Schools in Greece, from Greek education to international qualifications

Cities: Athens, Thessaloniki

A Greek private school and an English-language international school can serve the same neighbourhood without preparing children for the same next step. A school’s historic name does not settle that distinction. Some offer both Greek and international programmes, with separate entry requirements.

For a family expecting to stay, I would investigate Greek-language schooling alongside international options. For a teenager moving temporarily, continuity of subjects and examinations may matter more. Neither choice removes the need to understand language support, eligibility and the daily journey.

This guide covers selected schools in Athens and Thessaloniki. It is not a directory of every Greek region. Use the Athens school-search guide or Thessaloniki school-search guide for a closer comparison.

Understand the Greek stages first

Greece provides free public education. Compulsory schooling normally runs from ages four to fifteen, including two kindergarten years. The Greek education overview from the national Eurydice unit explains the stages.

Stage	Usual ages	What follows
Nipiagogeio, kindergarten	4–6	Six-year primary school
Dimotiko, primary school	6–12	Three-year lower secondary school
Gymnasio, lower secondary	12–15	General or vocational upper secondary
Lykeio, upper secondary	15–18	Further study, training or employment

General lyceums are called GEL; vocational lyceums are EPAL. Their programmes are not interchangeable. Ask which previous studies the receiving school will recognise before planning a transfer.

For public enrolment, use the government’s school-registration services. If you arrive after the normal application period, contact the local school or education directorate. Explain your address, the child’s previous schooling and language needs. A closed online intake is a reason to request instructions, not to abandon the public-school option.

Teaching language and qualifications are separate decisions

A Greek private school usually teaches the national curriculum in Greek, even when it offers substantial English teaching. An English-speaking admissions office is not evidence that a child can study history or mathematics in English.

An international school may follow British, American, French or German education. Some combine those programmes with the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme, or IB DP: a two-year upper-secondary qualification. British schools may offer IGCSE examinations around sixteen, then either IB or A-levels. Those final programmes differ in subject breadth and assessment.

Ask for the timetable for your child’s actual programme. Which subjects use each language? Is additional language teaching included, charged separately, or scheduled instead of another subject? For an older beginner, the answer can determine whether admission is realistic.

Greek university admission needs a separate conversation. A recognised school-leaving qualification does not itself guarantee admission to a Greek public university. The ordinary route involves the Panhellenic examinations; the Ministry’s IB explanation distinguishes IB study from that examination route.

Special admissions categories have their own conditions. The 2026 guidance for foreign-national applicants also addresses qualification-equivalence documents for foreign schools in Greece. Ask which category fits your child’s nationality and educational history. Do not assume that an international school automatically qualifies its pupils for an alternative route.

IB is no longer solely a private-school question. The Ministry invited applications for IB sections in selected public model and experimental lyceums for 2026/27. That call concerned pupils entering the second lyceum year. Its 19–24 June 2026 application period has ended; it is not an offer of an available September place.

British and American options

ACS Athens, in Halandri, offers an American high-school diploma, with Advanced Placement courses and IB options. It is worth considering for American-system continuity, but the full IB Diploma and individual advanced courses are different choices.

Its admissions FAQ sets conditions for late high-school transfers. Students entering from a non-American curriculum generally need two years to complete its diploma. Greek equivalence through its IB route requires additional Greek study and sufficient language proficiency. ACS says it does not prepare pupils for the Panhellenic examinations. Ask about the correct application procedure for a locally resident family versus one arriving from abroad.

Campion School, in Pallini, follows a British programme through IGCSE and then the IB Diploma. It does not offer a parallel A-level route. Compare it with ACS if English-medium continuity matters, but compare the actual final subjects rather than national labels.

Campion’s 2026/27 fee schedule lists annual tuition from €9,200 in Nursery to €15,650 in Years 10–13. New families also pay €100 to apply and €1,750 on registration. Senior School Extra English costs €1,200 annually. Check learning-support capacity before applying; an English-support charge does not imply that every additional need can be accommodated.

Byron College, also in Pallini, is the more relevant comparison if you want IGCSE followed by A-levels. Its 2026/27 schedule runs from €8,580 in early years to €14,300 in Years 12–13. Registration is €1,000 or €1,700, depending on year group. The €150 assessment fee applies to Years 4–12, not every applicant.

Byron’s transport, examinations, uniform and other listed extras are outside tuition. The 5% advance-payment deadline was 10 July 2026 and has passed. For a sixth-form applicant, ask which A-level combinations will actually run and what happens if a subject group is too small.

St Catherine’s British School offers another British-to-IB route. Lower School is in Lykovrissi; Upper School is in Kifissia. A family with children in both sections should test both journeys.

Its 2026/27 fee schedule lists €9,950 for Nursery and €17,320 for Years 12–13. Tuition is paid in two instalments. The document dates its separate application, registration and development-fee table from 1 October 2026, so confirm which terms cover your application. Its 2% prepayment deadline, 15 July 2026, has already passed.

Greek programmes with an IB alternative

The Athens College schools, operated by the Hellenic-American Educational Foundation, offer Greek education and the IB at Psychico College. Compare this option with an international school if maintaining academic Greek and a national-programme choice matters.

