1919 marked the beginning of the modern public school system in Bahrain when Al-Hidaya Al-Khalifa School for Boys was opened in Muharraq. In 1926, the Education Committee opened the second public school for boys in Manama and in 1928 the first public school for girls was opened in Muharraq.

Education in Bahrain is compulsory, and all school age children attend either public or private schools. Children with disabilities attend special institutions. The Ministry of Education in Bahrain provides free education for all Bahraini and non-Bahraini students in public schools. Additionally, the Ministry of Education provides textbooks in every subject for all students in public schools free of charge at the beginning of each academic year.

Education in public schools is segregated: there are separated schools for boys and girls with teaching and administrative staff of the same gender. However, in some instances there are boys' public primary schools where the teaching and administrative staffs are mixed. A choice of coeducation or segregation is available in private schools, while state universities are all coeducational.

In 2004 His Majesty King Hamad introduced a project that uses information and communication technology (ICT) to support basic and secondary education in Bahrain. This project is named the King Hamad Schools of the Future. The objective of this project is to link all schools within the kingdom via the Internet and introduce the concept of electronic education.

In addition to British intermediate schools, the island is served by the Bahrain School, a United States Department of Defence school that provides a K-12 curriculum including the International Baccalaureate.

Private schools also exist that offer either the IB Diploma Programme or UK A-Levels. In 2007, St Christopher's School will become the first school in Bahrain to offer a choice of IB or A-Levels for students. Numerous international educational institutions and schools have established links to Bahrain.

Bahrain encourages institutions of higher learning, drawing on expatriate talent and the increasing pool of Bahraini nationals returning from abroad with advanced degrees. The University of Bahrain has been established for standard undergraduate and graduate study, and the College of Health Sciences, operating under the direction of the Ministry of Health, trains nurses, pharmacists, and paramedics. Both the Arabian Gulf University and Bahrain Medical University graduates physicians.

The national action charter, passed in 2001, paved the way for the formation of private universities. Over 13 private universities currently operate in Bahrain.

Asian institutes have also been established to provide good quality education to Asian students. These include the Pakistan Urdu School and the Indian School, which provide for the needs of children whose families hail for the Indian Subcontinent and are resident in Bahrain.

Basic education is divided into two levels as follows:

1) Primary Level

This level represents the first rungs of the formal educational ladder. It covers the 6-11 years old age group, and lasts for six years. This level is divided into two cycles: the first cycle combines the first three grades of primary education. The class-teacher system is applied in all schools of this cycle. Under this system one teacher teaches all subjects with the exception of English Language, Design and Technology, Music and Physical Education.

The second cycle combines the upper three grades. A subject-teacher system is applied in this cycle with a specialised teacher teaching each subject.

2) Intermediate Level

This is the third cycle of basic education, covers students of 12-14 years old, and lasts for three years. The student is admitted to this level upon completion of the sixth grade of primary education. A subject-teacher system is applied at this level with educationally qualified teachers teaching each subject.

3) Secondary Education

This level is considered as a continuous to the basic education and a new phase for the student as it prepares him/her for higher education or labour market. It lasts for three years divided into six semesters of three levels. Entry is conditional on obtaining the Intermediate School certificate or its equivalent.
The credit-hours system is applied in this level that provide broad choices of subjects and courses. It permits students to tailor programs that suit their future goals.

Under this system, the student is free to choose to study in one of the following categories: 
Science and Mathematics, Languages and Human Sciences, Business, Industry or Professional Education. The study plan, at the Secondary level - the unification of tracks system – relies on the total credit hours required to obtain the Secondary School Certificate.

• Ahlia University
• Medical University of Bahrain
• University of Bahrain
• AMA International University Bahrain
• Arab Open University, Bahrain
• Arabian Gulf University
• University College of Bahrain
• Gulf University
• Royal University for Women
• The Kingdom University
• Applied Science University
• Talal Abu-Ghazaleh University College of Business
• Bahrain Institute of Banking & Finance (BIBF)
• DePaul University
• Bentley College