School search

Before you apply

In Sweden, there is compulsory schooling starting from the year that your child turns six. Compulsory schooling means that children registered as living in Sweden are required to attend a regular school or special needs school for at least ten years. This is called grundskola in Swedish and it starts with the preschool class (grade 0), followed by grades 1 through 9. Attending school in Sweden is free of charge.

Parents/guardians submit an application (with their school preferences) and then make sure that their child attends school.

The preschool class (grade 0) is compulsory, website of the Swedish National Agency for Education

Distance between home and school

Admission rules

Special needs school for grades 0-9

If you are newly arrived to Sweden, you can get some help with your child’s placement at school.

Placement in preschool for families who have newly arrived

Find school

There are many regular and special needs schools to choose from. This is why it is a good idea to take your time and find out which schools you are interested in.

There are both municipal and independent schools. Each municipality is responsible for their municipal schools. The independent schools are run by their owners. The owners of independent schools could be, for example, a foundation or company. All schools are open to everyone.

Find a compulsory school or special needs compulsory school

Apply and update or monitor your application

You submit your application for school during the period 15 January until 15 February.

It is important that you make three choices so that your child has the best chances of being offered a spot at one of the schools you are interested in. If you do not submit an application, the City of Stockholm will place your child at a school close to home.

Rules for decision on school placement

All municipal schools, and some of the independent schools, are affiliated with the City of Stockholm’s online Search School service. If you want to apply to one of those schools, you can do so either online or by filling out a form. For the independent schools that are not affiliated with online School Search service, you must contact them yourself.

With the online service, you can apply for up to three schools. The service is open during the period 15 January until 15 February.

Search school

Schools affiliated with the online Search School service

There are many user guides to help you with the online Search School service. They explain, for example, how to enter your email, how to login and how to respond to the admissions notice.

User Guides for the online Search School service

In order to apply using the online Search School service you must

• be registered as living at the same address as your child (to meet that criteria, your child must be registered at the same address as you no later than 15 February)
• you must have an e-Identification, such as BankID.

If your registered address is different from your child’s, you can still login and view the application that has been submitted by the other parent/guardian who has the same registered address as your child. The system is updated once per week with new address information.

You can make changes to the application whenever you want to during the period 15 January until 15 February. After that, you will not be able to login to School Search again until 25 March, when the admission notices are available.

You can also apply by filling out a form if

• you or your child do not have a Swedish personal identity number
• you or your child have protected personal data
• your child is older than 6, but will be applying for placement in the preschool class (grade 0)
• your child been granted temporary exemption from compulsory schooling (delayed school start)
• you have a registered address that is different from your child’s
• you do not have e-Identification

Application for municipal schools – outside the regular application period (pdf)

You may apply for admission to a school outside the ordinary application period of 15 January until 15 February if, for example, you have moved or want to have your child switch to a different school.

If you apply to one of the municipal schools, you must fill out the form below and send it directly to the school. The City of Stockholm’s admission rules apply.

If you want to apply to an independent school, you must contact them directly to find out how to apply.

Have you newly arrived to Stockholm and would like to have your child placed at a school? Contact Start Stockholm to book a meeting. They will help answer your questions and assist you with placement.

Placement in preschool for families who have newly arrived

Receive admissions notice

If you applied using the online Search School service, you can login starting on 25 March to see which school your child has been accepted to. If you applied by sending in a form, we will send the admissions notice to your child’s registered address on 25 March.

Search school

Independent schools that are not affiliated with the online School Search service have their own routines for issuing admissions notices. Contact the school to find out more.

If there are no available spots at the school you listed as your first choice in the application, the City of Stockholm will try to place your child at the school you listed as your second choice. Your application will then be considered along with the applications from parents/guardians who listed that school as their first choice.

If your child cannot be placed at any of the schools you listed as your preferences, you will then be offered a spot for your child at a school close to your home, in accordance with the City of Stockholm’s admission rules.

Rules for decision on school placement

Confirm the spot

It is important that you confirm the spot that has been reserved for your child. You do this by signing the admissions notice. The school needs to receive your answer no later than 7 April.

If you turn down the spot or do not confirm it on time, it may be offered to another student who is on the waiting list. If that happens, your child will be placed at a school close to your home, in accordance with the City of Stockholm’s admission rules. The same applies if the admissions notice has not been signed correctly.

Rules for decision on school placement

Here is how you confirm the spot offered to your child:

• If you applied using the online Search School service, you can login to confirm the admissions notice and sign it using a mobile BankID. Or, you may download the admissions notice, print it out, sign it, and then send it in.

Seach school

• If you applied using a form, the admissions notice will be sent home to you, which you must then sign and send to the school.
• If you applied to an independent school that is not affiliated with the online Search School service, you must contact the school directly to confirm the spot you have been offered.

If your child has two parents/guardians, it is necessary for BOTH to sign the admissions notice. If you are away, or for some reason unable to sign the form, you can issue a power of attorney to someone who can then sign on your behalf.

If you applied to several independent schools that are not affiliated with the City of Stockholm’s online Search School service, it could mean that your child is offered a spot at several of those schools. And, if you did both, i.e. applied for a school in the online Search School service and applied to independent schools not affiliated with that service, you may have been offered spots at both. Accepting a spot that has been offered is not a binding agreement.

If you change your mind after having confirmed a spot and would then like to switch to a different school, you will need to contact the school you would like to switch to and see if they have an available spot. The school principal is in charge of deciding whether or not it is possible to offer your child placement at the school. If the new school notifies you that they will be able to accept your child, you must then contact the school your child is currently attending. Notify them that your child will be switching to a different school.

If you have any questions about the school admissions and placement process, just call the Contact Centre at +46 (0)8-508 11 550 or send an email to kcskola@stockholm.se.

You child starts school

The school will let you know the date when the fall semester begins so that you and your child can prepare for the start of school. Schools in Stockholm may have different starting dates.

School semesters and holidays for compulsory school (grades 0-9)