In this website, I will tell you about education system from compulsory school to secondary
school in Hungary.
*(local language)

1, Compulsory School
Compulsory School in Hungary is from age 3 to 16, but there are nurseries (Crèche) for
children under 3. Children start going to kindergarten at the age of 3, and the basic school
starts from the age of 6, until the 8th grade. Students who had finished their basic school
can continue their education for another 4 years in the public education, either at general
secondary schools (gimnázium), vocational secondary schools (szakközépiskola) or
trademark secondary schools (szakmunkásképző iskola).
※There are also schools called “special school”, which is for children with disadvantages or
disabilities.

2, Higher Education
Students going to high schools study medical science, health science, business and economy,
engineering, social science and so on. There are mainly 2 types of higher education school,
general secondary school, and vocational secondary school. There is also a type of secondary
school called “trade school”, but this time, I will explain about general and vocational secondary
school.

2-1. General Secondary School
Students entering upper general secondary school education in grade 9 can start their studies
at the age of 14. However, only one-third of grade 9 students are actually age 14, the larger part
of them is generally age 15, those repeating a year are age 16. In 6-grade or 8-grade upper
general secondary schools, students start their studies in grade 5 and grade 7 respectively. They
are at least age 10 (typically 11) and 12 (typically 13) depending upon which programme or
curriculum they choose. The earliest age for completing the 4, 6, an 8-grade upper general
secondary school programmes with upper secondary school-leaving examination is 18 years
(typically 19 years) while this age is 19 years (typically 20 years) in bilingual programmes.
Annex 4 of the Act CXC of 2011 on Public Education regulates class size. The minimum
number of students per class is 26, the maximum is 34 and the average (recommended) is 28 in
upper general secondary schools. The maximum number of students may only be exceeded in
a few cases determined by the Act.
The school determines the proportion of compulsory and non-compulsory subjects that can be
held by dividing classes into smaller groups. Most commonly, the small group scheme is used
for foreign language education (typically dividing the class into two groups). It may also occur
that students of the whole year are divided into groups on the basis of their knowledge. Class
divisions sometimes occur in other subjects as well.
Schools may also organize individual tutoring and small group sessions. This is typically
provided by the school for talent support or to help disadvantaged pupils to catch up.
Schools aim at ensuring that teachers teach classes from the first grade to the last in their
subjects. Students usually stay in the same class throughout grades 9-12 in general secondary
schools. The grouping of students may vary for certain subjects – particularly on the basis of
students’ knowledge – in the case of foreign language classes or on the basis of sex in the case
of physical education classes.
Each class is provided a form teacher selected from the ones who are teaching that particular
class. The form teacher is responsible for class administration and he/she organizes all class related matters, such as extra-curricular activities. He/she maintains the most intensive contact
with parents through regular parent-teacher meetings, phone calls, e-mail messages and other
paper-based or electronic platforms.

2-2. Vocational Secondary School
Students entering vocational education and training may start their secondary studies at the age
of 14 (in grade 9). However, since the majority of children do not start single structure school
at the age of 6 but at the age of 7 and because quite a number of the students (persistently above
20%) entering vocational education institutions, has repeated a grade or two in single structure
school, only about a quarter or a fifth of 9th graders are actually 14 years old. The majority are
15 and some of them are 16 years old.
The placement of the student into a class or group is decided by the specialized professional
working group, or if they are not available, by the school head with the opinion of the teaching
staff. The class size is maximum 32 students, which can be exceeded by up to twenty percent
with the permission of the maintainer. The maximum number of group members of the
specialized education in the VET institution is 16. The minimum number is determined by the
maintainer.
The school determines the percentages of mandatory and elective classes where class splitting
is applied. Foreign language classes are most often organized in smaller groups – dividing classes
typically into two groups. The teaching of other subjects may also be organized in divided
classes from time to time. Activities may also be organized for individual students as well as for
small groups. This may be provided with the purpose of talent support or – particularly in
vocational schools – for enabling disadvantaged and lagging students to catch up with the rest
of the class.
After graduating from secondary school, students, but not all, will go to universities or colleges.
There are also many students go abroad for work or school.