Getting a high school education in Bulgaria normally takes four or five years. In addition to general educational institutions, are three main types of specialised state-run high schools – language, professional, and schools of arts and culture. The first two types are under the management of the Education Ministry, while the third is regulated by the Culture Ministry.

Language high schools provide extensive education in some foreign language, usually a Western one. Students normally apply for them after seventh grade by sitting tests in Bulgarian language and mathematics. The final mark with which they apply is the sum of their tests results plus the final grades in Bulgarian language and mathematics they got in seventh grade.

It usually takes five years to graduate from a language high school. The first year is dedicated exclusively to tuition in the foreign language in question and ends with a written and oral test in this language, which one has to pass so as to continue studies at the school.

Some of the most prestigious language high schools in Sofia are First English Language School, 91st German Language High School Professor Konstantin Gulubov, 164th Spanish Language High School Miguel de Cervantes, and Ninth French Language High School Alphonse de Lamartine. In Plovdiv, there is Lycee Francais Saint-Exupery in Plovdiv; in Bourgas, there is Goethe Gymnasium; in Veliko Turnovo, students can attend Language High School Professor Dr Assen Zlatarov.

In addition to language schools, institutions like Maths High School Petar Baron and the Third Natural Sciences and Mathematics High School Academic Metodii Popov in Varna or the National Natural Sciences and Mathematics High School Academic L Chakalov in Sofia offer students learning options. These, along with the language high schools, are placed among the more prestigious schools in Bulgaria.

Professional high schools provide specialised education that gives students trade qualifications, in fields like electronics, transport, textile and clothing, commerce and banking, communications, and food/restauration and hotellerie.

These include the high school for tourism and restauration in Dobrich, Pleven, Sofia; the Vocational High School for Woodworking and Interior Design Josif Vondrak or the Atanas Tsonev Burov Vocational High School in Industrial Technologies, both in Rousse; or the Professional High School for Transport Professor Tsvetan Lazarov in Pleven.

One can be admitted to such a high school by sitting tests in Bulgarian language, mathematics, or/and any other test that the specific professional high school may require (in drawing, for example). As with language schools, the mark used for application is a composite of the test results plus the final grades that the student received in seventh grade in different subjects, depending on the profile of the high school. Education in these high schools may last up to six years.

Schools of arts and culture provide their students with specialised professional qualifications in the fields of music, dance, drawing, printing/graphic design and photography, as well as ancient and modern languages and cultures. According to the Culture Ministry, there are 23 such schools in Bulgaria. Some of them provide not only high school, but also primary education as well.

Getting admitted to such a school is subject to its special requirements and the special exams it may organise. Some of these schools include the National Musical School Lyubomir Pipkov, the National School of Dance Arts, the National Professional High School of Print Arts and Photography, the National High School of Ancient Arts and Cultures Konstantin Kiril Filosof, all of which are in Sofia, or the National School of Folklore Arts Filip Koutev in Kotel.

There are also many private high schools in Bulgaria, such as the American College of Sofia, the Balkan School, the Private Secondary Language School Dr Maria Montessori or First Private English Language School William Shakespeare. Tuition is paid and admittance is subject to their own requirements.

Published as part of the Education in Bulgaria special feature of The Sofia Echo, May 23 2008