What is a Presidential School, and how do you get in?

A Presidential School is a state specialised school for gifted pupils. The schools were created by a decision of the President of Uzbekistan on 2 February 2019: the first opened on 5 September 2019 in Tashkent, and three more followed that December in Namangan, Khiva and Nukus.

They are run by the Agency for Presidential Educational Institutions. Tuition is free, pupils study from year 5 to year 11, the curriculum is aligned with international standards and English is a strong focus.

• Type: state, specialised, free.
• Intake: year 5, for pupils who have finished year 4.
• Selection: a two-stage test in maths, critical thinking and English.
• Run by: the Agency for Presidential Educational Institutions.

There are 14: one in the Republic of Karakalpakstan, one in every region and one in Tashkent city. The first four were Tashkent, Namangan, Khiva and Nukus; the rest opened in 2020–2021.

An application goes only to the Presidential School of the region where the child studies. Applying to a school in another region is not possible.

Presidential Schools admit pupils who have finished year 4 into year 5. The condition is an annual mark of 5 (excellent) in maths and natural science in year 4.

Each school takes two classes of 12, so 24 pupils a year. Competition is intense: the 2026/2027 intake received 60,169 applications, about 179 candidates per place (a year earlier, 49,924 applications and 148 per place).

Admission is a two-stage test. Stage 1 is 30 maths test questions; the 480 highest scorers at each school go through. Stage 2 is 40 maths questions on critical thinking and problem solving plus 40 English questions.

Applications are free and open from 1 to 20 June at ariza.piima.uz; stage 1 runs in late June and stage 2 in mid-July. Dates, documents and the selection rules are on Admission 2027: dates and conditions.

Stage 1 is maths only, so preparation starts there. Critical-thinking problems and English come next. Each strand has its own page:

• Stage 1 maths: topics and plan
• Critical thinking and problem solving
• Stage 2 English: grammar and vocabulary
• Sample test questions with solutions
• How specialised schools differ

Prezi Prep is built for exactly this: topic tests in the entrance-exam format for a year 4 pupil, weekly mock exams, English vocabulary and progress analytics. The free plan never expires.