The Anavryta Experimental Lyceum (Greek: Πειραματικό Λύκειο Αναβρύτων), colloquially referred to simply as Anavryta, is an experimental, co-educational, public lyceum (students aged 16–18), located in the northern suburb of Maroussi in Athens, Greece. The same complex houses the Anavryta Experimental Gymnasium (students aged 13–15) as well. It was established in 1940, shortly before the beginning of the World War II, as the Anavryta Classical Lyceum.
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The former Anavryta Classical Lyceum was an elite Greek lyceum (originally a boys-only boarding school) that was established in 1940, shortly before Greece's entry into World War II, in order to provide education to the members of the Greek royal family and notable Athenian families. It was reestablished after the war in 1949. Since 1971 the school was named a Lykeion Aristouhon which only admitted students who had distinguished themselves in other schools. After several educational reforms in Greece the school lost its elitist character in 1976, but continued to have higher admissions standards until the end of the 80's.
The fate of the lyceum was closely tied with the Greek royal family, but the only king of Greece who actually graduated from the lyceum was Constantine II, in the class of 1958. The abolition of the monarchy in 1974, following a seven-year military junta, removed that association.
Under circumstances that followed in the next years and especially in the 1980s it was increasingly difficult for a public school to maintain an elitist approach in Greece. Anavryta lost its exclusive character, but remained a school with a solid reputation for academic excellence. Eventually at the end of 1991-1992 the school was prohibited from setting absolutely any kind of admission standards and requirements. Thus the lyceum completely lost its original characteristics.
The Anavryta experiment ended mainly because of the hostility that the democratic Greek governments have shown to what was considered to be the reminder of the previous regime and the complete transformation of Greek society in the decades that followed. Nevertheless the importance of the lyceum and its educational role cannot be underestimated. The impressive alumni of the Classical lyceum shows distinguished members since generations of spiritual leaders, academics, spokesmen, businessmen, and other prominent members of the Greek society had graduated from the Classical lyceum in the decades following 1940.
The complex is located in the Syngros forest. The building of the lyceum, though old, has a computers classroom, a Physics laboratory, a Chemistry and Biology laboratory, and a theatre. Outside the lyceum stands the billionaire Andreas Syngros' mansion (which is currently under repair), a theatre, the gymnasium, and many courts, used by both the gymnasium and the lyceum. The lyceum students have expressed their disapproval of the building, as it is old and needs repairing. In 2001-02 the gymnasium was repaired and this year (2008–09) the Sygros mansion is being repaired, something that implies that the lyceum is to be repaired too.
The complex (the lyceum and the gymnasium put-together) has a number of 630 students approximately.The school gets 3/4 of its students from graduates of the gymnasium,and the other 1/4 is drawn before the beginning of the school year. The students are usually successful in the nation-wide university entry exams because the school is the only public school in Greece, in which the Ministry of National Education chooses the teachers in order to meet special standards. Most of the teachers have a doctorate in their subject.
Most of the subjects are taught in Greek. There are some differences that the school has from other public lyceums in Greece. Students are free to choose from a variety of programmes including SAT, most of which carry out an excursion to another E.U. country. Students from abroad also visit the school). English is taught in levels ranging from 1 to 4, 4 being CPE level and 1 being basic English.