Schools in Iceland

Pre-school

In Iceland, a lot of parents send their children to pre-school from the age of 3. If you want, you can send your child to pre-school just for one year, from the age of 5, to prepare them for school, which begins at the age of 6. Pre-school is not compulsory, and parents have to pay a fee. Compulsory education begins at the age of 6 and ends at 16 years of age. Primary and secondary education, known as Grunnskoli, generally take place in the same school.

The School Year

The school year lasts for 9 months, beginning in late August or in early September, and lasting until the end of May or the beginning of June. The minimum number of school days per year is 170-180. School is held 5 days a week, and pupils have between 30 and 37 lessons a week.

The classes

There’s no limit to the number of pupils in each class. Pupils are grouped into classes by age. There is no streaming by ability, and children automatically move up from one grade to the next according to their age.

School Subjects

The main subjects include Icelandic and maths. Other subjects are: arts and crafts, modern languages, social and religious studies, PE, natural sciences, ICT (information and communication technologies), home economics and life skills. Teachers choose their own teaching methods.

Exams

At the end of the tenth and final year of compulsory education, pupils can choose to sit national exams. You can take the exams in Icelandic, maths, English, Danish, Norwegian and Swedish, natural sciences (physics, chemistry, biology) and social sciences (for example, history). However, there are also national exams in Icelandic and maths which the students have to take in grades 4 and 7.