The Swedish school system

School types

Children and young people in Sweden pass through several stages of education. Preschool class (förskoleklass) and compulsory school (grundskola) are mandatory. Preschool and upper secondary school are voluntary, but the vast majority participate.

Preschool (förskola)

Educational childcare for children aged 1–5. Municipalities are required to offer a place. The fee is income-based (with a national cap, maxtaxa).

Preschool class (förskoleklass)

A preparatory year before compulsory school. Compulsory since 2018. Children start the year they turn six.

Compulsory school (grundskola)

Nine-year compulsory education. All children have the right and obligation to attend. Teaching follows a national curriculum.

Upper secondary (gymnasieskola)

Three-year voluntary education with 18 national programmes — 6 higher-education preparatory and 12 vocational. About 98% of students continue to upper secondary.

University and higher education

Voluntary post-secondary education. Sweden has over 30 universities and university colleges. Tuition is free for Swedish and EU/EEA citizens.

Adapted school forms

Alongside compulsory and upper secondary school, there are school forms adapted for pupils with special needs.

Adapted compulsory school

Formerly called grundsärskola. Nine-year education for pupils with intellectual disabilities. Follows its own curriculum. Read more

Adapted upper secondary

Formerly called gymnasiesärskola. Four-year programme building on the adapted compulsory school. Read more

Special school (specialskola)

Ten-year school for pupils who are deaf, hard of hearing, visually impaired or have severe language disorders. Run by SPSM (the National Agency for Special Needs Education). Read more

Sami school (sameskola)

School form for Sami children in years 1–6. Teaching is partly in Sami and highlights Sami culture. Read more

Adult education

Adults who need to supplement their education have several options. The municipality is responsible for most adult education.

Komvux

Municipal adult education. Adults can study compulsory school and upper secondary courses, for example to qualify for university. Glossary

SFI — Swedish for immigrants

Free Swedish language instruction for people who have recently immigrated to Sweden. Now part of Komvux. Glossary

Yrkesvux

Vocational courses within Komvux with state co-funding. Provides qualifications in shortage occupations such as assistant nurse, welder and chef. Glossary

Folk high school (folkhögskola)

Independent schools with their own course plans. Offer a general course (equivalent to upper secondary) and specialised courses. There are about 150 folk high schools in Sweden.

Who is responsible for what?

Responsibility for schools in Sweden is divided between municipalities and national agencies.

The municipality

Organiser (huvudman) of municipal schools. Responsible for ensuring all children receive their education (compulsory schooling). Distributes the school voucher (skolpeng) to each school.

Skolverket

National agency that sets goals and curricula, collects statistics and provides support to schools. Glossary

Skolinspektionen

Inspects that schools comply with laws and regulations. Carries out supervision and can issue injunctions and fines. Glossary

SPSM

The National Agency for Special Needs Education. Runs the special schools and provides advisory services on special educational support to other schools. Glossary

Independent schools

Schools with an organiser other than the municipality, for example a limited company, foundation or association. They follow the same curriculum and regulations as municipal schools but have their own organisation.

How is school funded?

Swedish schools are free of charge for pupils. Funding comes primarily from municipal tax.

School voucher (skolpeng)

Each pupil “brings” a sum of money to the school they choose. The amount is set by the municipality and varies by school type and year.

Municipal budget

The largest share of school funding comes from municipal income tax. Education is often a municipality’s single largest expense.

State grants

The state distributes earmarked grants to municipalities and schools. Example: the equity grant (likvärdighetsbidraget) aimed at strengthening schools with tougher conditions.

Independent schools

Receive the same voucher as municipal schools. The grant amount should correspond to the municipality’s average cost per pupil.

Independent vs municipal schools

In Sweden there are both municipal and independent (fristående) schools. The differences are smaller than many think.

Same regulations

Independent and municipal schools follow the same Education Act, curriculum and grading criteria.

Same funding

Both receive a voucher from the municipality. The amount should be equal regardless of school type.

Different organisers

A municipal school is run by the municipality. An independent school can be run by a limited company, foundation, co-operative or individual.

Differences in practice

Independent schools may have a pedagogical profile (e.g. Montessori or Waldorf) or a subject focus. School choice is exercised through the free school choice system (det fria skolvalet).

Read our analysis: Independent vs municipal schools in numbers →

Sweden in international comparison (PISA)

PISA is an international survey measuring the knowledge of 15-year-olds in reading, mathematics and science. It is conducted every three years by the OECD.

Results 2022

Sweden performed above the OECD average in reading and science, and roughly at the average in mathematics.

Trend

Sweden saw a decline in PISA results between 2000 and 2012. Since 2015, a recovery has been visible in all three subjects.

What does PISA measure?

PISA does not measure how well pupils follow the curriculum, but how well they can apply knowledge in everyday situations. The sample is 15-year-olds — in Sweden usually pupils in year 9.

Read more about PISA in the glossary →

Key terms

Here are some central concepts that frequently come up when discussing Swedish schools. All terms are explained in our glossary.

Merit score (meritvärde)

The sum of a pupil’s 16 best grades in year 9. Maximum score is 340. Used for admission to upper secondary.

Teacher certification (lärarbehörighet)

The proportion of teachers who hold a teaching degree and licence in the subjects they teach.

Organiser (huvudman)

The organisation that runs a school — either the municipality or an independent operator.

School types (skolformer)

The different types of schools in Sweden: compulsory school, upper secondary, special school, and more.

Cost per pupil

How much a municipality spends per pupil per year. Varies considerably between municipalities.

Grading scale A–F

Six grade levels where A is the highest and F means the pupil has not met the knowledge requirements. Applied from year 6.

See the full glossary →