Overview of Education System

The Bulgarian education system is centralized. The Ministry of Education and Science, a specialized body of the Council of Ministers, is charged with determining and implementing a unified government policy in the fields of education and science. The main functions of the Ministry are to:

Exercise control over all types of schools and kindergartens in the country
Participate in forming the national strategy for the development of education
Approve educational documentation
Manage the introduction of innovations and the supply of textbooks and manuals
Define unified state education standards
Establish, transform, and, when necessary, close state and municipal schools
Approve the establishment of private schools and kindergartens
Appoint the heads of the regional Departments of Education

Each of Bulgaria’s 28 administrative regions has a Regional Division of Education, a specialized body of the Ministry that administers the education system regionally. These offices plan, coordinate, and monitor the functioning of each region’s schools and kindergartens. The heads of these offices appoint the school principals in the different regions.

Each municipality has educational departments that implement local education policy. Municipal departments are the supporting and managing bodies for preschool education but have only a supporting role in primary through upper secondary education.

Structure of the Education System

Schooling in Bulgaria begins at age 7 with primary education and is compulsory through age 16. Children may begin at age 6 with parental approval if they are deemed ready for school. The school year begins in September and ends in June and consists of 31 to 36 weeks, depending on the level and grade.

Prior to the 2015 adoption of a new Public Education Act (effective as of August 1, 2016), the Bulgarian education system had five stages:²

Kindergarten (ISCED Level 0)—This level is for children ages 3 to 6 or 7. Prior to 2010, only one year of preprimary education was compulsory before primary school. However, following a change in the Public Education Act in 2010, preprimary education is compulsory starting at age 5.³ This regulation has been reaffirmed in the new Public Education Act.
Basic Education—This level comprises primary and lower secondary education:
- Primary Education (ISCED Level 1)—This stage, which includes Grades 1 to 4, is for children ages 6 or 7 to 10 or 11.
- Lower Secondary Education (ISCED Level 2)—This stage includes Grades 5 to 8. After completing Grade 7, students can apply for admission to specialized upper secondary schools or profiled classes (i.e., with additional instructional hours on specific subjects like foreign language or mathematics) in general schools. After completing Grade 8, students can apply for admission to specialized upper secondary vocational schools.
Upper Secondary Education (ISCED Level 3)—This includes Grades 9 to 12.
Post-Secondary Education—This level includes universities and colleges. A bachelor’s degree requires four years of study with an additional year or two for a master’s degree. A doctoral degree requires three or four years of study beyond a master’s degree.

The new Pre-School and School Education Act approved a change in the structure of the Bulgarian education system, splitting upper secondary education (ISCED Level 3) into two stages—first (Grades 8 to 10) and second (Grades 11 to 12)—and leaving lower secondary education (ISCED Level 2) to comprise Grades 5 to 7.⁴

During the 2015–2016 school year, Bulgaria had 2,002 kindergartens and 2,601 schools, of which 2,078 were general, 469 were vocational, and 54 were colleges and universities. Depending on the source of funding, schools are overseen by the government, the municipality, or privately, though most are municipal. Most of the vocational schools are overseen by the government. There are 137 private schools, which include 70 general, 50 vocational, and 17 colleges and universities.⁵