Education in the Czech Republic includes elementary school, secondary school, and post-secondary school. For students ages two to five, there are preschools that are generally not state-funded until the year before elementary school. After preschool, parents are not charged for tuition, but they must provide, stationery, and food for their children. A number of private schools exist across the country, but these schools are largely financially inaccessible for most children. There is an ongoing national discussion regarding the introduction of tuition fees for university education.
Elementary school is mandatory for children from ages six to fifteen. After that, some students leave formal education altogether, while other students attend a professional or vocational school. Enrollment in public schools is fairly high, though these figures do not document active student engagement.
Czech's education system is governed by the Ministry of Education, Youth, and Sports and had a budget of €4.6 billion in 2016.
Elementary school
Elementary school () consists of nine grades grouped into two stages.
First Stage
The first stage covers the first five years of formal education. Classes are taught by a single teacher, although there is sometimes a separate foreign language or physical education teacher. The subjects taught are Czech and include one foreign language (usually English), mathematics, computer science, history, geography, science, art, music, physical education, and handcrafts. There is usually a first stage school in every village; in small villages, several grades may be taught in one class.
Second Stage
The next four years of elementary school form the second stage, the last compulsory stage in education. Subjects taught at this stage include Czech, literature, two foreign languages, mathematics, computer science, history, geography, civics, physics, biology, chemistry, music, art, physical education, and handcrafts. Some of these subjects are only mandatory in grades eight and nine.
Students are either taught in the same elementary school as their first stage, or at an eight-year academy ()), or at a six-year academy (). Continuing at an elementary school is the most popular option today, and six-year academies are quite rare. Some eight-year academies have a specific physical education emphasis, and some six-year academies have their later years almost entirely taught in a foreign language. Grade levels in the eight-year academy are usually called by Latin numbers; year one is prima (the first in Latin), year two is sekunda, and so on.
Secondary school
Since the 2016/2017 school year, secondary schools that distribute students to a "maturita" degree upon graduation are required to set an entrance test in mathematics and the Czech language. This test is run by CERMAT, the government agency that also administers the maturita. Schools can also institute their own separate tests.
Vocational School
Vocational certificates are given after a two- or three-year course and a final exam, though there are different types of qualifications depending on the profession. There are also two-year vocational courses that do not offer a certificate. Some vocational schools offer an academic maturita qualification in addition to the vocational certificate allowing progression to university. These schools last four years like any other school offering the maturita, and the student must pass both sets of exams to graduate.
Professional school and Lyceum
A professional school lasts four years and awards a maturita qualification. There is a large variety of industrial and technical skills covered including technical chemistry, electrical engineering, agriculture, internet technology, or business. A lyceum is a professional high school that teaches a more general curriculum; academic subjects like history and geography are taught more thoroughly than in an ordinary professional school. Types of lyceum include technical, pedagogical, medical, scientific, and military (operated in cooperation with the Ministry of Defense).