Education in Greece is centralized and governed by the Ministry of Education, Religious Affairs, and Sports (Greek: ) at all grade levels throughout elementary, middle school, and high school. The Ministry exercises control over public schools, formulates and implements legislation, administers the budget, coordinates national level university entrance examinations, sets up the national curriculum, appoints public school teaching staff, and coordinates other services.
The Ministry of Education and Religious Affairs is also in charge of which classes are necessary for general education. They have implemented mandatory courses such as religion in required grade levels (1st-9th grades). Students can only be exempt if their guardians fill out a declaration excluding them from religious lessons.
The national supervisory role of the Ministry is exercised through Regional Unit Public Education Offices, which are named Regional Directorates of Primary and Secondary School Education. Public schools and their supply of textbooks are funded by the government. Public schools in Greece are tuition-free and students on a state approved list are provided textbooks at no cost.
About 25% of postgraduate programmes are tuition-fee, while about 30% of students are eligible to attend programmes tuition-free based on individual criteria.
Formal education in Greece consists of three educational stages. The first stage of formal education is the primary stage, which lasts for six years starting aged six and ending at the age of 12, followed by the secondary stage, which is separated into two sub-stages: the compulsory middle school, which lasts three years starting at age 12, and non-compulsory Lyceum, which lasts three years starting at 15. The third stage involves higher education.
School holidays in Greece include Christmas, Greek Independence Day, Easter, National Anniversary Day, a three-month summer holiday, National Public Holidays, and local holidays, which vary by region such as the local patron saint's day.
In addition to schooling, the majority of students attend extracurricular private classes at private tutoring centres called "frontistiria" (, frontistiria), or one-to-one tuition. These centres prepare students for higher education admissions, like the Pan-Hellenic Examinations, and/or provide foreign language education.
It is forbidden by law for students to use mobile phones while on the school premises. Taking or making phone calls, texting, or the use of other camera, video or other recording devices or medium that have image and audio processing ability like smartwatches is forbidden. Students must switch off their mobile phones or set them to silent mode and keep them in their bags while on the school premises. However, especially at high schools, the use of mobile phones is widespread, especially at breaks and sometimes in the class.
Diagram
Greece Framework Year in Schooling Age Greek Designation Educational Stage Pre-kindergarten 4–5 Pre-kindergarten Preschool (Pronipium, Nipiagogeium))Kindergarten 5–6 Kindergarten First grade 6–7 1st Grade Primary School (Dimotiko) Second grade 7–8 2nd Grade Third grade 8–9 3rd Grade Fourth grade 9–10 4th Grade Fifth grade 10–11 5th Grade Sixth grade 11–12 6th Grade Seventh grade 12–13 1st Grade (Gymnasium) Gymnasium(Lower Secondary School) (U.S. equivalent: Middle School) Eighth grade 13–14 2nd Grade (Gymnasium) Ninth grade 14–15 3rd Grade (Gymnasium) Tenth grade 15–16 1st Grade (Lyceum) Lyceum(Upper Secondary School) (U.S. equivalent: High School) Eleventh grade 16–17 2nd Grade (Lyceum) Twelfth grade 17–18 3rd Grade (Lyceum)
Preschool
Most preschools, also known as pre-primary, are attached to and share buildings with a primary school. Preschool is compulsory and lasts 2 years, split into 1 year of Pre-kindergarten (Προνηπιαγωγείο) and 1 year of Kindergarten (Νηπιαγωγείο; Nipiagogeio). Since the school year 2018–2019, children who would be four years of age by December 31 are required to begin attending preschool on September 11 of the same year. Applications for registration and enrolment are usually carried out annually during fifteen consecutive days in May. After this period expires, students are neither allowed to register nor enroll. 1st Year / Pre-Kindergarten (), age 4 to 5 years old (with some 3-year-olds, about to turn 4, attending)Typical ages refer to the ages that normally correspond to the age at entry and ending of a cycle of education. These ages relate to the theoretical duration of a cycle assuming full-time attendance and no repetition of a year. The assumption is made that, at least in the ordinary education system, a student can proceed through the educational programme in a standard number of years, which is referred to as the theoretical duration of the programme. 2nd Year / Kindergarten (), age 5 to 6 (with some 4-year-olds, about to turn 5, attending)
There are also the public Special Preschools and public Experimental Preschools ()
In these school years, students are given descriptive assessments instead of number/letter grades. Primary education
Primary school (, Dimotiko scholeio) is compulsory for 6 years. There is also the public Special Primary and public Experimental Primary ().
The school year starts on September 11 and ends on June 15. The standard school day starts at 08:15 and finishes at 13:15. It comprises six academic years of schooling named τάξεις (grades), numbered 1 through to 6. Enrollment to the next tier of compulsory education, the Gymnasium, is automatic. The classes for a subject vary with the teacher who teaches. Students are awarded an "" (Apolytirio Dimotikou, primary school leaving certificate) which gives automatic admission to the lower secondary education (gymnasium).
In Year 1 and Year 2, students are not officially graded. Beginning with years 3 and 4, grades are ranked alphabetically from A to D. From year 5, when written exams are introduced, to year 6 it changes to numbers, going from 4, the lowest, to 10 the highest (best).
