Schooling in Budapest

Primary and secondary schooling in Budapest:

Hungarian schools offer creche facilities from the age of 6 months, nurseries from the age of 3, primary school from 6-7 years of age and a wide variety of grammar schools and vocational secondary schools from the age of 12 or 14. This schooling is almost exclusively in Hungarian, though some dual-language schools exist alongside in a number of languages (English, German, Spanish and others). However, few Hungarian schools provide lessons for non-native speakers. Hungarian as a Second Language examinations do exist however, making it possible for a student with a fair knowledge of the language to attend Hungarian school. The Hungarian Erettsegi school-leaving examination is accepted for university admission in a good number of countries.

On the international front, there are many privately-run creches and nurseries in a number of languages. There’s also a range of schools offering various curricula in a variety of languages, some with their own nurseries taking children from the age of 3, and taking them right through to university entrance examinations. The largest is the English-speaking group of schools, which offer either the American or British national curriculum, followed by either A-levels or the International Baccalaureate. There are also private schools offering bilingual (Hungarian-English, Hungarian-Spanish) education with a curriculum incorporating elements from both systems.

In addition, there are schools following the national curricula of their particular countries – German, Austrian, French and Russian schools, for example – as well as some supplementary schools offering after-school or weekend tuition for students attending mainstream schools in a language other than their mother tongue – Dutch, Chinese, Italian, Japanese, Polish and others.

All in all, there’s a wide variety, in terms of both language and curriculum offered, so that usually all requirements can be met for international families coming to live in Budapest.