Types of schools in Poland
What is the education system in Poland?
The Polish school system is divided into the following stages:
-kindergarten (for children 3-5/6 years of age);
-primary school (6 years; for children 6/7- 11/12 years of age)
-gymnasium – lower secondary school (3 years; for children 12/13 – 15/16 years of age)
-secondary school (different types, education lasts 3 or 4 years depending on the type of school).
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At each level both public institutions (run by public entities and maintained in large part from public funds) and private ones exist (run by private owners and maintained entirely by private funds). The third possible type are so-called “association schools” run by associations of parents and maintained with their resources. They differ from private schools in that the parents of students and / or former students, grouped in a formal association, are co-owners of the school and decide about its matters.
Education in public schools is free of charge, in private schools and association schools it is paid (except for the students included in scholarship programs run by some private or public schools). A child's stay in a public kindergarten, on the other hand, is partially paid - the rules vary depending on location, since they are set by local governments. Exceptions are some kindergarten divisions run in primary schools only for the oldest children who, from the next school year, will begin attending primary school (so-called “0” form, “zero year”) - the child’s stay in the school’s “zero form” is free of charge.
