Darca Menachem Begin High School – Gedera

The school was founded in 1961, and is named after Menachem Begin (1913-1992) who was Israel’s sixth prime minister – from 1977 to 1983.

Since its foundation the school has taken in local students and has been an example, leading the way for other secondary schools within the City Consortium for Education. Through the school’s initiative many curricula were developed, as well as practical models for advancing new immigrant populations, especially from the former USSR and Ethiopia.
The school received the Excellence in Teaching Award in 1998.

The school’s main objectives are:
1. Improving students’ achievements, and improving the rates of students eligible for a matriculation certificate.
2. Constant striving for excellence and creating a better school through unique programs and academic tracks.
3. Emphasizing teaching that promotes value-based, cultural, heritage-based discourse, and a democratic, socially-involved, proactive Jewish-Israeli identity.

4. Strengthening collaboration between the administration, teachers, students, and parents in developing a school atmosphere that is pleasant, respectful and safe for all who enter its gates, while reaching out to the surrounding community and Israeli society. 5. Providing students with opportunities through unique frameworks that allow each individual student to realize their potential while striving for personal and social excellence.

For over a decade the school’s results and achievements have placed it among the top five schools in Israel’s Central District. The school can boast the lowest dropout rates as well as the highest rates of students eligible for a matriculation certificate. In addition, in the last few years, the school has also been one of 20 schools with a high rate of graduates joining the IDF (94%), 77% of which feel they’ve made a significant contribution during their IDF service.