Two WIZO Youth Village High Schools Named Among Israel’s Top Performing Schools for 2024–2025

The Israeli Ministry of Education has published its annual list of 370 outstanding upper secondary schools nationwide for the 2024–2025 academic year, honoring institutions for their achievements in academic excellence, social values, and community involvement.

Among the schools recognized this year are two high schools from WIZO’s educational network:

• WIZO Nir HaEmek Youth Village High School, near Afula – selected as an outstanding school for the seventh time.
• WIZO Hadassim Youth Village High School, near Even Yehuda – awarded this distinction for the sixth time.

As part of this recognition, every teacher and staff member in the awarded schools will receive a personal bonus from the Ministry of Education.

Criteria for Excellence

The schools were chosen based on a range of indicators, including:

• Student enlistment in the IDF, national, or civil service
• Prevention of school dropout
• Integration of students with special needs
• Percentage of matriculation eligibility
• Percentage of students excelling in matriculation exams
• Attainment of high-quality matriculation certificates
• Year-to-year improvement compared to national benchmarks

WIZO’s Pride in Education

Gadi Yaakov, Head of WIZO’s Education Division, congratulated the award-winning schools:

“I am proud that two of WIZO’s schools have been recognized by the Ministry of Education as outstanding institutions for 2024–2025. This achievement highlights the stability and capabilities of our education system, and reflects our commitment to social involvement, friendship, belonging, and dedication to the State of Israel—alongside academic and social excellence. Immense appreciation goes to all our educational teams across the network for their outstanding achievements over the years.”

WIZO’s Educational Network

WIZO’s education system serves nearly 6,000 students, supported by more than 1,500 educators, counselors, and staff. The network includes:

• 5 youth villages with 5 high schools
• 3 additional schools (Jerusalem, Rehovot, and Haifa)
• 3 welfare boarding schools (Herzliya, Haifa, and Hadassim)

The schools offer a wide variety of academic and professional tracks such as:

• Advanced technology (including “Nahalal-Tech” in partnership with the Technion)
• Computer science and software engineering
• Electronics engineering
• Biomimicry
• Languages, communication, and theater
• Specialized sports academies (basketball, judo, cycling, archery, and more)
• Dog training, firefighting, and police studies in collaboration with government ministries

Many of WIZO’s educational institutions were founded before the establishment of the State of Israel by WIZO women, with a vision to provide quality education and strong values for generations of young people.

The student body includes Israeli youth as well as Na’aleh students (immigrant youth arriving before their parents) from across the globe, including Argentina, Brazil, Russia, Ukraine, India, the United States, the Netherlands, Serbia, Germany, and more.

Looking Ahead

As the new school year begins, nearly 6,000 WIZO students across the country are returning to their classrooms with pride, motivated by the achievements of Nir HaEmek and Hadassim. Their success reflects the strength of WIZO’s entire educational network and sets an inspiring tone for the year ahead—one of academic excellence, personal growth, and deep commitment to values.