Getting Your Children into Public Schools in Russia

One of the most important aspects of moving to a new nations for any family is schooling for the children. While the Russian school system is one of the best in the world, preparations and work is required to get children into the classroom. In this article we will describe the process of getting children enrolled.

Photo credit above: Portrait of a smiling Russian male high school student

Uploaded to iStock by Sergey Dolgikh May 2023 iStock photo ID: 1489451568

It should be noted that about two months ago, the State Duma passed into law a rather rash measure to solve a problem that has in turn created new problems. The law comes into effect April 1, 2025. In essence, the Russian parliament passed a law that forbids the enrollment of children of immigrants into Russia schools, if they cannot demonstrate that they know Russian language to the grade level they are attempting to enter. For students of the 2nd through 11th grades, they must take an oral and written exam, while first grade only has an oral exam requirement.

First graders must demonstrate the ability to comprehend spoken Russian, be able to communicate and be able to demonstrate a working knowledge base of high frequency classroom vocabulary: names of objects, colors, etc. In short, this law was passed because Central Asian migrant workers, from countries that have a visa-free regime, were bringing in their families and enrolling their children into Russian public schools. Such children who do not speak Russian can cause problems for the teachers and struggle to keep up with their age peers.

The long and short of it is, this law is superfluous, the only requirement is the full implementation of Russian migration laws. Many of the Central Asian kids who are struggling in the classroom are children of mothers that have often been over staying the limited tourist stays they're allowed by the visa-free agreement. Since they have no right to be in public Russian schools and they have no right to reside in the Russian Federation for extended periods of time, this should not be an issue. However, due to the prior failures of local governments and OFMS to uphold the migration laws, the public outcry has grown deafening. So the parliament passed this unfortunate law. However, the parliamentarians failed to take into account the children of legal immigrants, whom Russia truly needs, who are coming into this country on the shared values visa and residences.

On the one hand, the good news is that children pickup languages very quickly, especially if their parents supervise and insist on it. Additionally, children coming from American or British schools, unless they were enrolled in high end private schools, if more than likely not be able to transfer directly class per class (aka 7th grade to Russian 7th grade) as Russia’s system is much more difficult and generally runs about two years or more ahead of American schools, not to mention that Russia has only 11 instead of 12 grades. The schools are rated on how well their students perform on tests.

It is absolutely imperative that parents of older children, those not going to kindergarten or first grade, take learning the Russian language for their children as the highest academic priority. Some good news, though this goes into a bit of a gray area, is that parents can often strike a "deal" with the schools headmaster or headmistress. All Russian students start a second language from second grade and often an additional foreign language from the fifth or sixth grade. In the Soviet and post-USSR recent past, the primary foreign language of study was English, followed by the option of studying French, Spanish or German. To that end, having a native fluent student(s) will greatly help the school’s scores, especially in various academic “Olympics" (similar to academic decathlons in the USA) that are organized every year. At advanced Moscow schools and high schools in the Russian Far East, Mandarin Chinese could soon be on the menu. And in the event that you are a Muslim foreigner planning on moving with your family to the Russian Caucasus, there's also a possibility of kids studying Arabic in Grozny.

The main takeaway for foreigners reading this article is: parents may be able to strike a deal to get their children into the schools, with less than the initially necessary Russian language skills, in return for the bump the foreign language department will get in having a native English or French speaking kid in the classroom. But be prepared that any such agreement will come with a requirement to hire the child’s Russian language teacher, or some other such teacher at the school for private tutoring. In truth, the child in question will need it and to learn quickly, as all their classes will be in Russian.

An alternative, one for rich families in Moscow or St Petersburg where there's a strong foreign diplomatic presence, is private English-speaking schools, be they American or British. Be prepared that these will cost you. On average they cost between $50,000-$75,000 per year and in truth, are much weaker than Russian public schools, especially in mathematics and science. The children, however, learn in English, which of course will do nothing to help them get into Russian universities. The services of such schools are usually used by one of two groups: expats and foreign diplomats who are in Russia for a few years and have zero interest in having their children learn Russian, and rich liberal Russians whose desire for their kids is to leave Russia for London, Dubai, New York, Miami or LA.

Now, as for the documents to enter Russian schools:

1. Documents certifying the child’s identity (passport)

2. Confirmation of the right of residency (RVP or VNZ) of the child and his guardians/parents

3. Medical exam proving the absence of infectious diseases

4. Fingerprints

5. Parents must have a Taxpayer Identification Number

6. Parents and child must have SNILS

7. Application filled in in Russian

8. Results of the Russian language exam

In the case a child fails the exam, it may be retaken after a three month hiatus, during which time the child will be offered additional training. Whether the training will be government or family paid for is not so clear, consult with the headmaster of the school your child is attending.

It's incredibly important that as soon as the decision has been made to move to Russia, the future immigrants begin to learn the Russian language together. While the new law on shared values exempts the need to know Russian for the temporary residency period of three years, Russian is still essential for daily life and for the future educational needs of your children.

ExitStrategyWorld can link you to various expert instructors in Moscow and beyond, who can begin working with you and your children online as you plan and prepare for the move of a lifetime. Contact me at stanislav@exitstrategyworld.com to learn more.