Find a school in Helsinki and enrol your child
Primary school covers grades 1–6, usually for children aged 7–12. Lower secondary school covers grades 7–9, usually for young people aged 13–15. Some comprehensive schools include all nine grades, while in other areas students move to a separate lower secondary school after grade 6.
-
How do I enrol my child in school in Helsinki?
The City of Helsinki assigns each child a public school according to their home address and school admission area. We call this a local school. The local school is often the nearest school, but admission area boundaries mean this is not always the case.
To enrol, get in touch with the school principal. Find the schools' contact details with the school search tool.
-
Can my child start school with no Finnish or Swedish skills?
Yes, your child can start school without any Finnish or Swedish skills in Helsinki. Children who have moved to Finland receive preparatory education, where they learn Finnish or Swedish and become familiar with everyday school life.
- In Finnish-language schools, students in grades 1–2 attend preparatory education at their local school, and students in grades 3–9 may attend another nearby school.
- In Swedish-language schools, it is provided at the local school.
Preparatory education usually lasts one year. After that, the student continues in a regular Finnish- or Swedish-language class. Learn more and enrol to preparatory education.
-
Choose the language and type of school
Helsinki offers education in Finnish and Swedish, with English-language and bilingual options. Private and state schools provide further choices.
- English-language education: Children who have studied in English or are staying in Helsinki briefly can apply for English-language education year-round. A test may be required. Learn about English-language comprehensive education and apply
- Bilingual education: In bilingual education, 25–50% of teaching is in the target language and the rest in Finnish. Helsinki offers seven language options. A language test may be required. Learn about bilingual education and how to apply.
- Private and state schools: Helsinki has private and state schools offering different languages and teaching approaches. Admission procedures vary, and some schools may charge tuition. See private and state schools in Helsinki.
- Language studies and child’s mother tongue instruction: Foreign language studies start in grade 1, with further languages introduced later. Schools also offer free mother tongue instruction in around 40 languages. Read more about curricula and school subjects.
- Other school choices: Students can apply for weighted-curriculum education in subjects such as music, art or physical education. Programmes start in grade 3 or 7 and require an aptitude test. Learn about weighted-curriculum education.
What is everyday school in Helsinki like?
School days are generally shorter in the first grades and become longer as students progress. Morning and after-school activities are available for many younger students. Learn more about morning and after-school activities, clubs and hobbies. Families provide a school bag, pencil case and suitable clothing for indoor and outdoor physical education. School provides your child with books, teaching materials and a warm lunch every school day, free of charge.
Schools for children in Helsinki follow the national core curriculum for comprehensive education(Link leads to external service), which means that they all teach the same compulsory subjects (pdf). Learning results and outcomes tend to be the same across the country.
Schools use an app called Wilma to share messages between families and teachers, school bulletins and information about the child's studies. The school provides access instructions when your child starts school.
The official language in Helsinki municipal schools is either Finnish or Swedish, depending on which school you choose. Many staff members can communicate in English. Free interpretation is available when needed, and some schools have multilingual instructors who support families in Russian, Arabic or Somali. Parent meetings are an opportunity to discuss your child’s learning and school life with their teacher.
All schoolteachers in Finland hold master’s degrees and have completed extensive teacher training. In addition, each school has one or more special educational needs teachers who offer support for students who may need extra help or have special educational needs. School doctors, nurses, psychologists and social workers are also on hand to help when needed. Contact your child’s teacher or the school principal at any time with questions or concerns.
Children are encouraged to walk or cycle to school when possible. Students may qualify for a student travel card when the journey to their local school is more than two kilometres in grades 1–6 or more than three kilometres in grades 7–9. Special school transport may be available for a student with a disability or another eligible need.
Your child’s school journey in Helsinki
Find out which grade your child will start in, what to expect from primary and lower secondary school, and what comes next after comprehensive school.
Choosing the right school depends on your child's age. Learn more about the everyday school life in different levels below. Grade according to the child's birth year, school year 2027–2028:
- grade 1, birth year 2020
- grade 2, birth year 2019
- grade 3, birth year 2018
- grade 4, birth year 2017
- grade 5, birth year 2016
- grade 6, birth year 2015
- grade 7, birth year 2014
- grade 8, birth year 2013
- grade 9, birth year 2012
The school day is quite short in first and second grade. For this reason, many children participate in morning or after-school activities at the school or a nearby playground. The city also provides more after-school activities in cooperation with local organisations and churches.
In grades three to six, the school days start to become longer, with a schedule that varies each day. The selection of school subjects grows wider, and the children begin to receive more homework. As a rule, schoolchildren are expected to do their homework independently. The role of parents and guardians is to support the child’s school-going and attend events organised by the school.
After sixth grade, children continue on to lower secondary school (yläkoulu or yläaste), or grades 7 through 9. In some neighbourhoods, primary and lower secondary schools are in the same building, while in others they are separate.
Before students finish their three years of lower secondary school, students in Finland must decide whether they wish to continue on to general upper secondary school (lukio) or vocational school (ammattikoulu or, more familiarly, amis). Lower secondary school study and career advisers help students to make the choice that suits them best.
If your child is 15, and you are unsure what their options after grade 9 in comprehensive school are, check the guide:
Guide for 15–18-year-old newcomers in Helsinki, PDF(Link leads to external service)