Poland's 2026 secondary school admissions leave 440 places empty in Łódź amid record applications

In the 2026 recruitment for secondary schools in Łódź, 6,689 eighth‑grade students applied—up 940 from the previous year. The city’s lycées offered 4,292 places and technical schools 2,163, leaving 321 applicants without a placement. Across all school types 440 spots remain vacant (253 in technical schools, 118 in lycées, 69 in first‑level vocational schools). Parents of admitted students must submit original documents by 20 July, with final admission lists published on 21 July and a supplemental recruitment phase beginning on 23 July.

Other Polish cities reported similar trends. In Lubin, II Liceum attracted over 700 applications for 180 spots, while Racibórz admitted 969 students, up from 902, and opened 32 classes, most of which were technical. Słupsk prepared 3,046 places for 1,773 applicants, leaving 159 unplaced. In Zielona Góra, entry thresholds for sought‑after classes reached as high as 176.95 points out of a possible 200.

Overall, the 2026 secondary school admission cycle shows heightened competition, a significant number of unplaced students, and numerous unfilled seats across Poland’s schools.