Kayseri Science High School

Kayseri Fen Lisesi is a public secondary education institution under the Ministry of National Education of the Republic of Türkiye, located in the Melikgazi district of Kayseri. Founded in 1893, the institution currently operates under the status of a "School Implementing Special Programs and Projects." Through a series of institutional transformations throughout its history, it attained the status of a "Science High School" as of the 2023–2024 academic year.^【1】

The institution began its educational activities on 13 September 1893 during the reign of Sultan Abdülhamid II under the name "Derece-i Ula Mekteb-i Mülkiye İdadisi" in the Seyfullah Efendi Mansion. Due to the inadequacy of the original building, the first floor of a new structure was completed in 1903, and the second floor, designed in a neoclassical architectural style, was finished in 1916. In 1916, the school was renamed "Kayseri Sultanisi." Due to students being deployed to the frontlines during World War I and the Gallipoli Campaign, the school did not graduate any students between 1915 and 1917.

During the Turkish War of Independence, plans were made to relocate the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye to Kayseri, and the school building was prepared for parliamentary sessions. However, after the victory at the Battle of Sakarya, this decision was abandoned. In 1921, the school did not hold a graduation ceremony following the martyrdom of its final-year students in the Battle of Sakarya. In 1923, the institution was renamed "Kayseri Lisesi." On 13 October 1924, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk and his wife Latife Hanım visited the school. In the 2005–2006 academic year, the school was converted into an Anatolian High School, and in the 2023–2024 academic year, it was restructured as a Science High School.^【2】

Kayseri Fen Lisesi is a public school under the Ministry of National Education of the Republic of Türkiye. Since 2018, the institution has been classified by the Ministry as a "School Implementing Special Programs and Projects." Its administrative structure and operations are conducted under the coordination of the Ministry of National Education regulations and the Melikgazi District and Kayseri Provincial Directorates of National Education.^【3】

The school operates under a single-shift instruction model, with daily classes held between 08:30 and 15:35. The medium of instruction is Turkish, and English is offered as the first foreign language and German as the second foreign language. The school’s vision is to become a pioneering institution aligned with international standards; its mission is to cultivate free-thinking, knowledge-producing individuals in accordance with the principles and reforms of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. The educational environment is supported by fiber-optic internet and digital infrastructure under the Fatih Project.^【4】

Students are admitted to Kayseri Fen Lisesi through the Secondary School Transition System (LGS) based on their centralized examination scores. For the 2024–2025 academic year, the 9th grade quota is set at 150 students. According to data from the same period, the school’s minimum admission score was 464.3654 and the maximum score was 482.0616.^【5】

The school campus is located in the Tacettin Veli Neighborhood (Kiçikapı area) of Melikgazi district, Kayseri, approximately 500 meters from Cumhuriyet Square. The campus includes 25 classrooms, 1 workshop, 1 conference hall (Faruk Nafiz Çamlıbel Hall, capacity 220), 4 multipurpose halls, 1 sports hall, chemistry and biology laboratories, and 1 music classroom.

The school library holds 22,113 registered books. The historic building constructed at the end of the 19th century, known as "Block A," was transferred to the Kayseri Metropolitan Municipality in 2012 under a protocol and reopened in 2016 as the "Kayseri Lisesi National Struggle Museum."^【6】

Forty-five fully employed teachers serve in the school’s academic staff. The overall administration is managed by a principal and deputy principals appointed by the Ministry of National Education. The school’s personnel possess the specialized expertise required to meet the academic standards of the Science High School curriculum.^【7】

A total of 579 students are currently enrolled. The rate of graduates admitted to higher education institutions is 100%. Throughout its history, the school has produced numerous prominent figures including the 8th President of Türkiye, Turgut Özal, the 11th President of Türkiye, Abdullah Gül, as well as Hulusi Akar, Taner Yıldız, and Korkut Özal, among many other statesmen, scientists, and artists.^【8】

Active student teams include girls’ volleyball, boys’ basketball, and table tennis. Within the framework of social and cultural activities, the school organizes Model United Nations conferences, TEDx events, theater productions, musical concerts, choirs, and digital art and game modeling projects. Additionally, the "Kayseri Lisesi March," composed by Faruk Nafiz Çamlıbel in memory of the school’s martyred students, is an integral part of the school’s institutional culture.^【9】

Kayseri Fen Lisesi implements student exchange programs under the Erasmus+ program with the Netherlands and Hungary. Nationally, the school participates in TÜBİTAK 2204A High School Student Research Competition, Teknofest, TÜBİTAK 4006 science fairs, science olympiads, MEB robotics competitions, FLL, and Gençtek game development projects. Furthermore, to enhance scientific awareness, the school organizes TÜBİTAK Science Talks, seminars, and intellectual property initiatives including patent applications.^【10】