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At a formal gala event, Zoltán Szalai, Director General of MCC, and Sándor Brassói, President of the Educational Authority, presented the awards of the MCC–Educational Authority National High School Ranking 2026. The joint ranking offers one of the most comprehensive overviews of Hungary’s secondary education system to date, based on data from more than 400 high schools and designed to provide an objective picture of institutional performance, attractiveness, and pedagogical added value.
The methodology relies on seven indicators, combining popularity and performance measures to ensure that academic results are assessed alongside schools’ social embeddedness and student choice. Based on the aggregated results, Hungary’s top 100 high schools were identified. The list was published in a special issue of Mandiner, while detailed results for all evaluated institutions are publicly available on gimnaziumirangsor.hu.
The top 100 includes 43 Budapest based and 57 provincial high schools, reflecting a balanced national distribution. By maintaining body, the leading group consists mainly of state run institutions, alongside church maintained, university affiliated, and foundation or local government operated schools. The overall ranking was led by Mihály Fazekas Primary and Secondary School of Budapest, followed by ELTE Miklós Radnóti Primary and Secondary School and Péter Veres Secondary School of Békásmegyer.
New elements were also introduced in 2026. For the first time, a School Health and Student Sports Ranking highlighted the top 50 institutions in cooperation with the Hungarian School Sport Federation (HSSF), while the Pedagogical Added Value Ranking assessed how effectively schools reduce differences stemming from students’ diverse backgrounds. Together, these additions further strengthen the ranking’s role as a key reference point for students, parents, and education decision makers.
