleven competing sites checked on 20 September 2026 — by their own code, not their marketing — has voice recording. And it is exactly what is needed here: the pass mark sits on the speaking part.
No sign-up, no limit on attempts, no ads. We do not give marks and do not promise enrolment: the mark is set by the school commission.
Test yourselfFrequently asked questions
Who is exempt from the test?
Children transferring from one Russian school to another within grades 1–11, and those who have passed the state final attestation and hold a certificate of basic general education. For some categories the test is spoken only — the full list.
Is the test paid for?
No. The school runs it at enrolment, and the procedure provides for no separate fee. What does cost money is translating documents — and that is worth working out in advance.
How many times can the test be taken?
The procedure sets no limit on attempts, but a retake comes no earlier than three months after a failed test.
The child speaks Russian at home. Is preparation needed?
At least run through the speaking part: its pass mark is 9 of 10, and points are usually lost on format rather than vocabulary — answering in full sentences, reading aloud without skipping words, retelling to a plan.
Where can we prepare for the written part?
We have not built it yet: the section starts with the speaking part, because that is what keeps children out. The numbers and contents of the written part are given on each grade page.
The law and the procedure date from 28 December 2024 and 4 March 2025. The test numbers were checked against the specifications on 22 September 2026.