← Back to the rankingLiceo Classico Scientifico «Ariosto Spallanzani»
Reggio Emilia, Italy · est. 1861 · State
Illustration · Reggio Emilia
Liceo Classico Scientifico «Ariosto Spallanzani» is a state upper secondary school in the centre of Reggio Emilia that in the 1997-1998 school year merged the two oldest licei of the city: the classical liceo «Ludovico Ariosto», founded in 1861 as a Regio Liceo, and the scientific liceo «Lazzaro Spallanzani», opened in 1941. Studies last five years and are taught in Italian under the state curriculum, ending with the esame di Stato and the diploma of liceo classico or liceo scientifico. Besides the standard courses the school runs a scientific liceo with computer science, with chemistry and biology, with a second language (German) and a sports liceo, and a classical liceo with extra mathematics, with a second language and a biomedical option. In the Cambridge IGCSE classes English is strengthened from the first year and two hours a week are taught with a native speaker: science in English in the scientific liceo and geography in the classical liceo; at the end of the second year students sit IGCSE exams. Students may also join a double diploma programme with an online high school in Miami: more than 60 students do so. The school takes part in Erasmus+ and the Model European Parliament.
Key facts
Programmes
Cambridge · IGCSE · National programme
Languages of instruction
Italian, English
Languages taught
German, Latin
About the fees Tuition at the state liceo is free. The school is funded by the ministry, grants and voluntary donations from families; voluntary contributions to a state school are tax deductible for families (19%). The Cambridge course pages and the PTOF do not mention any surcharge for the course.
Admissions Enrolment in the first year follows the state online procedure (Iscrizioni online) with SPID, CIE or eIDAS, school code REPC030008; the course is chosen in the application. If applications exceed places, priority goes to students whose lower secondary school recommended a liceo, then a technical and a vocational institute, then a draw; for the Cambridge course a public draw is held if applications exceed places, so the school advises a second choice. For the sports liceo (maximum 26 students) oversubscription is decided by points: residence in the province of Reggio Emilia, first term marks in the third year of lower secondary school (none below 7, average at least 8), sporting achievements and the lower secondary school recommendation. Students with disabilities are admitted without selection. For foreign students recently arrived in Italy the school runs a course of Italian as a second language.
Stages and year groups Italian state curriculum, 5 years, 30 hours a week, ending with the esame di Stato; diploma of liceo classico or liceo scientifico. Liceo scientifico courses: standard, with computer science, with chemistry and biology, with a second language (German), sports, with the Cambridge IGCSE course. Liceo classico courses: standard, with extra mathematics, with a second language (German), biomedical, with the Cambridge IGCSE course. Cambridge International: in the scientific liceo Cambridge course - IGCSE English as a Second Language and Combined Science, in the classical liceo - IGCSE English as a Second Language and Geography; in years 1-2 the timetable adds 2 hours a week of English and science (geography in the classical liceo) with a native speaker, assessed within the English subject; the aim is IGCSE exams at the end of the second year. The course is taught by Italian teachers and native speakers during regular school hours. Separately, an optional Italian-American double diploma programme (online Mater Academy school in Miami).
Accreditations and programmes verified against official registries
Cambridge · IGCSE · authorised programmeThe Cambridge register names the school as its centre; it teaches Cambridge IGCSE. Cambridge classes add two hours a week with a native speaker in years 1-2, covering science (science liceo) or geography (classical liceo) plus English, with IGCSE exams at the end of year 2.
school is in an official registryconfirmed by a school document, by membership or by taking part in a networkclaimed by the school, no confirmation, not counted in the scoreGuide to all organisations → What stands behind each entry
CambridgeCambridge International Education
Part of the University of Cambridge. It allows a school to teach the Cambridge programmes and to enter pupils for the exams. There are four stages and they are authorised separately: primary, lower secondary, IGCSE and A Level. If the stages are known they are named in the line below; if that line is missing, the school does not publish them, and the Cambridge registry does not show stages either - it gives only the name of the centre, the country and whether private candidates are accepted. Cambridge calls what it does registration rather than accreditation, and the network holds about ten thousand schools.
