Stredná škola (SŠ) — this is a secondary school, which you enter after finishing primary school (9 grades). This is the next, optional level of education, which a child chooses based on their abilities and plans.
Main types
- Gymnázium — a general education school that prepares for university admission.
- Stredná odborná škola (SOŠ) — a vocational school where you learn a profession.
- Konzervatórium — artistic education (music, dance, drama).
Admission usually happens through entrance exams (prijímacie skúšky), and an application (prihláška) is submitted during the 9th grade. Many programs end with the maturitou — a final exam, which gives a certificate and opens the way to university. Some SOŠ programs provide a trade qualification (výučný list) without the maturita. Most programs last four years, although there are also eight-year gymnasiums (osemročné gymnázium), which are entered earlier — after the fifth grade of primary school.
