Education in Cyprus

If you are buying your new home and relocating to Cyprus from the UK, Europe or Russia, we here at Comark Estates would like to help you understand the education system available on the island. It is a common topic in the Expat forum when weighing up the pros and cons of living in Cyprus.

There are many nursery schools in every city, and village, in Cyprus, either state nurseries which are in Greek, or private nurseries in English and Russian. There are even Montessori schools in most major cities. So don’t worry about getting your little ones off to a flying start pre-school, Cyprus offers a multitude of options, all very reasonably priced compared to most European and British counterparts.

As well as the schools that we have listed below, there are also plenty of private tuition classes available in other languages on the island, for example Dutch. Private tuition is very common in Cyprus and extra classes with tutors can be arranged for in-home or in-class learning, so if you do opt for Greek spoken state schooling, there isn’t a shortage of additional tuition to help encourage the learning process of this new language.

There are two types of schooling in the state (free for Cypriot residents) system; compulsory education and optional education..

Length of Study: Compulsory education in Cyprus lasts for ten years, from age 5 to 15 and is split into two phases. Primary education lasts for 6 years, and Lower Secondary lasts for 7 years. Then, at 15 years of age, students begin High School and at this point they have a choice. High School (also known by terms such as ”Lyceum” or “Upper Secondary School”) is where young people can choose to attend a technical college and get a professional education. Secondary education can also be taught in private schools. State education is in Greek, however in the major cities across Cyprus, there are English Private Schools which provide full cycles of primary and secondary education.

The largest number of private English schooling is available in the city of Limassol, but as an overview, here are the most reputable private schools on the island, listed by City.