Students who this summer there are almost 500 more graduating from the eighth grade than last year. With regard to demographic indicators, this is good news, and for new high school students, it is also good news that the number of places in high school programs, which some vocational schools are also introducing, is increasing.
More and more students enroll in private secondary schools. As the father of two high school students from Zagreb tells us, one of the main reasons for choosing a private gymnasium was the fact that the enrollment threshold is much lower than in public gymnasiums. It is generally known that for the last four or five years, a student who was not an honors student could not enroll in the gymnasium in Zagreb. Therefore, parents decide for private gymnasiums, regardless of the annual tuition fees from 3,800 to 4,500 euros.
‘They look through their fingers’
– From what was offered and considering the average of the daughter from elementary school and what she wanted, it was the best choice – our interlocutor told us.
And the second child enrolled in a private gymnasium, which, this Zagreb native tells us, has much stricter criteria and greater demands on students.
– The score threshold is low, so children with poor prior knowledge come. And now seven or eight of them have units. But on the other hand, in the gymnasium attended by older girls, they look down on the worse students too much – this father shared his impressions with us.
More and more enrolled
Private schools, in addition to smaller classes, they offer better equipment, organized lunches (which, however, are paid for additionally), individual access to students, and the like.
However, one of the criteria that ultimately matters the most to students and parents, the results of the state matriculation exam, does not favor private gymnasiums. When looking at the results of the state graduation exams from 2023, the private gymnasium with the best average of 3.9 is only in 26th place on the list of all high schools. The principals emphasize that their priority is to provide a good atmosphere for the students, and most of them enroll in the faculty anyway. The fact that private gymnasiums are increasingly the choice of students and their parents is also shown by the increase in enrollment. Two years ago, 2,885 students attended those schools, and last year there were 3,154.
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