The lyceum is a category of educational institution defined within the education system of many countries, mainly in Europe. The definition varies among countries; usually it is a type of secondary school. Basic science and some introduction to specific professions are generally taught.
History Lyceum is a Latin rendering of the Ancient Greek (), the name of a gymnasium in Classical Athens dedicated to Apollo Lyceus. This original lyceum is remembered as the location of the peripatetic school of Aristotle. Some countries derive the name for their modern schools from the Latin but use the Greek name for the ancient school: for example, Dutch has (ancient) and (modern), both rendered lyceum in English (note that in classical Latin the C in was always pronounced as a K, not a soft C, as in modern English ).
The name lycée was retrieved and utilized by Napoleon in 1802 to name the main secondary education establishments. From France the name spread in many countries influenced by French culture.
By country Asia India The Liceu Nacional Afonso de Albuquerque in Panaji, Goa – established in 1854 in Portuguese Goa, following the Portuguese model – was the first public secondary school in the then-overseas Portuguese territory. Later, the Goa Lyceum received the official title of (Afonso de Albuquerque National Lyceum).
The Christ University Lyceum in Bengaluru, Karnataka - established in 2021, where scholars sit and do their research work and have discussion.
Philippines The Philippines follows its version of the K-12 system, where the term junior high school might be used instead of lyceum. However, there are schools that appropriate the word lyceum in their name. The Lyceum of the Philippines University (LPU) is a university in Manila established by former wartime president José P. Laurel. Among its notable alumni are former president Rodrigo Duterte, popular author Rene Villanueva, and actor Cesar Montano. LPU has campuses in Makati, Batangas, Laguna, Cavite, and Davao.
The Filipino word for lyceum is from Spanish which can be found in some names of various universities and educational institutions which are unaffiliated with LPU.
Sri Lanka Lyceum International School (abbreviated as LIS), popularly known as Lyceum and its students as Lyceumers, is the largest International School network in Sri Lanka providing all pre-primary, primary and secondary education. Lyceum also holds the title as the largest school in Sri Lanka with over 25,000 students and 3,300 teachers and staff (as of 2025 February).https://www.lyceum.lk/about/history/
Lyceum International School was founded by Dr. Mohan Lal Grero in 1993, to foster all-round development through English-medium learning in Sri Lanka. At its inception, Lyceum International School had only seven students and four teachers. The school's motto is derived from the Ancient Greek aphorism "Know thyself".
Uzbekistan Lyceums also emerged in the former Soviet Union countries after they became independent. One typical example is Uzbekistan, where all high schools were replaced with lyceums ( is the Russian term, derived from French ), offering a three-year educational program with a certain major in a certain direction. Unlike Turkey, Uzbek lyceums do not hold university entrance examinations, which gives students the right to enter a university, but they hold a kind of mock examination which is designed to test their eligibility for a certain university.
Europe Albania The Albanian National Lyceum was a high school in the city of Korçë, Albania, that emphasized French culture and European values. The school fully functioned with a French cultural emphasis from 1917 to 1939. The school was continued post World War II as the Raqi Qirinxhi High School.
Belarus The Belarusian Humanities Lyceum is a private secondary school founded shortly after Belarus' independence from the USSR by intellectuals, such as Vincuk Viacorka and Uladzimir Kolas, with the stated aims of preserving and promoting native Belarusian culture, and raising a new Belarusian elite. It was shut down in 2003 by the Ministry of Education of Belarus allegedly for promoting enmity within Belarusian society and using the classroom as a political soapbox, indoctrinating students with biased views on history, ideology, politics, morality and values. The lyceum eventually switched to homeschooling with a limited number of underground homeschoolers.
Czech Republic The term lyceum refers to a type of secondary education consisting of anywhere from four years ended by graduation. It is a type of schooling between grammar school and a technical high school. For example, the famous scientist Gerty Cori went to a lyceum school.
Finland
The concept and name (in Swedish, in Finnish) entered Finland through Sweden. Traditionally, were schools to prepare students to enter universities, as opposed to the typical, more general education. Some old schools continue to use the name lyceum, though their operations today vary. For example, Helsinki Normal Lyceum educates students in grades 7–12, while Oulu Lyceum enrolls students only in grades 10–12. The more commonly used term for upper secondary school in Finland is in Finnish and in Swedish.
France The French word for an upper secondary school, , derives from Lyceum. (see Secondary education in France.)
Germany
The lyceum in Germany was known as an old term for a Gymnasium for girls. In Bavaria it was also a Hochschule to study theology and philosophy.
Greece
In Greece, Λύκειο refers to a type of upper secondary education school for students aged 15 to 18 or 20. The lyceum school first grade admitted students can have a maximum age up to 20 years old. "Regulations for Research and other provisions" "Restructuring of Secondary Education and other provisions". Provisions for the transformation of Upper Secondary Schools of General (GEL) and Vocational (EPAL), Vocational Training Institutes (IEK) and Special Education structures. Evening lyceum () is both for adult and underage working students, and lasts three years as of the 2020–2021 academic year, per Law 4547/2018. The lyceum awards the Απολυτήριο, or , which is the upper secondary education leaving certificate.
