Schools in Athens: Greek state school or international school for Aussie kids?

The big decision isn't which school. It's which language your kids will learn in, and how long you're staying.

The short version

• Greek state schools are free and teach in Greek. Schooling is compulsory from age 4 (pre-primary) to 15 (end of gymnasio) [1].
• Kindergarten enrolment happens online through gov.gr in March, using TAXISnet codes, so get your AFM sorted early [2].
• International schools cluster in the northern and eastern suburbs: Kifisia, Halandri, Lykovrysi and Pallini, with one British school near Glyfada [3][4].
• Fees in 2026 run from about €7,000 a year for kindergarten to about €24,500 for the IB Diploma or A-levels, before extras [3].
• There's no Australian-curriculum school in Athens that we know of. If you're heading home for Year 11 and 12, the IB Diploma is the usual bridge.

How the Greek system is built

Greek schooling has more stages than Australia's, and the names matter when you're filling in forms.

The school year runs from September to June, with long summer holidays. That's a mid-year move for an Australian child. Someone leaving Year 3 in Brisbane in December typically joins the second half of a Greek school year in January, or waits until September.

The lykeio years lead to the Panhellenic exams, Greece's ATAR equivalent and the gateway to Greek universities. Many Greek families pay for afternoon tutoring schools (frontistiria) on top of state school, especially in the lykeio years. If your teenager joins the state system, expect classmates to be studying long hours outside school.

Enrolling in a state school

Public schools are zoned by address, like most Australian public schools.

1. Kindergarten. Registration for public kindergartens is online through gov.gr's first enrolment platform, using TAXISnet credentials. For 2025–2026 the window ran from 5 to 24 March 2025, for children turning four by the end of that year [2]. Watch for the 2027 announcement early in the new year.
2. Primary and above. Go to the local school for your address with your documents. Children who finish a stage in Greece move up automatically, so the paperwork is mainly for newcomers [1].
3. Documents. Expect to show proof of address (a utility bill or registered lease), the child's vaccination record or health booklet, a health certificate from a doctor and, for non-EU families, your residence permit [1][2]. For children over six, bring school reports showing which years they completed and where.

Bring your Australian immunisation history from the Australian Immunisation Register (through Medicare in myGov) and get it translated. For school reports, a certified translation saves arguments about which year your child should join.

Support for kids who don't speak Greek

Greece runs reception classes under the Ministry of Education's Zones of Educational Priority (ZEP) programme. Children learn Greek with extra support while attending ordinary classes with Greek classmates [1]. Availability varies by school, so ask the principal directly.

Kids under about eight usually pick up Greek quickly in a state school. Teenagers arriving with no Greek face a much harder road, and the lykeio years are tough to start cold [4].

International schools: the main options

Most English-language international schools sit in the leafy northern and eastern suburbs, and a school bus is part of the deal for most families. Here are the names that come up most among expat families, from two 2026 school guides [3][4]:

Check each school's current curriculum offer directly; programmes change, and the guides we used don't always agree.

There are also long-established Greek private schools with strong English and an IB Diploma option, such as Athens College in Psychico and Doukas School in Marousi [4]. They suit Greek-Australian families who want kids fluent in both languages. Athens College admits through entrance exams held each March, and demand outstrips places [4].

What it costs in 2026

International school fees in Athens are lower than at most Australian private schools in the capital cities, but extras add up. City-wide ranges for 2026 [3]:

On top, budget for a one-off enrolment fee (often €1,000–€3,500), the school bus (€2,000–€3,500 a year), lunches, uniforms and IB exam fees [3]. Fees vary between schools and can rise each year. Get the current fee schedule in writing from each school you're considering.

Our advice: contact schools 12 to 18 months before you move [4]. Popular entry points such as Year 7 and the IB Diploma years can have waiting lists. Ask whether the school does Zoom interviews and accepts Australian school reports as they are.

Greek-Australian kids and bilingual families

Plenty of Aussie families in Athens have at least one Greek parent and kids who already hold, or can claim, Greek citizenship. That opens a few doors:

• State school without a residence permit. Greek citizens enrol like any local child. Register your child with the Greek civil registry first. See our citizenship guide for how that works.
• Heritage Greek isn't classroom Greek. A child who chats with yiayia in Melbourne may still struggle with written Greek and spelling. A few months of tutoring before starting a state school helps.
• Bilingual schools as a middle path. Greek private schools that teach in both languages let kids keep up English while reaching full Greek literacy.

If your kids have done Saturday Greek school in Australia, bring their reports. They show a principal where to start.

Keeping the road back to Australia open

Most Aussie families in Athens plan to go home at some point. Make that easier from day one.

1. Decide your likely return year. Moving back before Year 9 is generally simple from either system. Returning for senior years needs more planning.
2. Pick a senior qualification Australian universities know. The IB Diploma is accepted by Australian universities and admission centres. A-levels are also widely recognised. The Greek Panhellenic certificate is less familiar to Australian schools and universities, so ask the admissions centre in your state well ahead.
3. Keep every report. Collect end-of-year reports and translations. Australian schools place returning students by age and evidence.
4. Keep English literacy strong if your kids are in Greek state school. A weekly English tutor or reading program avoids a gap on return.
5. Watch HECS and residency. If your teenager wants to study in Australia, citizenship and residence rules for Commonwealth supported places and HECS-HELP apply. Check the current rules on Study Assist before they apply.

For more on the return trip, see our guide to schooling Australian kids abroad.

Want to know which school bus actually turns up on time? Join Cooee Greece, our Facebook group for Australians in Greece, at /join/. Parents in Kifisia and Glyfada swap school notes there all the time.

Sources

1. Access to education in Greece – UNHCR Greece
2. Kindergarten enrollment opens for 2025–2026 school year – To Vima
3. International school fees in Athens: 2026 cost guide for expat families – iSchoolAdvisor
4. International schools in Athens: the complete guide for expat families (2026) – Global Investments

Keep reading

• Learning Greek in Athens: courses, certificates and citizenship tests
• Greek citizenship by descent for Australians
• Moving to Athens from Australia: the complete guide
• Schooling Australian kids abroad and coming home