Online School & Homeschool in Bulgaria

Live online Cambridge IGCSE, A-Level, Pearson Edexcel, IB Diploma, and American AP for IT-sector, industrial, nomad, and Bulgarian families across Sofia, Plovdiv, Varna, Burgas, Ruse, and Bansko. Bulgaria does allow independent study — самостоятелна форма — but at a parent's request it is granted by a regional expert commission and supervised every school term. We say so plainly, and for most families we recommend the simpler route.

From USD 423/month (~BGN 761/month). Small live classes 4-6 students, Cambridge / IB / American AP through to A-Level — on a timezone where Sofia and Nairobi share the same summer clock.

Where our Bulgaria families are

Smartious Bulgaria families concentrate across Sofia (one of Europe's largest outsourcing hubs, holding the country's entire international tier), Plovdiv (the Trakia Economic Zone and its German, Japanese, and American manufacturers), Varna (the Black Sea port, merchant marine, and a growing tech sector), Burgas (the Balkans' largest refinery and the southern resort coast), Ruse (the Danube crossing where Bucharest is closer than Sofia), and Bansko (a ski town turned digital-nomad capital). One commission-granted framework stated honestly, and five regions out of six with nothing.

Homeschool laws and regulation in Bulgaria

Bulgaria has a genuine home-study route and an unusually supervised one. Honest pages describe both halves before recommending anything. Here is the framework exactly.

The route: самостоятелна форма на обучение

Bulgaria's independent form of education, under the Preschool and School Education Act, consists of independent preparation plus examinations to determine annual grades in the subjects of the school curriculum — with the day-form curriculum applying. It is organised for three groups: students of compulsory school age who cannot study in the day form for health reasons certified by the relevant medical expert commission; students of compulsory school age at the request of the student or parent under Article 12(2) of the Act, following a decision of an expert commission established at the Regional Education Directorate; and students who have passed compulsory school age. The middle category is the parental route, and it is a permission rather than a notification.

The oversight, which is the part to understand first

For that parent-request category the Act provides that the Regional Education Directorate's expert commission — which includes a representative of the Social Assistance Agency — exercises control each school term over the organisation and conduct of the examination sessions and over their results. Termly supervision by a body including social services is unusual among the frameworks we cover, and it is not a reason to avoid the route; it is a reason to understand it before applying rather than after. Families who go this way should expect a relationship with their РУО, not just with their school.

The mechanics of the year

The school organises the examination sessions and publishes the schedule; students apply to sit at least around ten days before a session; the school provides consultation hours with teachers under a schedule approved by the pedagogical council. Progression is sequential and strict: a student may sit examinations for the next grade only after successfully passing all the examinations required to complete the previous one. And timing matters at the start — switching into the independent form mid-year is permitted for students turning sixteen in that year or where new circumstances arise, but not for the parent-request category, which makes it a start-of-year decision. The detail sits in ministerial ordinances, so current requirements should be confirmed with your school and your РУО.

What that means for how we work here

It means the examinations and the commission are the family's relationship, not ours, and we do not pretend otherwise. For families who take the route, Smartious is the academic spine beside it: live subject teaching, continuous assessment, documented progress, external Cambridge examinations, and Bulgarian-language and national-programme coverage kept visible all year so the sessions pass uneventfully. For most international and expat families, though, we recommend something simpler — an ordinary day-form enrolment carries every legal obligation and requires no commission at all, while the Cambridge or IB track runs live in the after-school slot. It is the same recommendation we make in Croatia and Luxembourg, and for the same reason: the simplest lawful configuration is usually the best one.

After sixteen: what changes

Compulsory school age in Bulgaria ends at sixteen. Two things follow. Inside the Bulgarian system, the independent form becomes available to students in their own right rather than through the parent-request commission route — the Act treats those past compulsory school age as a separate category, and switching into the form mid-year is permitted for students turning sixteen. Outside it, a student who is no longer of compulsory school age has no Bulgarian schooling obligation at all, which is what makes the A-Level years straightforward: two or three years of live Cambridge teaching with sittings at authorised provision and nothing else to satisfy.

