The Mathias Corvinus Collegium (MCC) and the Educational Authority (OH) recognized and awarded Hungary’s 100 best high schools at a festive gala. The event, held at the Várkert Bazár, gathered more than 300 guests, including education professionals, school principals, and students, who came together to celebrate the results of teaching work and talent management.
The MCC National High School Ranking comprehensively assessed the performance of 400 high schools using official data, in collaboration between MCC and OH. Technical schools were not included in the analysis. The top spot on the list of Hungary’s best high schools was claimed by the Fazekas Mihály Primary School and High School in Budapest, one of the country’s most recognized schools. In second place was the ELTE Radnóti Miklós Primary School and High School, which achieves outstanding results in advanced-level exams and academic competitions. The third place went to the Lovassy László High School, which boasts the strongest admission rates among rural high schools and traditionally high educational standards.
Zoltán Szalai emphasized in his speech that the goal of their collaboration with the Educational Authority was to provide a snapshot of Hungary’s high school rankings using a credible methodology and expert work. The MCC Director-General added that when creating the ranking, “it was gratifying to face the fact that we have so many excellent high schools and to see, supported by exact numbers, that the whole country is intertwined with institutions that work with a competing, outstanding teaching staff and provide high-quality education.”
In his presentation, Zoltán Maruzsa drew attention to the fact that the newly published ranking takes both absolute performance and added value into account. “The collaboration between MCC and OH has produced a performance-focused, highly accurate, data-based, and complex comparison, making the ranking objective,” said the Secretary of State for Public Education, who hopes that the annually updated ranking will continue to assist students and parents in their decision-making in the future.
Nicholas Tate, a British historian and Oxford professor, shared his thoughts on international perspectives. The author of the successful book The Conservative School outlined the recipe for a successful school: strategic leadership focused on mission and lifelong learning; a supportive school environment that allows teachers to work uninterrupted; and a balanced state role that recognizes when to provide support and when to refrain from intervening in school operations.
During the awards ceremony, prizes were given out in various categories, but all 100 high schools listed in the MCC National High School Ranking were recognized for their work. The awards were presented by Zoltán Szalai, MCC Director-General, and Sándor Brassói, President of the Educational Authority.
Methodology of the MCC National High School Ranking
When compiling the ranking, experts took into account several criteria based on data from the previous academic year to provide an objective and comparable picture of the schools' performance:
- Higher education admission results of the school year
- Average competency test results of 10th-grade students (mathematics, reading comprehension)
- Average percentage of all high school students' secondary and advanced-level final exam results
- The ratio of advanced-level final exams taken at the school
- Average results of the central entrance exam for high schools for those applying as their first choice
- The proportion of students applying as their first choice to the school
- The number of students reaching the final round of the OKTV (National Secondary School Competition)
Through its high school and university programs, MCC maintains direct contact with talented students, providing firsthand experience to support the evaluation of high school performance. The MCC National High School Ranking 2025 publication was released as a supplement to the February 6 issue of Mandiner and is now available online with additional information on the Mandiner website.
Thanks to the collaboration between MCC and the Educational Authority, the ranking is updated annually, ensuring the most current and reliable information for students and parents.
