List of 4 Best Schools in Copenhagen (2026 Fees)

Copenhagen is Denmark’s most populous city and boasts of a variety of private, public, and international schools. Moreover, since the country’s population is 13.3% made up of foreigners, international schools are also highly popular. Like most European nations, education is compulsory for children from the age of six to 18 years. There are five main levels of schooling, which include:

Pre-school
Primary and lower secondary education
Upper secondary education
Vocational Education and Training
Higher education

Preschool is not compulsory, but more than 90% of children attend some form of preschool care. Moreover, parents get to choose between public and private childcare services. Generally, public childcare is funded by the government. However, parents need to get a central person register (CPR) number once their child turns four, and then the local authorities will find the right placement for the child.

Compulsory primary education begins after completing pre-school. Before your child turns six years, you will get a letter from a district school requesting you to enroll your child. If you are an expat, you will have to obtain a registered Copenhagen address and your stay must exceed six months. However, your child can immediately start school without a CPR number once you get a registered address. If you do not want your children to attend district schools in Copenhagen, then you may take them to a municipal school.

Primary school lasts for ten years and the 10th grade is optional. Classes start from grade zero or kindergarten and go up to the 9th grade. The curriculum at this stage focuses on core subjects such as Dutch, mathematics, physical education, and Christian studies. Other topics may include art, music, textile design, woodwork, English, and many more. There is no distinction between primary and lower secondary schools in Denmark. As a result, once students complete the ninth grade or take up the 10th grade, they sit for the school-leaving examination and progress to upper secondary.

There are four primary levels of upper secondary education programs in Copenhagen, which include:

The two year higher preparatory examination program (HF) for students who have completed 10th grade
Student exam (STX), higher technical examination program (HTX), higher trade examination(HHX) are all three-year programs for students who have completed 9th grade and have sat for the leaving examinations.

Each of these programs has a variety of subjects; for instance, STX and HF programs consist of subjects in the field of natural science, social science, and humanities, while the HHX program focuses on subjects in the field of business and socio-economics. HTX programs focus on science and technology. Overall, all these programs prepare learners for further study.

Facts about schools in Copenhagen

Five out of six children in the city attend public schools in Copenhagen, which are managed by the municipalities and are free of charge.
Private schools receive a substantial amount of government funding, but religious bodies manage many of them. However, some are not religious, for instance, progressive free schools, immigrant schools, and German minority institutions. Private schools are also cheaper than international schools.
Presently, Copenhagen has one international public school and English, German, and French private international schools. The European School Copenhagen is the only public international school, where education is free and the curriculum used is set by the European schools. Moreover, there are several private international schools where the language of instruction can be German, Danish, French, and English. Copenhagen does not provide any financial support for students attending private international schools.
The primary language of instruction is Danish. Each semester consists of at least five major school holidays, which include Easter, Autumn, Summer, Christmas, and Winter holiday.

Edarabia showcases all private schools in Copenhagen through which parents can filter by tuition fees, curriculum, rankings & ratings. There are many public, private and charter schools near you that cater to both expat and local students.

Depending on the level of education; kindergartens (pre-schools), primary, secondary and high schools will all have varying tuition fees. Most K-12 schools offer different curriculums and extra-curricular activities to support the intellectual and physical wellbeing of students. Admissions for the top international schools in Copenhagen tend to have waiting lists so it is recommended that parents apply well in advance to secure a spot for their children. Additionally, each school has ratings based on parent reviews and are ranked below accordingly.

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