Schools in Sweden for American families

Families moving from the United States find that Swedish schooling is free of charge from preschool class through upper secondary school, that most children start compulsory school in the year they turn seven, and that municipalities run the system alongside independent schools. This guide follows a child from preschool to upper secondary, based on Utbildningsguiden, the guide to education published by the Swedish National Agency for Education (Skolverket), plus the steps with Skatteverket and Försäkringskassan that come first.

Before school: registration

Schools and municipalities work from the Swedish Population Register. Skatteverket says that in most cases you should be listed there if you move to Sweden and plan to live here for one year or more. Children under 18 who move with you each need a separate notification. Registration gives each family member a personal identity number, which schools, healthcare and benefits rely on.

If you move to Sweden with children under 16, Försäkringskassan contacts you after you are registered to investigate whether you and your children should be insured in Sweden. If you are, you may be entitled to benefits such as child allowance or housing allowance.

Preschool (ages one to six)

### What it offers

Preschool is for children aged one to six. It is meant to be fun, safe and educational and to let guardians combine family life with work or study. Teaching is led by preschool teachers, with other staff such as child minders. Play is central, and children explore language, mathematics, science, technology and digital literacy.

### Language support

Children develop their Swedish in preschool, and children with other mother tongues have the chance to develop those languages too. Utbildningsguiden notes that developing their own mother tongue gives children a better chance of learning Swedish.

### Who must be offered a place

Preschool is voluntary. Municipalities must offer it from age one when guardians work or study, and also:

• when guardians are unemployed or on parental leave with another child, for at least three hours a day or 15 hours a week;
• to all children from the autumn of the year they turn three, for three hours a day;
• to children who need special support.

### Families who are new to Sweden

If your child has no place in the autumn of the year they turn three, the municipality must offer one when your child was born abroad and has lived in Sweden five years or less, or when you were born abroad and have lived here no more than five years. The place is reserved for one month and you may decline it. If your child does not start, you are offered a place each autumn until age five.

### What it costs

Fees are set by the municipality or provider and depend on the guardians' income, up to an upper limit called the maximum rate.

Compulsory school (ages 7 to 16)

### Structure

Compulsory school is mandatory and free for children aged 7 to 16. Most children start in the year they turn seven. It lasts nine years, each divided into an autumn and a spring semester. Equivalent types include Sami school and compulsory school for pupils with intellectual disabilities. Utbildningsguiden also covers the preschool class that comes before Year 1.

### Choosing a school

Your municipality must tell you which schools are available, and you can notify it of your preferred choice. Besides municipal schools there are independent schools, which may have their own admission rules. Independent schools can have a religious orientation, unlike public schools; there are also Waldorf schools. Municipal schools can have orientations such as culture or sport. Utbildningsguiden lets you compare schools.

### The school day

Children attend Monday to Friday and often have several teachers. Every school follows the Education Act and a curriculum, with a syllabus for each subject. Most work is done at school, though many schools set homework. Every child gets a free lunch each day; talk to the school about special diets. Outside school hours and in holidays, children can attend school-age educare.

### Grades and meetings

• Years 1 to 5: an assessment in each subject.
• From Year 6: grades once a semester.
• End of Year 9: final grades and a school leaving certificate, used to apply to upper secondary.

The scale runs A to F, with A to E as passes and F as a fail. From Year 1 there is a parent-teacher conference at least once each semester, with you, your child and the teacher.

### Support and well-being

Children at risk of not meeting the criteria are entitled to adaptations and special support, and fast learners must be challenged. Every school has a pupil health team with a school nurse, doctor, psychologist, counsellor and special education staff, and your child should be offered at least three health check-ups between preschool class and Year 9. Bullying is not allowed; schools must have a plan against it. If school staff cannot stop it, contact the municipality or the independent school's owner.

### Mother tongue tuition

A child whose mother tongue is not Swedish may be entitled to mother tongue tuition and study guidance in their mother tongue or strongest school language.

### Work experience

All pupils do prao, a work experience programme, in Year 8 and/or Year 9.

Upper secondary school (ages 16 to 20)

### Programmes

Upper secondary is voluntary and free. Students can start no later than the spring semester of the year they turn 20. There are 18 national programmes, all three years long:

• 6 higher education preparatory programmes, leading to a diploma for university study;
• 12 vocational programmes, each with at least 15 weeks of workplace-based learning (APL), leading to a vocational degree.

Vocational programmes can also be taken as an apprenticeship, with at least half the time at a workplace.

### If a student does not qualify

There are four introductory programmes to prepare students for a national programme or for work. Another option is up to two more years in compulsory school.

### Grades and schools

Students receive a grade after each completed level of a subject, on the same A to F scale, plus a grade on the diploma project. Upper secondary schools are run by municipalities, independent organisers or county councils. Independent schools are open to everyone and must teach to the same standard.

Children born in Sweden to US citizens

If your child is born in Sweden, the US Embassy in Stockholm handles the Consular Report of Birth Abroad. It is now applied for online through eCRBA, followed by an interview in Stockholm, where you can also apply for the child's passport.

Common questions

Is school free in Sweden? Yes. Compulsory school and upper secondary school are free of charge, and pupils get a free lunch every day.

At what age do children start school in Sweden? Most children start compulsory school in the year they turn seven. Compulsory school lasts nine years.

Does preschool cost money? Yes. The municipality or provider sets the fee based on the guardians' income, up to a maximum rate.

Can my child keep learning English at school? Children whose mother tongue is not Swedish may be entitled to mother tongue tuition and study guidance in their mother tongue.