The Prague bilingual market in 2026
Prague has one of the deepest bilingual school markets in central Europe. The supply has grown in three waves. The first, in the 1990s, came from the Czech Ministry of Education's decision to license a small number of bilingual gymnasia delivering Czech and a partner language across the academic timetable. The second wave, in the 2000s, came from private Czech foundations launching English medium gymnasia explicitly designed to send leavers to UK and US universities, with PORG and Open Gate as the standout examples. The third wave, from 2015 onwards, came from primary level expansion as families wanted bilingual immersion from Year 1 rather than waiting until age 12.
The result in 2026 is around ten serious bilingual settings serving Prague. Czech English dominates, reflecting the city's economic gravitational pull toward Anglophone universities and the demand from Czech professional families wanting their children fluent enough for global careers. Czech German remains stable, anchored by Thomas Mann Gymnasium and the bilingual section at the Friedrich Schiller Gymnasium. Czech French is the smallest section, with one or two bilingual classes at selected state gymnasia. By gymnasium leaver count, the city now produces around 300 bilingual graduates a year, with around 60 per cent of them going on to universities outside the Czech Republic.
Illustrative example schools
Four illustrative bilingual schools in Prague, each occupying a distinct point of the market.
PORG runs two campuses: PORG Libus in Prague 4 and PORG Krasnohorska in Prague 10. The school is a private Czech English bilingual gymnasium founded in 1990 with a serious academic reputation. PORG delivers the IB Diploma in Years 12 and 13 and the Czech maturita in parallel, with average IB Diploma results around 35. The school is known for sending leavers to Oxford, Cambridge, LSE, ETH Zurich and selective US universities. Fees sit around CZK 230,000 to CZK 280,000 a year.
Open Gate in Babice, around 25 minutes by school bus from central Prague, is the only serious bilingual boarding option in the country. Founded by the Kellner Family Foundation, the school combines Czech English bilingual teaching with the IB Diploma and a strong scholarship programme that admits a meaningful minority on merit regardless of family income. Annual day fees sit around CZK 380,000.
Duhovka Gymnasium and Primary in Prague 7 delivers a Czech English Montessori grounded primary feeding an IB Diploma gymnasium. The school is the natural primary feeder for parents wanting an integrated bilingual route from age six through to university entrance. Fees run CZK 180,000 to CZK 220,000.
Thomas Mann Gymnasium in Prague 8 is the city's flagship Czech German bilingual state gymnasium. Free tuition for Czech residents, competitive entry at Grade 6 and Grade 8, and a leaver profile that mixes the Czech maturita with the DSD II German language diploma.
Shortlisting Prague bilingual schools?
Our five minute school finder quiz takes your child's age, the partner language you want, your budget and your residential corridor, and shortlists three Prague bilingual settings with the entry test timing flagged.
Fees from free to premium private
Bilingual school fees in Prague split into three broad bands. Czech state bilingual gymnasia, including Thomas Mann, the bilingual Czech French sections and similar settings, charge no tuition for Czech residents and a modest registration fee. Mid market private bilingual schools, including Duhovka, Sunny Canadian and the smaller Prague 6 primaries, run from CZK 90,000 to CZK 220,000 a year, broadly EUR 3,600 to EUR 8,800. Premium private bilingual gymnasia, including PORG and Open Gate as a day school, run from CZK 230,000 to CZK 400,000, broadly EUR 9,200 to EUR 16,000.
Above tuition expect lunch in the school canteen of CZK 30,000 to CZK 50,000 a year, optional after school clubs, books and stationery of around CZK 5,000, and IB Diploma exam entry of CZK 25,000 in Year 12 at the IB authorised schools. Premium private bilingual schools sometimes charge a refundable capital deposit of CZK 30,000 to CZK 100,000. By peer comparison Prague bilingual fees are around half the cost of an English medium international school for similar university outcomes. Compare with peer European cities in the fees tool and see the full picture in our Prague school fees guide.
Admissions, entrance exams and timing
Bilingual gymnasia in Prague mostly admit at two compulsory points: Grade 6 at age 11 to 12, and Grade 8 at age 13 to 14, corresponding to the eight year and six year gymnasium tracks under Czech law. Both routes require the published Czech state entrance examination in Czech language and mathematics, with the strongest schools receiving three to five applicants per place. Test dates fall in mid April. Primary bilingual feeders, including Duhovka and Sunny Canadian, admit on rolling waitlists with a school led interview rather than a formal exam. Open Gate uses a multi stage selection including aptitude testing and a residential weekend.
Where bilingual families live
Czech bilingual families in Prague are distributed across the whole city, in contrast to the more catchment driven international schools. Vinohrady and Vrsovice host a particularly large concentration of dual income professional families using the central trams to reach gymnasia across the city. Prague 6, with its diplomatic and academic skew, sends a steady flow of pupils into PORG and Duhovka. Prague 4 around the PORG Libus campus is densely settled by families using PORG as a feeder. The Babice catchment of Open Gate is intentionally drawn from across the country, not just Prague. For the wider residential picture see our Prague expat neighbourhoods guide and the moving to Prague with children checklist. The bilingual curriculum hub and the Prague city guide cover sibling options.
Frequently asked questions
What counts as a bilingual school in Prague?
A bilingual school in Prague is one where two languages, usually Czech and English but sometimes Czech and German or Czech and French, are used to teach subjects across the curriculum rather than English being a foreign language lesson. The strongest examples deliver around half the timetable in each language, hold full Czech state recognition, and lead to either the Czech maturita or the IB Diploma, sometimes both.
How many bilingual schools are there in Prague?
Around ten settings in Prague meet a serious bilingual definition. The Czech English market is the deepest, with PORG, Open Gate, Duhovka and Sunny Canadian leading. Thomas Mann Gymnasium covers the Czech German route. The Czech French bilingual sections at certain state schools cover the smallest population. Bilingual provision is fastest growing at gymnasium age 12 to 19.
How much do bilingual schools in Prague cost?
Czech state bilingual gymnasia, such as Thomas Mann, charge no tuition for Czech residents. Private Czech English bilingual schools, including PORG and Duhovka, run from CZK 90,000 to CZK 280,000 a year, broadly EUR 3,600 to EUR 11,200. Open Gate as a private boarding school runs around CZK 380,000 a year for day pupils. Premium private bilingual schools sit closer to EUR 14,000 to EUR 18,000 across the senior years.
Do bilingual schools in Prague deliver the IB Diploma?
Several do. PORG Libus, Open Gate and Duhovka all hold IB Diploma authorisation alongside or in place of the Czech maturita, making them a credible bilingual route to international universities. Sunny Canadian School delivers the Ontario Secondary School Diploma alongside the Czech maturita. The Czech English bilingual gymnasia produce a steady flow of leavers into UK, US and Czech universities.
Are bilingual schools in Prague competitive to enter?
The strongest bilingual gymnasia run a published Czech state entrance examination at Grade 6 and Grade 8. PORG and Thomas Mann routinely receive three to five applicants per place. Open Gate runs a multi stage selection with academic and aptitude testing. Primary entry into Duhovka and similar feeders is less competitive but waitlists are common at the most central campuses.