Where the qualifications lead

Bulgarian universities admit foreign secondary qualifications through recognition procedures with programme-specific requirements and Bulgarian-language proficiency for Bulgarian-taught degrees, confirmed per programme. The English-taught tier is genuinely strong for the country's size: the medical universities at Sofia, Plovdiv, and Varna teach thousands of international students in English, and the American University in Bulgaria runs a US-style liberal arts programme at Blagoevgrad — both reading Cambridge and IB qualifications directly. Internationally, A-Levels feed UCAS natively and are accepted in 160+ countries, the Common Application serves US plans, and German, Dutch, Austrian, and Romanian universities assess both routinely.

Why Bulgaria families choose Smartious

The commission route explained before it is recommended

Самостоятелна форма at a parent's request needs a regional commission decision and brings termly supervision including social services. We state that plainly rather than selling around it.

The simpler route recommended where it fits

An ordinary day-form enrolment carries every obligation and needs no commission; the Cambridge or IB track runs live alongside. That is what we recommend for most families.

Both calendars planned where the route is taken

The school's annual examinations in every subject, and the Cambridge sessions in English — mapped together, with Bulgarian and national-programme coverage visible all year.

The regions served identically

Plovdiv's industrial zone, the Black Sea ports, the Danube, and the mountains hold real international communities and almost no provision. Live delivery closes every gap the same way.

The same clock as our teaching base in summer

Bulgaria is 0-1 hours behind Nairobi EAT — live classes land squarely in the Bulgarian afternoon, never late at night.

A pathway that reads at home and abroad

Bulgaria's English-taught medical universities and AUBG read Cambridge and IB directly, and UCAS reads A-Levels natively — one record, both directions.

Fees and admission

From USD 423/month for Primary, payable termly; varies by curriculum and level. One-to-one tuition: USD 15/hour.

Frequently asked questions

Is homeschooling legal in Bulgaria?

There is a lawful route — самостоятелна форма на обучение — consisting of independent preparation plus annual examinations in every subject of the school curriculum. For a student of compulsory school age at a parent's request it requires a decision by an expert commission at the Regional Education Directorate, and that commission supervises the examination sessions and results each school term.

Who sits on that commission, and what do they supervise?

The commission is established at the Regional Education Directorate and includes a representative of the Social Assistance Agency. For the parent-request category it controls the organisation and conduct of the examination sessions and their results, each school term.

What do you recommend for most families?

The supplementary configuration: your child stays in an ordinary day-form enrolment, which carries every legal obligation and needs no commission, while we teach Cambridge or IB subjects live in the after-school slot toward external examinations.

Can we start independent study mid-year?

Not on the parent-request route — that is a start-of-year decision. Mid-year switching is permitted for students turning sixteen in that year or where new circumstances arise. Confirm current rules with your school and your РУО.

How does progression work?

Sequentially and strictly: a student may sit the next grade's examinations only after successfully passing all the examinations required to complete the previous grade. Applications to sit are made around ten days before each session, and the school provides consultation hours.

What changes after sixteen?

Compulsory school age ends. Inside the Bulgarian system the independent form becomes available to students in their own right; outside it, a student has no Bulgarian schooling obligation at all, which is what makes the A-Level years straightforward.

How does Smartious compare with the Sofia international schools?

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, the bridge, and the only complete option outside the capital.

Where do Bulgarian students sit Cambridge examinations?

At authorised provision confirmed per family per session — Sofia is checked first, with regional and cross-border options where local capacity is limited and coastal, Plovdiv, and Danube families planning travel ahead.

Can my child access Bulgarian universities with A-Levels or an IB Diploma?

Bulgarian universities admit foreign secondary qualifications through recognition procedures with requirements confirmed per programme. The English-taught tier is strong — the medical universities at Sofia, Plovdiv, and Varna, and the American University in Bulgaria — and reads Cambridge and IB qualifications directly. UCAS and the Common Application stand open internationally.

How does live class scheduling work given the Bulgaria-Nairobi time difference?

It is among the best alignments we have: Bulgaria runs EET (UTC+2) in winter — one hour behind Nairobi — and EEST (UTC+3) in summer, the same clock. Live teaching lands squarely in the Bulgarian afternoon.

Guides for families in this country

What parents say

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

“What stands out most about Smartious Homeschool and Tuition is their dedication to each learner. They don't rush through topics but ensure the child fully understands before moving forward. The progress my child has made in a short time is impressive. I would definitely recommend them to any parent.” — Google reviewer, Google review