Families arriving in Prague usually consider both. The choice is easier once you stop comparing prestige and start comparing what each path actually asks of your child.
What admission looks like on each side
A Czech gymnázium admits on the unified exam: Czech and maths, 100 points, the state sets the test. Selective schools add their own part, and the unified exam still carries at least 60 percent of the weight.
International and bilingual schools in Prague run their own admission on top of the unified exam. English College in Prague tests maths, English and logic and holds an interview in English. Open Gate runs an aptitude test, a group activity and an interview. PORG and Nový PORG use an aptitude test, with English for the eight-year programme. Duhovka runs an assessment centre with an interview in English, Sunny Canadian expects English around B2 plus an interview and a MENSA test.
Language is the real dividing line
At a Czech gymnázium your child studies in Czech, including subjects like history and literature, where the language is the subject. At an international school the teaching is in English and Czech becomes one subject among many. Neither is better in the abstract. What matters is which language your child can think in when the material gets hard, and how long they have to get there.
Where each path leads
- Czech gymnázium: the Czech maturita, then Czech universities, including programmes taught in English, or universities abroad with the extra paperwork that comes with it.
- International school: usually the IB Diploma, which universities abroad know well, and which also opens Czech programmes taught in English.
- Both paths need the same thing early on: a clear picture of where the child is and what the target school asks for.
The cost, honestly
State gymnázia are free, international schools are not, and the difference over six or eight years is substantial. It is a fair question to ask what the money buys in your child's case: for some it is the language environment they need, for others it would buy something they would get anyway.
We do not push families in either direction. If a child is not ready for the school the family has in mind, we say so and show what else makes sense.
AuthorZdeněk VlčekZakladatel, analýza a metodika