In 1972, with just 11 students, the first class of Itxaropena Ikastola was created. The previous year, some families in Trapagaran felt the need to create an ‘Ikastola’, and the first steps were taken in the development of the school we know today. Those families saw the need to recover the Basque language after decades of censorship from a dictatorship, a language that serves as a communication tool throughout the Basque Country, from an early age on.

At the same time as the Ikastola was created, the Zulueta farmhouse in Etxebarria was rented, so that students could learn Basque freely there, enjoying the land and animals, being able to enjoy the use of the language in that environment. That space was managed by the families, teachers and board members of the school..

A few steps have been taken since then: The Ikastola has been a reference point for the Basque language learning in Trapagaran for years, a pioneer in Basque culture in this area of Biscay, the first to offer evening classes in basque for families, and the one that, even today, makes a strong commitment to the Basque language, participating in activities to open up the use of it in the town.

Today, those ikastolas created in the 1960s by families are non-profit-making cooperatives offering a public service. They are considered to be of public utility and, our Ikastola included, are part of the Union of Cooperatives of the Basque Country.

The aim of the Ikastola has been, since its inception, to offer quality education. Right now, students between the ages of 0 and 16 fill our classrooms, and focusing on human values, we want to create with them a more humanist society.

That small group from the 1970s has now become a big family, bringing together more than 500 students at Itxaropena Ikastola.