The first thing parents ask is "which school?". The second, a few minutes later, is "in what language?". In Greece the answers are less mysterious than you expect: the state system is free, tied to your address, and taught in Greek. Schools in Greece can work very well for an expat child who arrives young, and the real planning is about age, language and place.
How does the school system work in Greece?
- Nursery (παιδικός σταθμός): optional, run by municipalities, from six months (from two months in some cases) up to compulsory school age. Ask your municipality (δήμος).
- Pre-primary (νηπιαγωγείο): compulsory for children who turn 4 by 31 December of the enrolment year, for two years.
- Primary (Δημοτικό): six years. The child enters in the year they turn 6 by 31 December.
- Lower secondary (Γυμνάσιο): after the primary leaving certificate, from about 12 to 15. This is the end of compulsory schooling.
- Upper secondary (Λύκειο): optional, three years, general or vocational (ΕΠΑΛ), or a DYPA apprenticeship school (two years, alternating with work).
- University: entry through national exams, usually held in June.
English is taught from age 6, and French or German can be chosen from age 11. The school year starts within the first 10 days of September.
How do you enrol a child?
For pre-primary school, the enrolment is online in the public school of your sector, which changes each year, or directly with a private school. The form asks for the identity of the child and any siblings in the same school, a permanent address with a recent proof (a bill, lease or other public document), the choice of the all-day programme (ολοήμερο) or morning care, and who will collect the child. At school you present the health record, the vaccination record and, where relevant, a certificate from a special education centre (ΚΕΣΥ).
For primary and secondary, each school posts its catchment area, drop-off hours and list of documents before the enrolment period. Proof of address is the key document, which is why your lease matters: see renting in Greece. Translate the vaccination record if needed.
What if your child does not speak Greek in Greek schools?
Teaching is in Greek. The state system provides reception classes (τάξεις υποδοχής) and tutoring classes (φροντιστηριακά τμήματα), and there are intercultural schools, according to the national procedure register and EURES. Their presence varies from school to school, so ask the school of your sector or the regional education directorate what exists near you before you choose your neighbourhood. A child under about seven often adapts quickly; teenagers have a harder time, and parents of teenagers often look at private or international options.
What do private and international schools cost?
Private schools follow the same curriculum. About 7% of pupils were enrolled in them in 2017-2018, and EURES gives fees from about €1,200 a year for nursery to about €13,000 for older classes. International and foreign-language schools are concentrated in Athens and Thessaloniki.
Two French schools are listed by the AEFE: the Lycée franco-hellénique Eugène Delacroix in Athens (a contracted school) and the École française de Thessalonique (a partner school). They are fee-paying: ask for fees and places directly.
What about diplomas and recognition?
For higher education, the Greek centre for the recognition of foreign degrees, DOATAP, is competent for degrees of foreign universities and technological institutes. For school reports and diplomas (equivalence of a baccalaureate, moving up a class), the Greek procedure should be confirmed with the secondary education directorate of your region. We have not found an official page that spells it out.
What about the islands?
The school depends on your home address, including on islands. Check the nursery, primary, lower and upper secondary offer in your municipality before you settle; some small islands have few. See living on the Greek islands.
What are the common mistakes?
- Thinking pre-primary is optional. It is compulsory from age 4.
- Arriving without proof of address.
- Forgetting the vaccination record.
- Assuming the school will be in English.
- Choosing a house before checking the school sector. It changes each year.
What should you do first?
Sign your lease, then enrol. Add your child's paperwork to your moving to Greece checklist, and compare locations in best places to live in Greece.
How do you choose between state and private schools in Greece?
Start with the language. State schools teach in Greek, are free and are assigned by address. Private schools teach the same curriculum, with fees from about €1,200 to about €13,000 a year according to EURES. International and foreign-language schools, which are concentrated in Athens and Thessaloniki, teach in another language and charge more. For a child who will stay in Greece for good, the state system with reception classes is an effective route to the language. For a family that will move on in a few years, an international school keeps the curriculum of the next country within reach.
What documents should you bring for schools in Greece?
Proof of address, the health record and the vaccination record (translated if needed), the child's identity papers, and previous school reports. For a child who has already started school abroad, ask the secondary education directorate of your region how a foreign report is recognised, because the national procedure is not described on the pages we read.
How do schools in Greece work during the year?
The school year opens in the first ten days of September. Lessons end in the afternoon in the standard school; the all-day programme (ολοήμερο) in pre-primary school extends the hours, and families choose it on the enrolment form. English is taught from age 6, French or German from age 11. At the end of lower secondary school, compulsory education ends; the upper secondary school leads either to university entrance exams, usually in June, or to vocational training.
How does homework, language and integration work for expat children in Greek schools?
The official pages we read do not describe daily school life in detail, so we will not guess. What they do say is that reception classes and tutoring classes exist for children who do not speak Greek, and that their availability varies by school. Ask for a meeting with the head teacher before enrolling, and bring your child. Ask how many foreign pupils are in the class, how Greek is taught as a second language, and what happens at the transition to lower secondary school.
What about special educational needs?
For a child with special educational needs, the enrolment form refers to a certificate from a special education centre (ΚΕΣΥ). Contact your municipality or the regional education directorate early, because certificates take time, and ask what support each school can really offer. If your child already has an assessment from your home country, bring it with a translation.
What are the costs beyond tuition?
State school is free, but a family will still budget for books and supplies as set by each school, transport, meals and extra lessons. The official pages we read give no figures for these, so ask each school for its list. For private and international schools, ask whether registration fees, uniforms, transport and activities are included in the annual fee quoted.