Cities / Almaty / High Tech Academy
High Tech Academy
A CIS-accredited school in the Kok-Tobe district of Medeu, opened in 2020 inside a Finnish-designed 20,000 sqm campus. It combines project-based Finnish pedagogy with the Minerva Baccalaureate for Grades 10-12, with fees from KZT 5.2M to KZT 9.1M per year.
In brief
A young, ambitious private school that pairs a Finnish primary model with an American upper school running the Minerva Baccalaureate. Accredited by CIS in 2022.
The pitch is project-based, discussion-led learning with smaller cohorts and a heavy investment in well-being and pastoral structure. Three meals and city minibus transport are included in tuition. Roughly a fifth of the roll attends on full scholarship, which keeps the intake more mixed than fee levels alone would suggest.
Families who like it talk about an unusually personal approach to feedback, with one-to-one parent and student conferences in place of standard PTA cycles. The Minerva track is an interesting bet for families aiming at non-traditional global universities, but it is not a tested A-Level or IB pathway, so the answer on university outcomes is still being written. Fees sit in the mid range for Almaty.
Fees
| Fee | Age | Type | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| PreK (4-5 years) | 4 | Annual | KZT 5,225,000 |
| Kindergarten (5-6 years) | 5 | Annual | KZT 5,775,000 |
| Grades 1-5 (Primary) | 6 | Annual | KZT 6,875,000 |
| Grades 6-9 (Secondary) | 11 | Annual | KZT 7,975,000 |
| Grades 10-12 (Minerva Baccalaureate) | 15 | Annual | KZT 9,075,000 |
| Interview Fee | One-time | KZT 30,000 | |
| Admissions Fee (non-refundable) | One-time | KZT 300,000 | |
| Minerva Platform Fee (Grades 10-12, annual) | One-time | KZT 470,000 |
Reviews
- Public discussion of High Tech Academy is dominated by international teachers comparing notes ahead of interviews. Several commenters in 2022-2024 ask about the school precisely because it has "only 2 poorly written" Glassdoor reviews and limited ISR coverage.
- The Glassdoor pool, when read in 2026, sits below the international-school norm. Senior management is the lowest-rated category and culture, career growth and work-life balance also rate poorly. One former teacher notes decent training but "no career growth opportunities."
- One Reddit post in 2022 from an applicant referred to "the most absurd application tasks," pointing to a heavy interview process.
- The school's own marketing emphasises a Finnish-American model, project-based learning and trilingual instruction in English, Kazakh and Russian. CIS accreditation came in July 2022.
- Parents online are largely absent. The Facebook page shows a high recommend rate from a small review pool but parent voice on independent forums is thin.
- Families considering HTA are effectively choosing on the strength of the curriculum claim and a small parent pool while the staff-side picture trends critical.
Head of school
Tatiana Magambetova
Tatiana is the Co-Founder and Principal of High Tech Academy. As a member of the Board of Trustees, her areas of responsibility are fundamental values and culture of the school. Tatiana provides vision and leadership for the High Tech Academy community which secures its success and improvement, ensuring high quality education for all students and improved standards of learning and achievement.
Accreditations
- Council of International Schools 01
Academic results
- Accreditation CIS (2022), ARQA (2023)
- High school programme Minerva Baccalaureate (Grades 10-12)
Location
150 Sagadat Nurmagambetov Street, Kok-Tobe, Medeu District, Almaty 050007, Kazakhstan