Good practice

e-Schools – Development of a System of Digitally Mature Schools in Croatia

Croatia · Zagreb · See the Croatia profile

EU-funded national programme (CARNET, 2015–2023) connecting all 1,321 Croatian schools, delivering 110,000+ laptops and training ~70,000 people. EU Court of Auditors confirmed a 10% digital-maturity boost; RegioStars 2020 Award winner for inclusive digital education.

all 1,321

Escuelas conectadas

110,000+

Portátiles entregados

+10%

Aumento de la madurez digital

Details

Maturity: Established
Promoter: CARNET (Croatian Academic and Research Network)
Period: 2015–2023
Keywords: students, schools, rural communities, low-income households, digital infrastructure, ICT in education

Context

e-Schools es un programa nacional financiado por la UE (CARNET, 2015–2023) que conecta todas las escuelas croatas y las dota de dispositivos y formación para aumentar la madurez digital.

Results

El programa conectó las 1.321 escuelas croatas, entregó más de 110.000 portátiles y formó a unas 70.000 personas; el Tribunal de Cuentas Europeo confirmó un aumento del 10% en la madurez digital, y ganó un premio RegioStars 2020.

Implementation

Implementation detail (cost, timeline, staffing, conditions for success) is not yet available for this practice.

Data sources

Where this practice's information was retrieved from, and when.

C-NAPSE web research — accessed 2026-06-20
CARNET (Croatian Academic and Research Network) — accessed 2026-06-20
EU Digital Skills and Jobs Platform – e-Schools Croatia good practice — accessed 2026-06-20
CARNET – e-Schools Phase II project page — accessed 2026-06-20
CEDEFOP – Digitalisation of education, Croatia — accessed 2026-06-20
EIB – e-Schools project record — accessed 2026-06-20

Quality score: 92/100

How is this calculated?

Evidence: Observational / pre–post

Top 6% in this catalogue (573 scored practices)

Scores cluster high, so position within the catalogue is often more telling than the number alone.

Evaluation

Evaluated by C-NAPSE

Score profile — the dimensions behind the score — how it's computed

Innovation level3/5

Systematic five-level Digital School Maturity framework applied to an entire national school system, combined with universal device distribution targeting students in need and mobile support teams, is a structurally innovative whole-system approach.

Sustainability (ongoing)1/1

Both phases concluded with permanent infrastructure—connectivity, 110,000+ devices, digital content, and 10 Regional Education Centres—embedded across all 1,321 Croatian schools; maturity framework adopted as national standard.

Evaluation evidence1/1

EU Court of Auditors confirmed a 10% national digital-maturity boost; formal evaluation documented 82%→98% improvement in pilot schools; RegioStars 2020 Award; EU Digital Skills Jobs Platform, CEDEFOP, and EIB independently document the programme.

Demonstrated reach1/1

All 1,321 Croatian schools covered; ~70,000 individuals trained; devices provided to students in need directly addressing rural and low-income exclusion.

Documented learning1/1

EU Digital Skills Jobs Platform good-practice listing; CEDEFOP cross-country documentation; five-level Digital School Maturity framework replicable by other national systems; 25,000+ open-access educational resources freely available.

Cite this

Evidoria. e-Schools – Development of a System of Digitally Mature Schools in Croatia. Persistent ID: 4e460a1c-a757-4929-8bc0-38fc74a770a1.

Export as decision brief (PDF)

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