High School Admission 2026: Ranking of the Best High Schools in Bucharest After the First Allocation. Top 20 Specializations

Articles
22 JUL 26

The first computerized allocation of the 2026 high school admission process has once again confirmed the dominant position of Bucharest’s leading national colleges. “Gheorghe Lazăr” National College, “Sfântul Sava” National College, “Tudor Vianu” National College of Computer Science and “Spiru Haret” National College are once again at the top of the ranking, although admission averages have fallen compared with last year.

At specialization level, the highest cut-off average recorded in Bucharest was 9.70. This threshold was reached by the English bilingual Mathematics and Computer Science class at “Sfântul Sava” National College, as well as by the Mathematics and Computer Science specialization at “Gheorghe Lazăr” National College.

The computerized allocation results were published on 22 July 2026. Nationwide, 119,484 of the 119,610 candidates who submitted their preferences received a high school place, corresponding to an allocation rate of 99.89%. Of these, 74,093 students, or 62.01%, were admitted to the first option listed on their application form.

How the Bucharest high school ranking was compiled

The ranking below is based on the lowest admission average recorded for one of the specializations offered by each high school after the first computerized allocation.

This distinction is important. For example, at “Gheorghe Lazăr” National College, the highest cut-off average was 9.70 for Mathematics and Computer Science, while the overall lowest admission average for the school was 9.57, corresponding to the specialization with the lowest entry threshold.

The ranking therefore shows how competitive each high school was overall. It is not an official assessment of teaching quality, Baccalaureate examination results, infrastructure or the atmosphere within the school.

Top Bucharest high schools by lowest admission average in 2026

Rank | High school | Lowest average in 2026 | Lowest average in 2025

1 | “Gheorghe Lazăr” National College | 9.57 | 9.62
2 | “Sfântul Sava” National College | 9.42 | 9.60
3 | “Tudor Vianu” National College of Computer Science | 9.40 | 9.62
4 | “Spiru Haret” National College | 9.37 | 9.52
5 | “Matei Basarab” National College | 9.25 | 9.42
6 | “Cantemir Vodă” National College | 9.15 | 9.35
7 | “Mihai Viteazul” National College | 9.15 | 9.40
8 | “George Coșbuc” Bilingual National College | 9.07 | 9.30
9 | “Gheorghe Șincai” National College | 9.05 | 9.35
10 | “Ion Creangă” National College | 9.02 | 9.20
11 | “Grigore Moisil” National College | 9.00 | 9.25

The data published after the allocation show that all 11 colleges recorded lower minimum admission averages than in 2025. The decreases ranged from 0.05 points at “Gheorghe Lazăr” National College to 0.30 points at “Gheorghe Șincai” National College.

The lower thresholds should not automatically be interpreted as a decline in the quality of these schools. The lowest admission average is influenced by several factors, including overall National Evaluation results, the number of candidates, the number of available places, the order in which preferences were listed and the choices made by each generation.

“Gheorghe Lazăr” rises to first place in the high school ranking

“Gheorghe Lazăr” National College leads the 2026 ranking with a lowest admission average of 9.57. The school has four specializations among the ten most competitive options in Bucharest: Mathematics and Computer Science, Natural Sciences, Philology and Social Sciences.

“Sfântul Sava” National College ranks second at school level, with a lowest admission average of 9.42, although it offers the specialization with the highest cut-off average in Bucharest: English bilingual Mathematics and Computer Science, where the last admitted student had an average of 9.70.

The difference is explained by the ranking method, which uses the lowest average across all specializations offered by the school. At “Sfântul Sava”, the 9.42 threshold was recorded for Philology.

“Tudor Vianu” National College of Computer Science ranks third, with 9.40, followed by “Spiru Haret” National College, with 9.37. Although the minimum averages have fallen, competition remains intense: an average of at least 9.00 was required to enter one of Bucharest’s top 11 high schools.