What the badge means for this school. The school is allowed to run this programme and to award its certificate. This is a confirmation of the programme, not a judgement on the school as a whole. The entry stands in the organisation's public register - anyone can check it. At this school: IGCSE (ages 14-16). IGCSE means exams at around Year 10 or 11, the British counterpart of a lower secondary leaving certificate.
Register to check for yourself, and the full guide →National programme
The state school programme of the country the school stands in: it is set by that country's ministry of education, which also licenses the school and awards the leaving certificate. That certificate is used for entry to local universities, and abroad it is matched to the local one.
What this means for this school. This entry does not count towards the score, and that is deliberate. Every lawful school in a country works to the national programme, so on its own it tells one school apart from no other - unlike the French, German or Russian programmes, which are carried abroad and confirmed by the register of their organisation. We show it because a parent needs to know what programme their child is taught and what certificate the child will get. Counting it would lift the whole ranking at once and still tell nobody apart.
Exams and destinations from the school's official website
The school publishes nothing about where its leavers go: no share going on to university, no exam results, no list of universities.
Facilities from the school's official website
·Swimming poolnot stated on the website
✓Sports hall
✓Laboratories
·Theatre or assembly hallnot stated on the website
✓Library
·Cateringnot stated on the website
·School transportnot stated on the website
·Boardingnot stated on the website
Clubs and activities: Model European Parliament · Erasmus+ KA1 and KA2 · Theatre Courses · Classical Languages Competitions · Mathematics Olympiad · Eurodesk Corner
Teaching staff from the school's official website
·Teachers listed by namenot published
·Teacher qualificationsnot stated
·Number of teachersthe school does not say
·Students per teacher or class sizenot stated
The 2026-2027 staff list names 98 teachers by department: 23 teachers of Italian and Latin literature, 16 of mathematics and physics, 12 of English, 10 of history and philosophy, 9 of science, 7 of physical education, 6 each of Greek and art history. The Cambridge course is taught by Italian teachers together with native speakers; native speakers are also invited for German.
Safety and wellbeing from the school's official website
·CCTVnot stated on the website
·Security staffnot stated on the website
·Access controlnot stated on the website
·Nurse or medical roomnot stated on the website
✓Counsellor
✓Child protection policy
·Staff trainingnot stated on the website
✓Anti-bullying policy
The school has a protocol against bullying and cyberbullying. Together with the local health service it runs a psychological counselling desk for students (Free Student Box). Students with special educational needs have personalised plans, older students tutor younger ones in peer support groups and remedial courses are offered regularly.
Reviews
No reviews yet. The community rating counts towards the score once a school has five verified reviews - until then we do not show a zero, so as not to mislead.
Criteria breakdown criterion weight in brackets
Academics and programmes (16%)72 Community rating (16%)no dataparent reviews are needed: the criterion switches on at the fifth verified one Exams and destinations (12%) scored on disclosed data55 Safety and wellbeing (12%) scored on disclosed data70 Accreditation and verifiability (10%)85 Teaching staff (10%) scored on disclosed data55 Facilities (10%) scored on disclosed data70 Clubs and activities (8%) scored on disclosed data76 "Scored on disclosed data" stands where we count only what the school has written about itself on its own site: exams and destinations, safety and wellbeing, teaching staff, facilities, clubs and activities. A low score here means the school does not write about this, not that the school does not have it: a school with good security and a sparse site will score low. A school can fill in its profile, and the score will be counted again.
The score is counted from 8 of the 9 criteria.Only those with checkable data count: programmes and accreditations from official registers, the fee from a published price list. Where it says "scored on the median", the school has no data and the middle of the list is put in its place, so that a gap gives no advantage. Admissions, teaching staff and reviews come in as their data arrives.
The full methodology → Similar schools in the country