3 extraordinary private high schools in Budapest, according to Forbes

Hungary might not be the most developed country in the world, or even in Europe, but there have always been some educational institutions that reached that level or did even more. In this article, you can get to know three Hungarian private high schools that are not your average Joe. These high schools are following the ‘Western’ method to provide the best education possible and to prepare students for the world of work. Some are especially for atypical talents while others can provide international school leaving certificates.

For the third year in a row, Forbes has made a compilation of private schools, but this year, they are not introducing primary schools but rather private high schools in Budapest. In these institutions, children are promised to be freer, the teacher-student relationship is more informal, and personal attention is greater, for tuition ranging from HUF 10,000 (€~28) to about HUF 200,000 (€~560) a month, of course. Only schools that had at least one graduating class were considered, so some of the newest institutions could not make the list. This list is not complete; find the full list in Forbes‘ January issue.

There are high schools where education is organised on the basis of an alternative curriculum, discarding the division of subjects; the world does not exist in separate subjects either, but they are connected. However, most private schools still teach according to the national core curriculum, but even these are organising projects, introducing cooperative techniques, organising self-awareness classes and career guidance sessions so that teens can find their place in the world. A new elite international school is also underway in Hungary.

“We consider it important that children have a good time, learn to form their own opinions, be open, and dare to ask questions,” says the principal of the József Budenz Foundation High School.

Alternatív Közgazdasági Gimnázium (AKG) (Alternative High School of Economics)

Tuition: on average, HUF 85,000 to 100,000 (€~240 to 280) a month, depending on classes (one-third of those admitted offer a bid, so some may pay millions and others much less: this is how the annual budget of HUF 2,000,000,000 (two billion) (€~5.6 million) comes together, which is then supplemented by state funding of HUF 360 million (€~1 million)).

AKG is essentially the only alternative elite high school: its performance is on a par with that of traditional elite high schools.

It has been operating as a network of smaller independent schools since 1996. All 25 smaller schools are connected in a non-hierarchical system, and teachers, gyms, libraries, and digital systems are equally available to each school. Each child has their own ‘patron’, and they use individual programs.

In the first years of high school, there are no classical subjects, such as Physics or Chemistry, these are studied by students with an optional intensity in the last two years, and only the subjects they need. They have been utilising online learning at AKG for six years now, and it can be said that it is Microsoft’s model for digital learning as all of their curricula is available digitally, so during the pandemic, it was very easy for them to switch to online education.

The rate of pursuing further education is approaching 100% (a few children pursue an art career).

Európa 2000 Gimnázium (Europe 2000 High School)

Tuition: HUF 1.08 million (€~3,000) a year, but participating in the bilingual program costs more: HUF 1.98 million (€~5,500).