Title: Orthodox Schools in Russia: A Collective Portrait, Challenges, and Opportunities for Interaction
Project Period: 2025–2026
Project Manager: Elena Pavlyutkina
Project Participants: Yana Mikhailova, Ivan Pavlyutkin
About the Project
This project is dedicated to the study of Orthodox schools in Russia. Beginning in the late 1980s and early 1990s, Orthodox schools were established “from scratch.” While this sector remains small in the overall landscape of Russian school education, it constitutes a notable segment within non-state schooling. Over the past decades, these schools have demonstrated significant diversity in terms of scale, educational outcomes, infrastructure, funding sources, and their degree of integration into parish and local social environments.
A systematic description of the Orthodox secondary education sector in Russia is virtually absent. Existing publications are fragmentary and, with rare exceptions, consist either of methodological materials produced by the schools themselves or reflective texts by school leaders discussing their individual experiences.
The continued existence and development of Orthodox schools across different regions and types of settlements indicate a discernible demand from parents. Whether this demand is for academic education, social support for children not integrated into the public school system, religious instruction, or a specific type of school environment remains a key question for investigation.
Orthodox schools likely possess specific characteristics that influence their activities and their impact on local communities. Chief among these are: first, their connection to a parish community, which can vary in strength; and second, their embeddedness within broader church institutions, which can also take various forms.
Research Goals and Objectives
The project aims to provide a comprehensive description and analysis of the Orthodox school sector in Russia, identifying the effects of their activities, along with the points of tension and challenges they face.
The project’s objectives are to:
- Construct a collective portrait of Orthodox schools in the Russian Federation.
- Develop a typology of Orthodox schools.
- Analyze the practices of Orthodox schools in supporting family and church life, as well as their effects on local communities.
- Identify the points of tension and key challenges faced by Orthodox schools.
Research Methods
- All-Russian Online Survey of Orthodox School Leaders (November–December 2025)
The questionnaire will include the following thematic blocks:
- General school information (size, enrollment, sustainability, etc.)
- Admission criteria and selection processes
- Educational practices and infrastructure
- Teaching staff characteristics
- Educational outcomes and graduate trajectories
- Configuration of regional cooperation and networks
- Support for family practices
- School integration into Church institutions
- Assessment of school needs and potential for collaboration
- Key challenges and stress points
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