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EDUCATION

Why Copenhagen is (still) the cheapest city in Europe for international schools

For the second year running, Copenhagen has been ranked as the cheapest city in Europe and second-cheapest in the world for international schools.

Why Copenhagen is (still) the cheapest city in Europe for international schools
An illustration photo of a Danish public school. Photo: Keld Navntoft/Ritzau Scanpix

The Danish capital has again been ranked the cheapest of all European cities in the International Schools Database, a comparison of international schools in cities across four continents.

Copenhagen was placed 72nd out of 73 cities for the cost of international schooling (the more expensive the city, the higher on the list), with only Cape Town in South Africa being cheaper. In Europe, Copenhagen was 29th out of 29.

In the price analysis, international school costs were compared for 29 cities in European countries and 73 cities globally.

The Danish capital is not generally considered to be cheaper than its European peers, which makes its low cost for international private schools remarkable.

In the Nordic country, both public and private schools, including international schools are all subsidised by the state. This is likely to be a key factor in international schools being relatively affordable in Copenhagen.

“We believe that Denmark has (comparatively) cheap international education available because in Denmark government-approved private schools (including international schools) often receive the same amount of government funding as public ones.

“This may explain why education is so affordable – comparatively speaking – in Copenhagen, as international schools in the rest of the world tend not to be subsidized (or are only partially subsidized) and the full cost of them is normally paid by parents,” Andrea Robledillo, co-founder of International Schools Database, previously told The Local.

That factor remains unchanged in 2020, Robledillo said on Tuesday via email.

“There has actually not been any significant changes regarding Copenhagen's ranking, either in Europe or the world. Even though we have been able to include many new countries and cities this past year, Copenhagen remains the cheapest city in Europe for international education, and the second cheapest in the world,” she said.

The 2020 edition of ranking includes 29 cities, compared to 21 cities in 2019. The new cities are London, Bratislava, Athens, Mallorca, The Hague, Algarve, Costa Blanca, and Valencia. Worldwide, 73 cities were included, versus 56 cities in 2019.

“Which, when you think about it, may be interesting in itself; Copenhagen remains the cheapest even when we count more cities from countries that one would think would be cheaper than Denmark,” Robledillo said.

Switzerland remains the most expensive European country for international schooling. The Swiss cities of Zurich, Lausanne and Geneva take the top three spots on the European overview.

Some schools and prices may not be included for individual cities, either because they do not make their price data available or because it was unknown to researchers. You can see the analysis in full here.

READ ALSO: How Denmark got its children back to school so soon after lockdown

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EDUCATION

‘The cheapest in Europe’: A guide to international schools in Denmark

International schools in Denmark are renowned for being some of the cheapest in Europe. Here's a guide to the options available.

'The cheapest in Europe': A guide to international schools in Denmark

In Denmark both public and private schools, including international schools are all subsidised by the state.

The average price in 2022 for an international school in Copenhagen was 4,138 euros a year (30,874 kroner), according to the International Schools Database, with one exception costing 17,468 euros per year. Their study also ranked Copenhagen as the cheapest city in Europe for international schools for the third time in 2023.

Free international schools

There are two free international schools in Denmark which are run by the local municipality. 

Lolland International School in Maribo is bilingual with Danish and English. The European School in Copenhagen is trilingual with Danish, English and French. Kalundborg Kommune plans to open an international school in the near future. There are no fees in these schools.

Curriculum

The first thing to decide is what curriculum you want your child to follow. The options are: International Baccalaureate, European Baccalaureate, International Primary Curriculum (Viking International), British, French (Lycée Français Prins Henrik) or German (Sankt Petri Schule) curriculum.

With International Baccalaureate, Danish can be taught as a second or first language but no other subjects are taught in Danish. 

Bilingual schools, such as Institut Sankt Joseph in Copenhagen are friskoler, so the school decides which subjects to teach in Danish and which in English/another language. Institut Sankt Joseph for example follows the British Cambridge International curriculum, as well as the “dansk fællesmål”;  and offers both IGCSE examinations and the Danish school leavers’ test in the final year. But some bilingual friskoler can be test-free.

If you want an international school that’s predominantly Danish, you can choose the Danish department of a bilingual or international school. International and Danish departments often mix together at the after school club (SFO). At Øresund Internationale Skole, the teaching language is Danish and offers two hours of mother tongue lessons per week if there are enough students with the same mother tongue.

International school age

Many international programmes run for 11 years, (roughly aged 5-16). The final year of international school is the equivalent of the Danish 9th or 10th grade. This is when pupils have tests to determine their next stage of education at gymnasium/high school. In some bilingual schools, these exams are offered in Danish too.

After this, students can go on to choose a gymnasium/high school for three years. If they have taken the Danish school leavers’ test, they can go on to a Danish gymnasium. 

Most international high schools in Denmark offer the IB Diploma Programme but there are also two Danish/German schools, one Danish/French school and one European Baccauleate. Some of these are fee-paying and others are free.

READ MORE: EXPLAINED: How does the school system work in Denmark?

Efterskole

Some pupils in Denmark choose to spend a year at a boarding school called efterskole, before starting high school, which is often specialised in certain subjects. There is an international efterskole in Vedersø and bilingual programmes at Odsherreds, Ranum or Skals.

Signing up

The earlier you sign your child up the better, as some schools have waiting lists of 2 – 4 years. There is usually a fee to join the waiting list. If a place becomes available, you are often invited for an interview, to see if the school is the right fit for your family. It is worth signing up to more than one school to keep your options open. You then pay a deposit when you accept your school place.

Examples of international schools in Denmark

There are 26 International Schools in Denmark according to the Danish Ministry of Children and Education. The international schools database lists them all, along with information about fees, class sizes, school bus availability.

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