Αges are typical and can vary with the most common ages approximately: Grades of Primary School Grade 1–6 1st Year / First grade (), age 6 to 7-year-olds 2nd Year / Second grade (), age 7 to 8 3rd Year / Third grade (), age 8 to 9 4th Year / Fourth grade (), age 9 to 10 5th Year / Fifth grade (), age 10 to 11 6th Year / Sixth grade (), age 11 to 12
Grading System
1st Year: no grade points 2nd Year: no grade points 3rd Year: Α–Δ (A–D) 4th Year: Α–Δ (A–D) 5th Year: 1–10 6th Year: 1–10
Primary School National Curriculum 2020–2021 Subjects of Primary School Weekly Hours of Subjects 1st 2nd 3rd 4th5th6th Modern Greek Language998877 Mathematics 554444 History --2222 Physics ----33 Geography ----11 Flexible Zone 332211 Religion--2211 Physical Education 333322 Environmental Studies 3322-- Social and Political Studies ----11 English Language (Modern) 223333 Aesthetic Education - Art221111 Aesthetic Education - Music 111111 Computer and Communication Studies 111111 Aesthetic Education - Theatrical Education 1111-- 2nd Foreign Language (French or German)----22 Total Weekly Hours3030 30 30 30 30
Secondary education
Lower Secondary Education Gymnasium (, Gymnasio, Lower Secondary Education School, middle school) is compulsory until the age of 15.
Article 16, Paragraph 3 of the Constitution of 1975 mandates that compulsory education must be at least nine years in length. This constitutional provision, which applies to all Greek children, was established in Law 309/1976, which also replaced classical Greek (katharevousa) with modern Greek (dimotiki) as the official language for teaching at all levels of education, and ceased to be a one-tier non-compulsory six years lower and upper secondary school, middle schools (pupils aged 12–18), and was converted to compulsory three-year lower secondary school for students aged 12–15 (middle school) and three-year non-compulsory upper secondary schools for students aged 15–18 (high school).
Admitted students can be up to 16-years-old, and they must have Primary Education School Certificate or its international equivalent. No entry exams are required. Schooling starts on September 11 and ends on early June before the first day of the Pan-Hellenic Examinations. The lessons end on May 31 so that the students will be able to study for their examinations in early June. The gymnasium school-awarded qualification "" (Apolytirio Gymnasium, gymnasium school leaving certificate, referred to simply as gymnasium certificate) at HQF (NQF) level 3, gives admission to the upper secondary education (lyceum). Gymnasium has three academic years of schooling known as "" (grade), numbered 1 through to 3. Ages are typical and can vary with the most common being between: 1st Year / First grade (), age 12 to 13-year-olds 2nd Year / Second grade (), age 13 to 14 3rd Year / Third grade (), age 14 to 15
The types of gymnasium in Greece are:
Middle school Special Middle school Evening Middle school Ecclesiastical Middle school Middle school of Cross-Cultural Education Model Middle school (public; to enter, students must pass certain written examinations) Experimental Middle school (public; students are selected randomly) Integrated Special Vocational Middle school-High school (; 4 years for the Middle school) Music Middle school (to enter this type of school students must pass certain musical exams) Art Middle school (to enter this type of school students must pass certain exams on either arts, dance, or theater; 2004–Present)
Gymnasium National Curriculum 2025‒2026 Subjects of Gymnasium Weekly Hours of Subjects 1st 2nd 3rd Modern Greek Language322 Modern Greek Literature222 Ancient Greek Language 222 Ancient Greek Literature 222 Mathematics 444 Physics 122 Chemistry - 1 1 Biology111 Geology and Geography12 - History222 Religious Studies222 English Language (Modern) 2 2 2 2nd Foreign Language (Modern; French or German) 222 Social and Political Studies - -3Economics - -1 Home Economics 1 - - Physical Education 222 Technology 111 Computer Studies 211 Music 111 Art 111Skills Development111 Total Weekly Hours3333 35 In middle school English is mandatory all three years, while students can choose between French or German as the second foreign language that's required.
Second Chance Adult School Second Chance Adult School (SDE; ) is a Gymnasium level equivalent evening school administered by the Ministry of Education, for adults who did not complete their lower secondary education (gymnasium) lasts two years with 25 hours per week.
Upper Secondary Education Upper secondary school (, Lykeio, Upper Secondary Education School, Lyceum, High School: the US term for upper secondary school) is non-compulsory education lasting 3 years.
High schools starts on September 11 and ends on June 15. Lessons end in late May so that the students will be able to study for their examinations in June. Admitted students can be up to 20-year-old, while they must have Gymnasium Certificate or Lower Secondary Education School Certificate or its international equivalent. The Evening Lyceum () is for both adult students and underage working students lasts 3 years. After having completed the 3rd grade, the graduates of the Lyceum are awarded the "" qualification (Apolytirio Lykeiou, Lyceum Apolytirio, upper secondary leaving certificate, high school diploma, referred to simply as lyceum certificate) at HQF(NQF) / EQF level 4, at ISCED level 3. The marking scale on the Apolytirio Lykeiou (GPA) is set to a 20-point grading system, law 4610/2019. The Lyceum Apolytirio is required for admission to Higher Education and to continue studies, and is an equivalent in level to the GCE Advanced Level.