Riga schools lead Latvia’s ranking for talented students

Riga schools again occupy the leading positions in the Ata Kronvalds Foundation’s Lielā pūce ranking, which assesses student achievements in Olympiads, scientific research conferences and other knowledge competitions, LSM reported. Riga State Gymnasium No. 1 is the clear leader by points.

This year’s ranking includes 32 state gymnasiums, 71 large schools and 83 small schools.

Among state gymnasiums, the top five are Riga State Gymnasium No. 1 with 212.59 points, Riga Āgenskalns State Gymnasium with 104.53, Riga State German Gymnasium with 97.18, Riga State Gymnasium No. 2 with 68.27 and Jelgava State Gymnasium with 46.4.

Riga French Lyceum leads the large schools category with 49.58 points. It is followed by Riga Secondary School No. 64 with 39 points, Riga Central Humanitarian Secondary School with 35.21, Riga Secondary School No. 40 with 31.31 and Pumpuri Secondary School in Jūrmala with 20.97.

RTU Engineering Secondary School retained first place among small schools with 87.54 points. Sigulda Primary School No. 1 ranked second with 20.9 points, followed by the private Patnis Secondary School with 16.37. Pilsrundāle Secondary School and Āgenskalns Primary School were also among the top five, with 12 points each.

Sigulda Primary School No. 1 recorded the biggest rise in this category, climbing from 19th place last year to second. Patnis improved from 15th to third, while Pilsrundāle Secondary School rose from 29th to fourth.

Foundation representatives said the achievements of these schools had also been reflected in previous years’ rankings, with the schools consistently remaining among the leaders.

The points gap between the leaders and other schools is particularly pronounced in the state gymnasium and small school categories. Riga State Gymnasium No. 1 scored 212.59 points, compared with 104.53 for the second-placed Riga Āgenskalns State Gymnasium and 46.4 for fifth-placed Jelgava State Gymnasium. In the small school category, RTU Engineering Secondary School’s 87.54 points also put it well ahead of second-placed Sigulda Primary School No. 1, which scored 20.29 points.

The gap is narrower among large schools: Riga French Lyceum scored 49.58 points, while Riga Secondary School No. 64 had 39.

The Lielā pūce awards ceremony is planned this year alongside a ceremony honouring teachers who have made a significant contribution to the development of talented students.