22 public secondary schools across Greece are being transformed into Public Onassis Schools by the Onassis Foundation, in collaboration with the Ministry of Education

The initiative behind the creation of the Public Onassis Schools

The Public Onassis Schools initiative responds to the escalating demand in Greece for Model and Experimental Schools. Greek families are seeking high-quality educational facilities that foster innovation and excellence, resulting in a significant number of applications that exceed the available spaces. This trend is illustrated by the fact that more than 20,300 applications were submitted for approximately 4,800 available places in Experimental and Model Schools in 2024 alone.

The establishment of twenty-two Public Onassis Schools, a partnership between the Onassis Foundation and the Ministry of Education, Religious Affairs, and Sports, seeks to foster a dynamic and contemporary educational environment. More than 6,000 students from Attica and across the country will engage in an innovative educational model, an opportunity offered to students and families who previously did not have it.

The school units that will form the network of Public Onassis Schools are located in vulnerable areas facing economic and social challenges across the country, with ten schools in Attica and the remaining twelve in Thessaloniki and other regions.

Management and operation of the Public Onassis Schools

The Public Onassis Schools are public schools, with teachers continuing to work as civil servants and paid on a regular basis by the state. The Public Onassis Schools curriculum is the same as that of the Model Secondary Schools.

Students will be admitted to the Public Onassis Schools based on a knowledge and skill test administered prior to their first year of junior and senior high school.

The operation of the Public Onassis Schools will be regulated through a contract between the Greek State and the Onassis Foundation, following the successful model of the Onassis Cardiac Surgery Center, which has transformed the public health sector in Greece since 1993.

As part of the donation, the Onassis Foundation, in addition to the schools’ renovation, will cover the operational costs of the Groups and Clusters after the daily courses, with a focus on modern fields of knowledge such as STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics), humanities, arts, and digital technologies.

Furthermore, the Onassis Foundation will provide additional resources and equipment to students and teachers, contribute to teacher professional development, and cover annual operational expenditures beyond the school’s core program, which is still funded by the state.

All Public Onassis Schools will be governed by the Ministry of Education, Religious Affairs, and Sports, and will be overseen by an independent nine-member Management Committee at the Ministry of Education to ensure efficient operation and high-quality educational outcomes.

The process of selecting the regions and school units to be included in the Public Onassis Schools network has been completed, and the goal is to strategically strengthen public education in areas of Attica and throughout Greece with increased needs.

The first six Public Onassis Schools (six junior [gymnasiums] and six senior [lyceums] high schools) are set to open in the 2025–26 academic year. Every attempt is being made to raise the number to twelve or more schools.

The Public Onassis Schools seek to upgrade the educational capacities of students in vulnerable areas, strengthen school units that incorporate innovative practices, and encourage school diversity, which is an essential component of a contemporary learning process.

Public Onassis Schools: a modern model of school operation

The new network of twenty-two Public Onassis Schools will include school units with:

• Renovated facilities with proper infrastructure.
• Social workers and psychologists supporting students throughout the school year.
• Students who have a strong interest in attending these new programs. The Ministry of Education, Religious Affairs, and Sports will create and administer knowledge and skill tests for students who desire to apply, while the latter will be chosen through transparent processes akin to those used by the Model Schools.
• Expanded school curriculum by two hours per day to meet the requirements of the additional courses and activities to be included in the Groups and Clusters, which are set to be created in the selected schools and will focus on modern fields of knowledge such as IT, STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics), arts, foreign languages, and culture.
• Experienced educators chosen from those now employed by public schools, using a procedure akin to that employed for educators in Model Schools. In order to meet the requirements of the new school curriculum, those chosen will receive specialized training and instruction.

As is the case for all public schools, the Greek State will cover the salaries of these teachers and the administrative staff. The Onassis Foundation donation will cover the teachers’ compensation for the extra teaching hours resulting from the new school’s program (with the implementation of Groups and Clusters). In case of participation in summer schools (if implemented), this remuneration will be doubled.