Tóth Árpád Gimnázium (TÁG) is a state gimnázium in Debrecen, founded in 1956 and named after the poet Tóth Árpád; it is maintained by the state through the Debreceni Tankerületi Központ school district. Most of the school follows the Hungarian national curriculum in Hungarian: six-year classes from grade 7, four-year and five-year classes from grade 9, including a language preparation year and the Arany János Tehetséggondozó Program for gifted students; graduates take the Hungarian érettségi. In parallel, grades 11-12 run the two-year IB Diploma Programme in English: 20 students per class, admitting students who have completed grade 10, including from other schools. According to the class list for 2026-2027, the school has 32 classes and 1073 students. The school is a base for science career programmes: in 2026 it hosted sessions of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences alumni programme.
Key facts
Programmes
IB · DP · National programme
Languages of instruction
Hungarian, English
Languages taught
German, Latin, Italian, Spanish
Class size
from 28 to 39 students in Hungarian programme classes, 20 in IB classes
About the fees The Hungarian part of the gimnázium is a state school; the school does not state any tuition. The school district, the City of Debrecen and the school commit to providing the IB Diploma Programme free of charge to talented students who are Hungarian citizens; for international students the fee is set annually by the Debreceni Tankerületi Központ school district, and the amount is not published. The school's support foundation (Tóth Árpád Gimnázium Színvonaláért Alapítvány) accepts voluntary donations.
Admissions Six-year classes (from grade 7) and grade 9 of the Hungarian programme admit through the national procedure: a written exam and an oral interview at the school, with online applications; for foreign applicants the school links to the rules of the Hungarian Educational Authority. The IB Diploma Programme admits students finishing grade 10, including from other schools: strong grades and good English are required. Entrance tests: an interview in English and written exams in English in the three higher level subjects (Hungarian literature in Hungarian); points come from grade 9 and first-semester grade 10 results (up to 100), the interview (up to 100) and the exams (up to 300), up to 500 in total; below 70% means rejection. Applications for the September 2027 cohort close on 26 February 2027, exams run 8-11 March 2027 and results come on 31 March 2027. Students whose best language is not Hungarian can take school-supported self-taught literature in their own language. The IB is free for Hungarian citizens; for international students the fee is set annually by the school district.
Stages and year groups Grades 7-12, 32 classes. The Hungarian national curriculum in Hungarian, leading to the érettségi. Per the 2027/28 plan: six-year classes from grade 7 (science, English with IT); four-year classes from grade 9 (biology-chemistry, mathematics-physics); a five-year Arany János Tehetséggondozó Program class; five-year classes with a language preparation year (nyelvi előkészítő) in biology-chemistry, mathematics or Hungarian and history. Foreign languages: English, German, Latin, Italian, Spanish. In parallel, grades 11-12 follow the IB Diploma Programme in English (11.IB and 12.IB with 20 students each): Hungarian A Literature, self-taught literature, English B, German B, Italian and Spanish (SL), History, Geography, Biology, Computer Science, Physics (from 2026), Mathematics AA, plus TOK, the Extended Essay and CAS. IB subjects count in Hungarian university admissions as érettségi exams. Partner schools Ady Endre Gimnázium and Bethlen Gábor Közgazdasági Technikum take part in running the IB.
Address Szombathi István u. 12., 4024 Debrecen
Accreditations and programmes verified against official registries
IB · DP · authorised programmeThe IB register lists the Diploma Programme at the school; it is taught in grades 11-12 as an English-language line alongside the Hungarian gymnasium programme and the érettségi exam.
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
IBInternational Baccalaureate
A Swiss non-profit, working since 1968. Its programmes are among the most widely recognised school programmes in the world. Authorisation is granted stage by stage, so a school with the final stage does not necessarily run the younger ones; which stages this school holds is set out in the line below.
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: DP (ages 16-19). DP is the final stage, ages 16 to 19: six subjects plus a compulsory core of theory of knowledge, an extended essay and CAS. The diploma is accepted by universities all over the world, and in a number of countries it counts for admission on the same footing as the local 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
✓Catering
·School transportnot stated on the website
·Boardingnot stated on the website
Campus: The gimnázium occupies a building on Szombathi István street in Debrecen, with the Tóth Eszter Könyvtár library and reading room, the TUDOR Labor science laboratory, gyms and a school canteen (menza). Students receive laptops from the state programme. The school has no boarding.
Clubs and activities: Társasjáték szakkör (board games) · Erasmus szakkör (Erasmus club) · Énekkar (choir) · Latin szakkör (Latin) · Orvosi latin szakkör (medical Latin) · Német szakkör (German) · Történelmi filmklub (history film club) · Kézilabda sportszakkör (handball) · Felsőfokú nyelvvizsgára felkészítő szakkör (preparation for advanced-level language exams) · Kémia szakkör (chemistry) · Debate szakkör (debating) · Írói kör (creative writing circle) · Rajz szakkör (drawing) · Fizikai mérés szakkör (physics measurement) · Pénzügyi szakkör (financial literacy) · Színjátszó kör (drama club) · Országjáró Diákok Köre (travelling around Hungary club) · LEGO robot · Diáksport Egyesület (school sports club) · Versatile Society
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 sizein the key facts above
According to the class list for 2026-2027, Hungarian programme classes have from 28 to 39 students and IB classes 20. The IB programme is led by coordinator Kovácsné Ilyés Ibolya. The school publishes teachers' education and qualifications in its mandatory public disclosure list. The head of school, Fenyősné Kircsi Amália, has led the gimnázium since 2013.
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 room
✓Counsellor
·Child protection policynot stated on the website
·Staff trainingnot stated on the website
·Anti-bullying policynot stated on the website
The school has a school psychologist, a school social worker, a mental health specialist and family therapist, a school doctor, school nurses (védőnő), a special education teacher, a posture therapy teacher and development teachers; the website lists phone numbers of the city's psychological helplines and adolescent clinics.
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%)82 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 data65 Accreditation and verifiability (10%)85 Teaching staff (10%) scored on disclosed data55 Facilities (10%) scored on disclosed data80 Clubs and activities (8%) scored on disclosed data78 Value for money (6%) scored at the median71 "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 7 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
Debrecen, Hungary · est. 1956 · State