Where history meets education: A Prague villa finds new life as a school

For expat parents, choosing the right school is rarely a one-time decision. Moves happen, cultures shift, and children grow. It’s normal to rethink your kiddo’s education options even after the school year has started. 

Step back, look at the bigger picture, and ask: What kind of environment will help my child thrive not just now but in the years ahead? One forward-looking school in Prague, already investing in future-ready spaces and curricula, makes that question a little easier to answer. 

Picking a school with a curriculum that challenges children appropriately, with regard to their age and existing knowledge, is a good starting point. BASIS Prague checks all these boxes, making it ideal for foreigners who are still unsure whether their stay in Prague is temporary or long-term. 

The key to their success is their spiraling curriculum, which is rooted in an American teaching model. From preschool through high school, BASIS uses different disciplines that are interconnected using an innovative, progressive approach that hones valuable critical thinking skills.  

“Instead of teaching a topic once and moving on, we return to it again and again, reinforcing understanding and building mastery," he adds.

This interactive teaching approach, with a strong focus on mathematics and science, is popular with both expat and Czech families. It integrates proven and innovative concepts from around the world, building upon subjects at an age-appropriate pace throughout children’s school journey.

Since opening its first campus in 2018, the school has grown quickly, building a reputation for strong teaching and innovative learning. Enrollment has surged over the last several years, and BASIS Prague is readying a new campus to keep up with growing demand. 

The new location, set in a historic early 20th-century villa in Bubeneč, will serve elementary and high school students from September 2026. The villa’s original facade will be preserved, but everything inside will be carefully rebuilt to fit “modern, future-ready” school standards. 

That means lots of natural light, optimized acoustics, and progressive technology throughout the classrooms, labs, studios, and common areas.

“Because we are building the interior entirely from scratch, we’ve been able to design every space to reflect our educational values: curiosity, academic rigor, and global citizenship,” says Růžička. “We believe learning happens not only through curriculum but also through space, and this campus will reflect that belief in every detail.”

For parents, this expansion isn’t just about new buildings. It’s a reminder that choosing a school isn’t only about today’s classroom but ensuring your child will have the right environment to thrive at every stage of their academic journey.

What ties all of this together is the BASIS Prague philosophy, founded nearly 30 years ago by Czech-American founders Olga and Michael Block. Their mission, based on critical thinking, academic independence, and interdisciplinary learning, is what still drives the school today. 

Even in the youngest grades, students benefit from a two-teacher model that pairs a subject expert with a learning expert in every classroom. By the time they reach upper elementary, they’re tackling lab-based science, essay writing, and public speaking, skills that carry them forward with confidence. 

And with English as the main language of instruction, plus Czech built in from the very beginning, BASIS Prague offers families an education that’s globally transferable yet firmly connected to Prague.