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Nikan High School is a boys'-only school located in the north of Tehran, Iran. Nikan is an ancient Persian-Zorastrian name meaning "all the goodness in the world".

Hundreds of members of the Iranian political or religious elite have sent their sons to this school, which is famous for its high quality education in math and physics,natural sciences, as well as an emphasis on Shia religious values and thoughts.

The school is closely associated with Alavi High School, which was founded by Allameh Karbaschian 51 years before (1956).

Nikan and Alavi graduates have strong ties and form communities in different parts of the world specially in Europe and North America. Each class has a designated number called "doreh" which shows the number of years from the foundation of school after which the class has started entered the first grade (primary school).

Contents 1 Admissions 2 Reputation 3 Education 4 Facilities 5 See also

Nikan High school remains one of the most difficult schools to gain admission to. Usually, about 50-60% of the 9th grade class are students that completed education in Nikan's primary and middle schools. The school's admissions process includes an examination and then an interview. The entrance examination includes Mathematics, Sciences, Persian Literature and History, as well as Shia islamic fundamentals. The competition is fierce, and out of the hundreds that take the exam about one hundred are invited back for interviews. The interviews are designed to examine the student's social and religious core, as well as the parents'. What they look for are upper class or highly educated middle class families with strong religious convictions.

50-60 students are selected for the 9th grade to form that year's class; these students are then grouped into 3 classes. The 9th grade class continues to 12th grade and the students are mixed and re-grouped every year; admissions past 9th grade is extremely rare. Nikan invests a lot of time in creating a sense of collegiality and close ties between students, and that's why they don't want new students to enter past the 9th grade.

Several students from Nikan high school have been awarded medals at international math and science olympiads such as IMO, IPO, ICHO, IBO etc.

There is a reason why Nikan is a hotbed for children of the rich and the powerful: The school provides a high quality of education. However the popularity is also due to its exclusivity and emphasis on tradition and religion.

The school has a reputation in pressurising parents and students alike. It can be argued that because of its over exclusivity, most students might find it hard to integrate in the wider society.

Nikan High School teaches its students in only two majors: "Math and Physics", or "Natural sciences" with 75-80% of students choosing the math and physics track.

The main concern for most highschool students is the Konkour (University entrance examination). Nikan hires well experienced teachers, some of them having had the highest marks in the Konkour that they took part in. Hence, the students are very well prepared. They consistently perform well in the Konkour.

The school has three buildings: one, the main building, includes the classrooms, amphitheatre and the library, also one Physics and one Chemistry laboratory; the second building is an indoor gym; and the third, not yet completed, is supposed to include multiple research labs. The campus has a track and field course, a soccer field, two volleyball courts also used for badminton and a basketball court. There is also a flower conservatory on the premises, which is not in use.

• Firouz Bahram High School
• Alborz High School
• Alavi High School