Nikan High School

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Nikan High School is a boys'-only school located in the north of Tehran, Iran. Nikan is an ancient Persian-Zorastrian name meaning "all the goodness in the world".

Hundreds of members of the Iranian political or religious elite have sent their sons to this school, which is famous for its high quality education in math and physics, as well as an emphasis on Shia religious values and thoughts.

Some of its graduates include the grandson of Ayatollah Khomenini, Hassan Khomeini, grandson of Mehdi Bazargan, sons of Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, and sons of many parliament members.

1 Admissions
2 Reputation
3 Education
4 Facilities
5 See also

[edit] Admissions

Nikan Highschool remains one of the most difficult schools to gain admission to. The school's admissions process includes an examination and then an interview. The entrance examination includes Mathematics, Sciences, Persian Literature and History. The competition is fierce, and out of the hundreds that take the exam about one hundred are invited back for interviews. The interviews are designed to examine the student's social and religious core, as well as the parents'. What they look for are upper class or highly educated middle class families with strong religious convictions.

60 students are selected for the 9th grade to form that year's class. The 9th grade class continues to 12th grade, and admissions past 9th grade is extremely rare. Nikan invests a lot of time in creating a sense of collegiality and close ties between students, and that's why they don't want new students to enter past the 9th grade.

[edit] Reputation

There is a reason why Nikan is a hotbed for children of the rich and the powerful. The school provides a high quality of education. However the popularity is also due to its exclusivity and emphasis on tradition and religion.

The school has a reputation in pressurising parents and students alike. It can be argued that because of its over exclusivity, some students might find it hard to integrate in the wider society.

[edit] Education

The main concern for most highschool students is the Konkour (University entrance examination). Nikan often hires the writers of the various sections of the Konkour to teach those subjects. Hence, the students are very well prepared. They consistently perform well in the Konkour.

[edit] Facilities

The school has three buildings: one, the main building, includes the classrooms, amphitheatre and the library; the second building is an indoor gym; and the third, not yet completed, is supposed to include multiple research labs. The campus has a track and field course, a soccer field, two tennis courts, a volleyball court, a basketball court, and a badminton court. There is also a flower conservatory on the premises.