How do you enrol in a public school in Norway in 2026?

Contact the kommune school office once you have a workable address: Register your address and How to rent a home. Give the child’s name, age, address, previous school years, and languages. Missing certificates should not stop the first contact. Children who are likely to stay more than three months have a right to a place; after three months of living in Norway they have an obligation to attend public grunnskole or an approved alternative.

Municipalities should place newcomers as soon as possible and within one month of arrival. Children are normally placed by age, with limited exceptions after individual assessment. Local school districts matter; siblings often stay together when capacity allows. Oslo and Bergen have denser intake desks: Living in Oslo and Living in Bergen.

Barnehage for younger children is voluntary and paid under national makspris rules: Childcare costs. SFO or AKS before- and after-school care is also a separate fee track. Newly arrived pupils can receive specially adapted language support (særskilt språkopplæring) while they learn Norwegian; English fluency among teachers varies by school: Norwegian language requirements and English in Norway.

International schools are a paid alternative when you need an English or IB track: International school costs. Upper secondary (videregående) has its own county application calendars, often around 1 March for ordinary rounds.