Education in Sweden is compulsory and free for all children attending public schools between the ages of 6 and 15. The language of instruction in public schools is Swedish, with support programmes available for non-Swedish speakers.
Nevertheless, many expat parents prefer to send their children to a private or international school in Sweden, of which there are plenty of schools in Sweden to choose from.
Public schools in Sweden are open to everyone, including expats. These schools follow the Swedish national curriculum.
Non-Swedish speakers receive assistance in the form of ‘preparatory classes’. These are designed to help new arrivals settle in and improve their Swedish. Preparatory classes run alongside regular lessons, with the goal of helping students become proficient enough in Swedish to be fully integrated into regular school classes. This usually takes around six to 12 months. In addition, some public schools offer expat students special classes to help them maintain mother-tongue proficiency.
Swedish schools are administered by their local municipality. These institutions are taxpayer funded and free of charge.
All nine years of compulsory education are undertaken at a comprehensive school (grundskola). Following this, students wishing to continue their education move on to upper secondary school (gymnasieskola), which is more specialised. At this level, students choose their path from a range of national programmes. Some are vocational, while others prepare students for entry to higher education. There are also a handful of introductory programmes available to assist students who don’t yet qualify for a national programme. This includes a Swedish-language programme for newcomers to the country who aren’t proficient in Swedish.
Swedish schools generally offer a high standard of education. As such, most local children in Sweden go to public schools. However, many expats choose to forgo public school in favour of international schools.
There are also a number of private or independent schools in Sweden, known as friskolor. Swedish private schools are run by individuals, associations or foundations. Most of these schools teach the Swedish national curriculum and are funded publicly via government grants. However, unlike public schools, independent schools are allowed to accept private donations. In doing so, they typically have a larger budget to work with than public schools.
International schools in Sweden offer the curriculum of a foreign country such as that of the UK, the US, France or Germany, or other globally recognised qualifications such as the International Baccalaureate.
Children of all nationalities, including Swedish children, are welcome at international schools. These schools may have long waiting lists, however, so it’s best to plan ahead and apply as early as possible. International school fees can be high, so expat parents moving to Sweden for work should try to negotiate for this expense to be included in their relocation package.
