Public Onassis Schools

Open to students who dare to dream and to teachers who never stop inspiring, the Onassis Public Schools will offer more than 22,000 students across Greece, over the course of twelve years, the experience of the public school we envision for the future: high-quality, innovative, and rooted in equal opportunity.

Since the signing of the agreement between the Hellenic Republic and the Onassis Foundation in January 2025, the Onassis Public Schools have been developing a new network of model public schools with a strong social focus. Aiming to upgrade public education, particularly in areas facing social and economic challenges, 22 middle and high schools across the country are being gradually transformed into modern, creative, and inclusive learning environments that adopt contemporary pedagogical and operational models.

The Onassis Public Schools are redesigning public education with renovated infrastructure and equipment, laboratories, innovative curricula, and afternoon Clubs and Ensembles that foster creativity, innovation, and free thinking. Emphasis is placed on fields such as STEAM, the humanities, the arts, and digital technologies, cultivating skills essential for the twenty-first century. All schools in the network operate under the supervision of the Ministry of Education, Religious Affairs, and Sports, while a special nine-member Governing Committee (Onassis Public Schools Governing Committee) monitors their operation to ensure the credibility and quality of the educational work.

As part of the donation, the Onassis Foundation undertakes: i) To cover the costs of the necessary equipment and infrastructure upgrades for the existing school units selected for inclusion in the network. ii) To cover the costs of providing the Public Onassis Schools, teachers, and students with the necessary material resources to support and upgrade the educational work. iii) All relevant costs for the organization and participation of teaching staff in any form of special training programs in Greece or abroad, in addition to those provided or organized by the Ministry of Education, Religious Affairs, and Sports or the Institute of Educational Policy or the European Union. iv) The remuneration for additional service of teaching and other staff of the Public Onassis Schools.

The donation contract for the establishment of the Public Onassis Schools was signed on Monday, January 20, 2025, at the Maximos Mansion by the then Minister of Education, Religious Affairs, and Sports, Kyriakos Pierrakakis, and the President of the Onassis Foundation, Anthony S. Papadimitriou, in the presence of the Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis. The meeting was attended by other government officials concerned and members of the Onassis Foundation’s Board of Directors.

Since September 2025, the first 12 school units have been fully operational:

• 52nd DAY JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL OF ATHENS [Kolonos, Region of Attica]
• 52nd DAY GENERAL SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL OF ATHENS [Kolonos, Region of Attica]
• 3rd DAY JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL OF ACHARNES [Menidi, Region of Attica]
• 7th DAY GENERAL SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL OF ACHARNES [Menidi, Region of Attica]
• 5th DAY JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL OF PERISTERI [Peristeri, Region of Attica]
• 5th DAY GENERAL SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL OF PERISTERI—"ODYSSEAS ELYTIS” [Peristeri, Region of Attica]
• 12th DAY JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL OF THESSALONIKI [Xirokrini, Region of Central Macedonia]
• 16th DAY GENERAL SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL OF THESSALONIKI—“PERICLES STEFANIDIS” [Xirokrini, Region of Central Macedonia]
• 3rd DAY JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL OF KOZANI [Region of Western Macedonia]
• 3rd DAY GENERAL SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL OF KOZANI [Region of Western Macedonia]
• 1st DAY JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL OF XANTHI [Region of Eastern Macedonia & Thrace]
• 2nd DAY GENERAL SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL OF XANTHI [Region of Eastern Macedonia & Thrace]

The Public Onassis Schools serve, together with the other schools, the purposes of secondary education. In addition, their mission is in particular:

(i) implementing

• the principles and guidelines of the 21st-century modern school with an emphasis on humanities, STEM, social sciences, fine arts, digital literacy, and emotional and social intelligence to cultivate well-rounded, democratic citizens
• innovative educational programs using experiential teaching methods and other cutting-edge teaching practices and activities

(ii) providing

• high-quality free public education aimed at the comprehensive, well-rounded, and balanced development and culture of students
• the possibility of digital, remote, and hybrid learning

(iii) promoting

• dialogue, free-thinking, equality, and respect for diversity in all its forms
• scientific research in education and its practical applications through collaboration with other educational and social organizations, in the teaching of individual subjects, in the psycho-pedagogical field, as well as in the organization, administration, evaluation, and management of relations at the level of the school unit
• training students in digital technology and artificial intelligence
• creativity, innovation, and excellence both through the compulsory daily program and the extracurricular courses of the Groups and Clusters

(iv) encouraging multilingualism.

Groups

A Group is an organized set of students formed under the guidance of a teacher of appropriate qualification for the purpose of engaging in specific activities beyond the compulsory curriculum. Groups cover subject areas such as mathematics, STEM, computer science and digital technology, humanities, particularly modern and ancient Greek language and literature, foreign languages and literature, history, rhetoric/oratory, environmental education, as well as other fields such as visual arts, music, theater, and sports.

In the context of their operation, Groups may:

• undertake innovative actions
• carry out remedial teaching
• provide in-depth teaching and preparation for the national (Panhellenic) examinations.

Clusters

A Cluster, especially a music or theater ensemble, is an organized set of students working together under the guidance of a teacher of appropriate qualification to perform an artistic work.

Clusters aim to create or perform one or more artistic works, particularly works of music, theater, performing arts, devised, or others.

The students at the Public Onassis Schools choose the Groups and Clusters in which they wish to participate from among those offered by the school unit they attend, by decision of the Director, after consultation with the competent Educational Work Coordinator.

Participation of the students in the Groups and Clusters is mandatory for at least ten educational hours per week throughout the school year.

By the decision of the school’s Principal and after advisory by the competent Educational Work Coordinator of the Public Onassis School, students attending other public schools in the vicinity may enroll in the Groups or Clusters at the request of their parents/guardians/custodians, provided there are vacancies.

By the decision of the Public Onassis School’s Principal, students who, having applied, do not participate or whose participation is not efficient may be removed.