Independent school (Fristående skola / friskola)

A school with an independent provider — a limited company, foundation, or association. Funded by the school voucher from the municipality.

An independent school (fristående skola, commonly called friskola) is operated by an independent school provider — a limited company, a foundation, a cooperative, or a non-profit association. Independent schools are funded via the school voucher (skolpeng) from the pupil's home municipality.

Approval

Starting an independent school requires approval from Skolinspektionen. The application is assessed based on financial, pedagogical, and organisational prerequisites. Independent schools must follow the same laws and curricula as municipal schools.

Statistics

Approximately 17% of compulsory school students and 28% of upper-secondary students attend independent schools. The proportion varies greatly between municipalities — in some metropolitan municipalities it exceeds 40%.

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Independent vs municipal schools

Related terms

School provider (Huvudman) The organisation that runs the school — a municipality, foundation or limited company. Corporate group (Koncern) A group of companies with a common parent company that runs independent schools. Free school choice (Fritt skolval) The right to choose a school regardless of where you live. Introduced in 1992 and a cornerstone of the Swedish school system. School voucher (Skolpeng) The amount the municipality pays per pupil to the school the pupil attends. The funding follows the pupil, regardless of whether the school is municipal or independent.

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