School

Steps

1. Nursery (παιδικός σταθμός): optional, supervised by the municipalities, from 6 months (from 2 months in some cases) until compulsory school age. Ask your municipality (δήμος).
2. Kindergarten (νηπιαγωγείο): compulsory for children who are 4 on 31 December of the enrolment year (two years of kindergarten). Enrol online at the public school for your area, which changes every year; or directly with a private school of your choice.
3. Primary school (Δημοτικό): the child starts school in the year they are 6 on 31 December. Before enrolment, each school posts (on site or on its website) its catchment area, its submission hours and the list of documents.
4. Lower secondary school (Γυμνάσιο): after the primary school leaving certificate, the secondary education directorate assigns your child's school. This is the end of compulsory schooling (ages 12 to 15).
5. Upper secondary school (Λύκειο): optional, 3 years, general or vocational (ΕΠΑΛ), or the DYPA apprenticeship school (2 years, work-study). University entry is by national competitive exam, generally in June.
6. Languages: English is taught from age 6; French or German can be chosen from age 11.

Documents

• Kindergarten (online form): identity of the child and of siblings at the same school, permanent address with proof (bill, lease or other recent public document), choice of the all-day programme (ολοήμερο) or morning care, persons who accompany the child; then, at school: health record book, vaccination record and, if needed, a certificate from a special education centre (ΚΕΣΥ).
• Primary and secondary: list posted by each school before the enrolment period.

Costs and timelines

• Public school: free at all levels. In kindergarten, the compulsory programme and the optional all-day programme are free (Eurydice).
• Private schools: same curriculum; about 7% of pupils were enrolled in them in 2017-2018; fees ranging from about €1,200 (kindergarten) to €13,000 (upper years) per year according to EURES.
• Start of school year: in the first 10 days of September.

Common pitfalls

• Believing kindergarten is optional. It is compulsory from age 4 in Greece (Eurydice: law 4521/2018, extended to the whole country since 2020-21). Some passages of the EURES page still present it as optional or phased in: they are outdated.
• Arriving without proof of address: the school is assigned according to your home address.
• Forgetting the vaccination record, required for kindergarten enrolment; have it translated if needed.
• Language. Teaching is in Greek. For pupils who do not speak Greek, the Greek public school has reception classes (τάξεις υποδοχής) and support classes (φροντιστηριακά τμήματα), and there are intercultural schools (διαπολιτισμικά σχολεία) (MITOS registry; EURES). Their availability varies from one school to another: ask the school for your area or the education directorate of your region what exists near you.
• French schools: the AEFE directory (the network of accredited French schools abroad) lists two in Greece: the Eugène-Delacroix Franco-Hellenic lycée in Athens (agreement-based school) and the French School of Thessaloniki (partner school). They are fee-paying: ask for their fees and places directly.
• Recognition of qualifications: for higher education, the ΔΟΑΤΑΠ (Greek qualifications recognition centre) is the competent body for diplomas from foreign universities and technological institutes (EURES). For foreign school reports and diplomas (equivalence of a baccalaureate, moving from one year to another), the Greek procedure remains to be confirmed: ask the secondary education directorate of your region.

What changes by country of origin

• Public school in your neighbourhood: enrolment in a public school is generally based on your home address (EURES). Article 16 of the Constitution guarantees free public education to citizens (EURES); for a foreign child, confirm the enrolment conditions with the education directorate of your region.
• Islands: the school you are assigned to depends on your home address, including on the islands: check the school provision (kindergarten, lower secondary, upper secondary) in your municipality before settling.