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.
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.
Project-based, discussion-led learning runs across smaller cohorts, with 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 suits families aiming at non-traditional global universities, but it is not a tested A-Level or IB pathway, so university outcomes data is still limited. Fees sit in the mid range for Almaty.
Fees
Annual fees
| Year level | Age | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| PreK (4-5 years) | 4 | KZT 5,225,000 |
| Kindergarten (5-6 years) | 5 | KZT 5,775,000 |
| Grades 1-5 (Primary) | 6 | KZT 6,875,000 |
| Grades 6-9 (Secondary) | 11 | KZT 7,975,000 |
| Grades 10-12 (Minerva Baccalaureate) | 15 | KZT 9,075,000 |
One-time fees
| Item | Age | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Interview Fee | KZT 30,000 | |
| Admissions Fee (non-refundable) | KZT 300,000 | |
| Minerva Platform Fee (Grades 10-12, annual) | KZT 470,000 |
Reviews
An innovative, project-based school founded in 2017 by Yerkin Tatishev with Tatiana Magambetova as principal, now CIS-accredited and from 2025-26 running the Minerva Baccalaureate in the high school rather than Cambridge or IB. Families coming for the modern Kok-Tobe campus, the trilingual setup, and a skills-and-projects pitch tend to like what they find; families coming for traditional A-level or IB outcomes, predictable communication, or stable staffing report a bumpier ride.
Positives
- Campus and facilities. Purpose-built site on Sagadat Nurmagambetov with a polished, modern feel, tight security, on-site Budokan sports centre covering football, basketball, volleyball, boxing and martial arts, and meals families generally rate well.
- Learning model. Project-based learning is the through-line, and from 2025-26 the high school runs the Minerva Baccalaureate. Alumni often say the skills focus, group work and presentation practice translated well into university life.
- Trilingual setup. Lessons across English, Russian and Kazakh, which suits Kazakhstani families who want strong English without dropping the home languages.
Considerations
- Curriculum fit. MBacc is a credible programme but newer and less recognised than IB or Cambridge. Children targeting A-levels or IB Diploma for a specific university pathway are not the natural match here.
- Staff turnover. Parents talk about a high churn of teachers from one year to the next, with a steady stream of new faces in classrooms. It comes up across multiple reviews.
- Communication and admissions. Recurring complaints about getting hold of the school by phone, opaque admissions handling, and rules and expectations that shift without much warning.
- Fees and value. Fees sit at the top of the Almaty market and have moved up regularly. Whether the academic outcome justifies the price is the running debate.
- Culture and consistency. The stated values land well with some families and feel inconsistently applied to others, with isolated mentions of bullying handling and accusations that discounts and access lean on connections.
Leadership
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