This article sheds light on a paradox in the Soviet educational landscape: the development of specialised foreign-language schools in the context of a purported egalitarian society. These schools endured, and even thrived, through the collapse of the Soviet Union. First, a historical overview for Soviet-era development of specialised-school policies is provided. Second, the development of these specialised schools both generally, as well as in the particular context of the Estonian Soviet Republic, is described. Alumni interviews, archival materials and educational publications provide primary source material for this study. Finally, the article explores criticism of the specialised school.