Independent Schools in Cyprus

Gross enrolment overall: 86.0% (2010)

Primary female–male ratio: 0.99:1 (2010)

Secondary female–male ratio: 1.00:1 (2010)

Primary pupil–teacher ratio: 14:1 (2010)

Secondary pupil–teacher ratio: 10:1 (2010)

There are nine years of compulsory education starting at age five. Primary school comprises six years and secondary six, with two cycles of three years. There are many private schools. Some 95% of pupils complete primary school (2007). The school year starts in September. Public kindergartens are entirely financed by the state. The government pays the salaries of the teachers and assistants, and meets educational materials and running expenses, and the costs of construction and maintenance of school buildings. Children aged 4 years and 8 months to 5 years and 8 months attend public kindergartens free of charge; younger children must pay small fees. The state provides education and training for children with special needs, starting at the age of three and continuing until the completion of the education and training process.

A large number of independent or private schools offer education at pre-primary, primary, secondary and tertiary levels throughout Cyprus. Many of these schools, especially at secondary education level, offer English curricula and some also offer internationally recognised qualifications, such as the International Baccalaureate and International GCSE and A-level. Notable among such schools are the Pascal English Schools, which are found in Larnaca and Lefkosia and offer the International Baccalaureate Diploma programme; and the American International School, Nicosia, which offers a curriculum accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools in Philadelphia, USA.