Online School & Homeschool in Zagreb

Online school and international curriculum in Zagreb

For Zagreb families — live Cambridge delivery beside the country's only international tier, in a system where primary attendance is compulsory and we say so.

Live online Cambridge IGCSE, Cambridge A-Level, Pearson Edexcel International, IB Diploma Programme, and American Curriculum with Advanced Placement (AP) for Zagreb families. Zagreb holds Croatia's corporate weight — an IT sector that produced Infobip and Rimac, the Pliva pharmaceutical tradition, the diplomatic community, and a steady flow of returning diaspora families from Germany, Austria, Australia, and the Americas. It also holds essentially all of the country's international schooling: the American International School of Zagreb, the British International School, the Deutsche Schule, and the public IB programme at Matija Gubec. Croatian law is strict in a way families deserve to hear first: primary education is compulsory and fulfilled by regular attendance at school. So our clean default here is supplementary — your enrolment carries the obligation, and we teach the international track live alongside it.

Challenges Zagreb families face

Primary education is compulsory and fulfilled by regular school attendance — parental-choice homeschooling is not permitted at that level.
The international tier is small, concentrated in the capital, and priced accordingly, with waitlists at popular entry points.
Returning diaspora children arrive mid-stream from German, Austrian, Australian, or North American systems with no matching route locally.
Croatian secondary school prepares for the državna matura rather than for UCAS or the Common Application.
Time zone: Croatia runs CET (UTC+1) / CEST (UTC+2 summer) — 1-2 hours behind Nairobi EAT, so live teaching lands inside the Croatian school day.

Why Zagreb families choose Smartious

The law stated before anything is sold: Primary attendance is compulsory in Croatia and homeschooling is not permitted at that level. We say so, run supplementary alongside your enrolment, and reserve the full pathway for after primary school.
The Cambridge track beside a small tier: Live small-group teaching from USD 5,076 a year — the supplement, the waitlist bridge, or the alternative for families outside the capital tier.
Built for returning diaspora children: A child arriving mid-stream from Germany, Austria, or Australia keeps one internationally examined pathway instead of restarting inside a new system.
The window after primary school: Secondary education is not compulsory in Croatia — the A-Level years run entirely at the family's choice, and we plan pathways backward from that fact.
Timezone that lands in the school day: Zagreb is 1-2 hours behind Nairobi EAT.

Croatian law is strict and we state it before anything else: primary education is compulsory for all children, as a rule from about six to fifteen, and the Ministry is explicit that the obligation is fulfilled through regular attendance at primary school. Parental-choice homeschooling is not permitted at that level. The law does recognise nastava u kući — teaching at home — but as a temporary arrangement for pupils who cannot attend because of major motor difficulties, chronic illness, or impaired health: approved by the Ministry, organised by the school in cooperation with parents and teachers, with examinations arranged. We state that factually and never position it as a pathway. What Croatian law does leave open is substantial: structured education alongside the school enrolment during the compulsory years, and the entire secondary phase, because secondary education in Croatia is not compulsory — which is precisely why families who educate at home lawfully here do so after primary school. Families not resident in Croatia follow their country of residence's framework, a status they determine with their own advisers.

Premium tier includes optional in-person home tuition supplementation for Zagreb families during examination preparation periods, subject to associate teacher availability.

Live online via Smartious LMS. Classes land inside the Zagreb school day given the 1-2 hour offset — the after-school slot for supplementary students — with every session recorded for unlimited rewatch.

Zagreb holds Croatia's IT, pharmaceutical, and corporate centre, its diplomatic community, and a returning-diaspora flow — plus essentially all the country's international schooling — inside a system where primary education is compulsory and fulfilled by regular school attendance. Croatia runs CET (UTC+1) / CEST (UTC+2), 1-2 hours behind Nairobi EAT.

Family situations we work with

IT, pharmaceutical, and corporate international families in the capital.
Diplomatic and institutional families on rotation.
Returning diaspora families keeping curriculum continuity from abroad.
Families outside the international tier's fees or capacity, supplementing a Croatian enrolment.
Students past primary school running the full A-Level phase, which sits outside compulsory education.
Families targeting UK or US universities from a Croatian school base.

Zagreb communities and nearby areas

Donji grad · Maksimir · Trešnjevka · Novi Zagreb · Zaprešić · Samobor · Velika Gorica

Common questions from Zagreb families

Is homeschooling legal in Zagreb and Croatia generally?

Not at primary level. Primary education is compulsory and the Ministry states the obligation is fulfilled through regular school attendance; parental-choice homeschooling is not permitted there. The law's nastava u kući provision is a temporary, state-approved arrangement for pupils who cannot attend for health reasons. What is open: structured education alongside the enrolment, and the whole secondary phase, since secondary education is not compulsory.

So how does Smartious work during the primary years?

Supplementary. Your child stays enrolled at their Croatian school, which carries the legal obligation entirely, and takes Cambridge or IB subjects with us live in the after-school slot — building toward external examinations at authorised centres.

What changes after primary school?

Secondary education is not compulsory in Croatia, so from about fifteen the A-Level years run entirely at the family's choice, with no attendance obligation to satisfy. It is the most useful planning fact in the country.

How does Smartious compare with AISZ or the British International School?

They are established campuses with in-person culture and a local peer group we cannot replicate. Smartious runs live small-group teaching from USD 5,076 a year — the supplement beside a campus, the bridge while a place is found, or the continuity track for a returning or departing family.

Where do Zagreb students sit Cambridge examinations?

At authorised centres confirmed per family per session, with regional options where local capacity is limited.

Guides for families in Croatia

What parents say

Rated 4.9 out of 5 on Google from 130+ reviews. Read our Google reviews

“What I love most about Smartious is how they make learning enjoyable. The tutors use engaging methods that keep children interested throughout the lesson. My child now looks forward to studying instead of avoiding it.” — Google reviewer, Google review