Where in Poland Are Evening Schools for Ukrainian Teenagers?

After 24 February 2022, many families with children found themselves in Poland. For them, continuing their education became a particularly pressing issue.

There appear to be options — online or in-person learning — but will the level of such education be sufficient for admission to higher education institutions? One way to address this challenge is attending an evening school. Where in Poland are there free evening schools for Ukrainian children?

Evening School for Ukrainian Children in Poland

The foundation "Indestructible Ukraine", with the support of the international humanitarian organisation CARE International, has established free education for Ukrainian teenagers in eight cities across Poland. Through these evening schools, children can catch up on core school subjects.

The classes are well suited for teenagers aged 13–16: ⇒ those who want to enrol in a Polish school but are concerned about falling behind the curriculum; ⇒ those who plan to apply to vocational secondary schools or universities.

Classes take place in the evening twice a week, from 16:00 to 20:00, as well as on weekends from 10:00 to 14:00. There are breaks between lessons and meals are provided. For Ukrainian teenagers tuition is free of charge, and students also receive free textbooks for learning languages — English and Polish.

In addition to foreign languages, students can study biology, chemistry, mathematics, the history of Poland and Ukraine, the Ukrainian language, physics, and geography. Class terminology is taught in Polish.

Upon completing the programme, students in grades 8–9 may apply to lyceums, technical schools, or vocational schools in Poland, or to colleges in Ukraine. Graduates of grades 10–11 are ready to apply to universities.

Addresses of evening schools for Ukrainian children in Poland: ⇒ Warsaw: Al. Jerozolimskie 179; ⇒ Gdańsk, ul. Miszewskiego 12/13; ⇒ Wrocław: Aleja Wiśniowa, 1; ⇒ Lublin, Sp nr. 29 ul. Wajdeloty 1; ⇒ Kraków: ul. Świętego Filipa, 25; ⇒ Łódź, Plac Wolności 12; ⇒ Poznań, Sp nr. 2 na Os. Jagiellońskim 128; ⇒ Rzeszów, Sp.28 ul. Solarza 12.

Registration form for the evening school.

How many Ukrainian schoolchildren and students are in Poland?

In autumn 2023, Rzeczpospolita, citing Poland's Ministry of Education and Science, reported that more than 286,000 Ukrainians were studying in Polish educational institutions. Almost two thirds of pupils and students arrived in Poland after the outbreak of the full-scale war.

In primary schools as of autumn 2023, 32,000 Ukrainian children who had arrived in Poland before February 2022 were enrolled, while 113,000 pupils crossed the border after the start of the full-scale invasion.

At the same time, a month prior, Poland's Deputy Minister of Education Joanna Mucha in an interview with oko.press stated that the government does not know how half of Ukrainian refugee children in Poland are being educated. These children are not enrolled in local schools, so it is unknown how — or whether — they are studying at all. In the new school year, the Polish government plans to address this situation.