Upper secondary school (lyceum) (; special lyceum) (; model lyceum; 2015–present) (; musical lyceum; 3 years, 1998–present) (; art lyceum; 3 years, 2003–present) (; experimental lyceum; 3 years, 2015–present) (; ; general lyceum; 3 years, 1976–1996, 2006–present) (; i.e. comprehensive lyceum; , general lyceum of cross-cultural education; 3 years, 2018–present) (; ; vocational lyceum; EPAL; 3 years, 2006–present) (; evening general lyceum; 3 years, 1976–present) (; evening vocational lyceum; 3 years) (integrated special vocational gymnasium-lyceum; ) (ΓΕΕΛ; ; ecclesiastical general lyceum; 3 years, 2006–present)
Defunct upper secondary school (lyceum) (; athletic lyceum; 3 years) (; integrated lyceum; 3 years, 1997–2006) (; technical lyceum; 3 years, 1977–1985) (; vocational lyceum; 3 years; Law 576/1977; 1977–1985) (gymnasium; integrated 3-year lower and 3-year upper secondary school) (; ; integrated multifarious lyceum; 3 years, 1985–1997) (; ; technical vocational lyceum; 3 years, 1985–1998) (; ; technical vocational training centre; 3 years, 1998–2006)
Hungary Before World War I, secondary education institutes with a primary goal of preparing for higher studies were often referred to by the word .
In contemporary Hungarian, the most ubiquitous word for these institutions is , but lives on as an archaizing word referring to schools of high prestige and revered traditions, most notably Calvinist boarding schools.
Italy The lyceum is often considered the hardest and most prestigious kind of secondary school in Italy.
The term liceo refers to a number of upper secondary school, which last five years (from 14 to 19 years of age) and generally teach more theoretical subjects compared to technical and professional schools (the other two types of Italian high schools), often including Philosophy and Latin. Most Liceo students choose it to prepare for university. It is divided into six different branches, each one specialized in certain subjects: Liceo classico (classical lyceum) is focused on the humanities, including history, literature, philosophy, ancient Greek and Latin. Liceo scientifico (scientific lyceum) focuses on maths, physics, biology and chemistry. Liceo linguistico (linguistic lyceum) focuses on learning a certain number of languages and their literatures. Each school can decide which language to teach, but Italian and English are always present. Liceo artistico (arts lyceum) focuses on arts history and practical arts (varying from drawing to painting to sculpturing). Liceo delle scienze umane (human and social sciences lyceum) focuses on the human sciences such as psychology, anthropology, sociology and pedagogy and on the study of history and philosophy. Liceo musicale e coreutico (music and choreutic lyceum) focuses on musical performance.
Latvia The first Lyceum in Riga was founded in 1675 by the king Charles XI of Sweden (in Latin, ), and was renamed to the Imperial Lyceum of Riga (in German, ) in 1733. In September 1921, the Riga French Lycée, an upper secondary school supported by the Government of France was founded in Riga. In 1989, during the Latvian National Awakening, the Pushkin Lyceum of Riga () with education programs in Russian was established. In 2002, another Russian lyceum was established in Daugavpils (), renamed to Daugavpils High School of Technologies () in 2020.
Lithuania Some gymnasiums are called , e.g. Vilnius Lyceum.
Malta Junior lyceums refer to secondary education state owned schools.
Republic of Moldova Until recently, in the Republic of Moldova the lyceum – called – was an educational institution where students studied from the first to the twelfth grade and would obtain the baccalaureate degree upon completion. In most cases, the lyceums were specialized in a particular domain (fine art, theatre, language) that was relevant to the personality whose name the institution bore. In other respects, it was little different from any regular school, with the exception of slightly higher education standards and supposedly being more prestigious. After 2010, regular schools were all formally reformed into lyceums, although their quality remained of the same level as before and most did not get any particular specialization, thereby being dubbed 'theory lyceums' (). One reason for the 2010 reform was to reduce the influence of the Soviet/Russian educational system and/or mentality in Moldova.
Netherlands In the Netherlands, a lyceum is a selective secondary school for children aged 12–18 that offers "voorbereidend wetenschappelijk onderwijs" (vwo) and "hoger algemeen voortgezet onderwijs" (havo), the top and high levels of secondary education available in that country. Successful completion allows vwo students admission to university and havo students to hogeschool, comparable to vocational university. The term lyceum is also sometimes used for other vocational schools such as the Grafisch Lyceum, or Muzieklyceum Amsterdam, which grew into the Conservatorium van Amsterdam.
Poland The is the Polish secondary-education school. Polish liceums are attended by students aged 15 to 19–20 (see list below). Before graduating, pupils are subject to a final examination, the matura.
Polish liceums are of several types: general lyceum (15–19) specialised lyceum (15–19) complementary lyceum (17-20)
Portugal From 1836 until 1978, in the Portuguese educational system, the lyceum (), or national lyceum (), was a high school that prepared students to enter universities or more general education. On the other hand, the technical school () was a technical-oriented school.