How do you enrol a child in public school in Finland in 2026?

Compulsory basic education normally starts the calendar year a child turns seven and runs nine years through peruskoulu. The municipality of residence must organise that education. At the start of the year the child turns seven, guardians usually receive a compulsory-education notice by post or in Wilma naming the local school tied to the home address. Enrol during the city’s window, often in January, through Wilma or the education office form. Mid-year arrivals to Helsinki, Tampere, Turku, or Oulu still contact the local school principal or education services rather than waiting for the next autumn cycle: Living in Helsinki and Best places for families.

You may apply to a school other than the assigned lähikoulu, but a place is not guaranteed. Helsinki’s weighted-curriculum and English-language options need separate applications and aptitude or language tests. Pre-primary education (esiopetus) the year a child turns six is a related municipal track; ask early childhood and education desks together with Childcare costs.

Municipal classrooms teach in Finnish or Swedish. Newly arrived children can get preparatory education and Finnish or Swedish as a second language support under local rules; that is school-based instruction, not a private tutor voucher. Everyday English helps in English in Finland social life, but it does not replace the Finnish-medium path described in Children in school without Finnish.

Fee-paying international schools are a separate market concentrated around the capital region. They are not the default peruskoulu place. Compare tuition in International school costs before you budget. Many families in Expat families community circles mix municipal schools with after-school clubs instead of paying full international fees. Lawful stay still sits upstream: Apply for a residence permit and Paperwork after moving.