Top 20 specializations in Bucharest by lowest admission average

Rank | High school | Track | Specialization | Lowest average

The first nine specializations in the national 2026 admission ranking are located in Bucharest. In addition, 28 of the country’s top 50 specializations are offered by schools in the capital, highlighting the very high concentration of competition within Bucharest’s education system.

Mathematics and Computer Science remains the dominant specialization

The science track clearly dominates the ranking. Of the top 20 specializations in Bucharest:

nine are Mathematics and Computer Science classes;
six are Natural Sciences classes;
three are Philology classes;
two are Social Sciences classes.

Overall, 15 of the 20 positions, or 75%, belong to the science track. Mathematics and Computer Science occupies the first three places, and two of these classes offer bilingual English instruction.

The results indicate a continued preference for specializations associated with computer science, exact sciences, medicine and technical fields. At the same time, the admission averages for Philology and Social Sciences show that humanities tracks remain highly competitive at the leading national colleges.

At “Gheorghe Lazăr”, the lowest admission average for Philology was 9.60, higher than the averages recorded by some science specializations at other prestigious schools. The threshold for Social Sciences was 9.57.

Four colleges account for 80% of the top 20 positions

Another important conclusion is that the most sought-after specializations are concentrated in a relatively small number of institutions.

“Spiru Haret” National College appears five times in the top 20, while “Gheorghe Lazăr” and “Sfântul Sava” each have four specializations in the ranking. “Tudor Vianu” National College of Computer Science appears three times.

Together, these four institutions occupy 16 of the top 20 positions, representing 80% of the ranking. The remaining four positions are divided between “Matei Basarab” National College and “I.L. Caragiale” National College.

This concentration indicates that a school’s reputation continues to have a major influence on the choices made by students with very high averages, sometimes regardless of the specialization itself.

The situation at national level

Viewed in a national context, the ranking confirms the dominance of Bucharest high schools in the 2026 admission process. Of the country’s top 20 specializations ranked by the lowest admission average, 15 are offered by colleges in the capital, representing 75% of the total.

Furthermore, the first nine positions are occupied exclusively by specializations in Bucharest, with admission averages ranging from 9.57 to 9.70. “Sfântul Sava” National College and “Gheorghe Lazăr” National College lead the national ranking, both with a 9.70 cut-off average for Mathematics and Computer Science, followed by “Spiru Haret” National College, with 9.67.

The results also explain the order of the schools in the Bucharest ranking. “Gheorghe Lazăr”, “Sfântul Sava”, “Tudor Vianu”, “Spiru Haret” and “Matei Basarab” not only have high overall admission averages, but also the largest number of specializations represented among the national elite.

“Sfântul Sava”, “Gheorghe Lazăr” and “Spiru Haret” each appear four times among the national top 20, while “Tudor Vianu” has two specializations and “Matei Basarab” has one. The only positions occupied by schools outside Bucharest belong to colleges in Constanța, Timișoara, Craiova and Galați.

Is the lowest admission average enough to determine the “best” high school?

The lowest admission average is an indicator of demand and competition, but it does not provide a complete picture of a school on its own.

Other factors that should be considered when choosing a high school include:

the specialization and subjects studied;
Baccalaureate examination results;
the stability of the teaching staff;
extracurricular activities;
the atmosphere within the school;
the study schedule;
the distance from home and daily commuting time;
the compatibility between the student’s abilities and the requirements of the specialization.

A high school with a lower admission average may be a better choice for a particular student than an institution at the top of the ranking. Differences of only a few hundredths of a point between specializations are also influenced by the number of available places, not only by the academic level of the candidates.

What happens after the computerized allocation

Allocated students must submit their enrolment documents to the high schools where they have been admitted between 23 and 28 July 2026.

Special cases arising after the allocation will be reviewed between 29 and 31 July, while the second stage of the admission process is scheduled to take place between 31 July and 18 August.

Admission for the 2026–2027 school year is organized under Order No. 6,060 of 29 August 2025, issued by the Romanian Ministry of Education and Research, and under the framework methodology governing admission to state high schools.

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