The Foundation’s 2026/27 charges include €11,620 for Greek secondary schooling and €15,860 for each IB year. Admissions assessment and capacity depend on the entry point. The IB admissions guidance warns that an IB student cannot subsequently transfer into the second year of the Greek lyceum. Treat that choice as a real programme commitment.

The Moraitis School, in Psychico, offers the Greek curriculum, a Pre-IB year and the IB Diploma. Pre-IB is preparation, not the diploma itself. It is a useful comparison with Athens College for a family deciding between Greek and international upper-secondary study.

The 2025/26 fee document quoted €10,950 for gymnasio and the first lyceum year, and €14,450 for IB. These are historical reference figures, not a 2026/27 quotation. Request the current fee schedule and entry requirements before comparing totals. The published 14 March 2026 gymnasio examination is also a past date.

Pierce – The American College of Greece offers Greek schooling and IB, rather than an American high-school programme simply because “American” appears in its name. Its campus change is especially important for the commute.

For 2026/27, the school’s fee page places all three gymnasio years at the East Campus in Spata. Greek lyceum and IB remain in Agia Paraskevi. Annual tuition is €10,160 for gymnasio and €14,350 for each IB year. New applicants pay €300; the €1,500 tuition deposit is credited, not added again to annual tuition.

French and German education

Lycée Franco-Hellénique Eugène Delacroix, in Agia Paraskevi, has separate French and Hellenic sections. The French baccalauréat and the Greek school-leaving route should not be treated as one combined award. Its registration guidance distinguishes applicants’ previous schooling, assessments and capacity.

The 2026/27 fee table lists €6,150 for French preschool and primary. French secondary tuition is €6,300 or €6,700 by programme; Hellenic secondary tuition is €7,500. It adds 20% to tuition paid directly or indirectly by an employer. First registration costs €900; application and annual insurance are separate. Meals and transport are additional annual charges, not termly tuition.

Deutsche Schule Athen, in Maroussi, is relevant for German-language education leading to the Deutsches Internationales Abitur, or DIA. That is the German international school-leaving qualification. Check the language expectations at the intended entry point, particularly when transferring from a Greek school.

Its published 2026/27 figures conflict: the German fee page says €6,120, while the Greek page says €6,160. Both list €1,850 for first registration. Obtain the correct amount in writing. The €5,920 early-payment rate expired on 31 July 2026; it is not a current discount assumption.

Thessaloniki: three different programme choices

Anatolia College, in Pylea, offers Greek secondary education alongside the joint Anatolia–Pinewood IB programme. It is worth investigating if you want a Greek curriculum or need boarding, but request the relevant programme’s own quotation.

The 2026/27 payment page directs families to a class-specific tuition calculator. Its €2,500 high-school and €3,800 IB deposits are part-payments, not extra tuition. The stated annual dormitory fee is €11,030. The 2026/27 IB application window ended on 24 April 2026; ask separately about any later vacancy.

Pinewood offers English-medium American education and the joint IB programme. Its admissions rules require a ministry exemption for children with solely Greek citizenship entering Pre-K through Grade 9. A school pre-acceptance is part of that process; it is not a substitute for permission.

English requirements become more demanding in secondary school. As reviewed on 4 September 2026, the school’s fee page also says learning-support capacity is full and applications requiring that support are on hold. Resolve that point before paying or planning a move.

Pinewood’s 2026/27 annual tuition is €14,120 for Grades 6–12 and €14,300 for the joint IB. Its new-student capital levy and €11,900 boarding charge are separate. The boarding figure is not Anatolia’s €11,030. Ask which institution invoices your child and whether accommodation remains available during holidays.

Deutsche Schule Thessaloniki, on the Thessaloniki–Thermi road, offers German-language education through the DIA and Greek apolytirio. The school explains that the Greek certificate allows participation in the Panhellenic examinations. It does not promise university admission without them.

The 2025/26 fee document listed €4,410 for kindergarten. School tuition was €4,607 for most years and €4,907 for Years 10–11. Use those amounts only as an older reference and request 2026/27 terms. Ask about German entry testing and any preparatory provision for your child’s age.

Plan the application and the ordinary school day

There is no single private-school admissions calendar. Some schools assess applicants at specified spring sittings; others accept applications during the year when places and support are available. A past examination date does not become next year’s date automatically.

For a September 2026 or mid-year move, ask about the actual year group now. For September 2027, request the new cycle’s timetable. Separate permission to apply, an assessment invitation, a waiting-list position and a confirmed offer.

Budget for the day your child will actually have. A frontistirio is an external tutoring centre, often associated with examination preparation. Do not assume every private-school pupil needs one, or that tuition necessarily includes equivalent support.

Ask which exam preparation, supervised study and learning support the school provides. Add any expected tutoring, bus, meals, examinations and activities to the family budget. Check whether a late activity bus serves your address, not merely whether the school operates one.

For Athens, test the correct campus at school arrival and dismissal times before signing a lease. Psychico, Pallini, Spata and Kifissia are not interchangeable locations. A programme that fits academically can still demand an unsustainable journey.

Friendly orientation, not formal admissions advice. Always confirm dates with the school.