Press release: Results of the 2025 LGBTQ+ Friendly Schools Ranking – Hate in Polish Schools

On June 13, 2025, the results of the 5th nationwide edition of the LGBTQ+ Friendly Schools Ranking were announced. The results were presented at the Ministry of National Education. The winning schools received Openness Shields. The places of schools in the Ranking were decided by votes of young people from all over the country.

Results of the 2025 Ranking

The National LGBTQ+ Friendly Schools Ranking reached over 1,000 schools. In the national ranking, the first place was taken by I LICEUM OGÓLNOKSZTAŁCĄCE IM. ADAM MICKIEWICZ IN OLSZTYN, the second is the 1st Community High School "Bednarska" from Warsaw, and the third is the XXX High School named after JAN ŚNIADECKI in Warsaw. The top 25 includes 15 schools from outside provincial cities, including: Boguchwała, Kościerzyna, Chorzów, Zabrze, Kędzierzyn-Koźle.

The full list can be found on the website https://lgbtplusme.com/ranking/pl.

The winning schools receive Trust Shields and Rainbow School Diplomas presented by the Minister for Equality Katarzyna Kotula, Deputy Minister Paulina Piechna-Więckiewicz and the Canadian Ambassador to Poland Catherine Godin. The school of openness is the slogan of this year's edition of the project. The ranking is being held this year under the patronage of three state institutions (Ministry of National Education, Minister of Equality, Ombudsman for Children) as well as with record support from local governments in cities and provinces.

Ubiquitous hate in Polish schools

According to a study conducted as part of the LGBTQ+ Friendly Schools Ranking 2025 hate, discrimination is still omnipresent in Polish schools. 70% of respondents declare that they are concerned about their own safety or the safety of their peers. The concerns of young people are related to the lack of a support system in Polish schools. About one in three students was not able to indicate a single adult school employee whom they could trust in a difficult situation.

- The ranking in 2025 shows that we still have a lot of work ahead of us. From the data we have obtained, we can see that violence has not disappeared from Polish schools and over 40% of respondents experience or notice it. Only 1 in 4 students in the Polish education system can count on anti-discrimination classes. This is a problem that cannot be solved with a single decision, it is a process that we must undertake together - says Mateusz Trzaska, coordinator of the Ranking.

Over 27% of respondents regularly experience psychological violence as a victim or witness, for reasons other than belonging to the LGBTQ+ community. As we can see from the results of the study, this may be correlated with the lack of a safety system among students.

Contact:

Mateusz Trzaska,

tel. 602 195 854,

e-mail: [email protected]