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What is a local school?
Helsinki is divided into school admission areas based on which a pupil is assigned a local school. A local school is usually within walking distance, but it is not always necessarily the school closest to you. You can also apply for a school place in a different admission area, but we cannot guarantee there will be enough places available for applicants from other areas.
Our school network is designed so that almost all pupils can complete all of their comprehensive school studies at the local school of their residential area. If your child goes to a comprehensive school providing grades 1–9, there is no need to start the seventh grade at a different school.
- Go to the front page of the Helsinki Service Map
Go to Service Map (opens in a new tab)(Link leads to external service) - Enter the child's home address in the search field.
- Browse down the list of search results until you can see a list of schools.
- Select the best option from the search results. The local schools are listed according to the current school year, the following school year and the school level. The results are also divided into Finnish and Swedish-speaking schools. Due to this, the results may include up to eight schools:
- Finnish-speaking primary school (grades 1–6) for the current school year
- Swedish-speaking primary school (grades 1–6) for the current school year
- Finnish-speaking lower secondary school (grades 7–9) for the current school year
- Swedish-speaking lower secondary school (grades 7–9) for the current school year
- Finnish-speaking primary school (grades 1–6) for the following school year
- Swedish-speaking primary school (grades 1–6) for the following school year
- Finnish-speaking lower secondary school (grades 7–9) for the following school year
- Swedish-speaking lower secondary school (grades 7 –9) for the following school year
- Click the school’s name to see the school’s contact information and website for more information on the school.
You can also contact the Education Division’s advisory services to find out your child’s local school.
Enrolling to local school
Enrolling to Grade 1
You can enrol your child in their local school either online via the Asti online service or by visiting the school. Learn more:
Enrolling to Grade 7
You can enrol your child in the local school on Wilma. Learn more:
Pupils starting a grade other than Grade 1 or 7
If your family is moving to Helsinki or you for some other reason wish to enrol your child in grades 2–9 of the local school, or in grades 1–9 in the middle of the school year, find your local school on the Service Map based on your address as instructed above. Contact the school principal and ask for a school place for your child.
School admission
The local school primarily admits pupils living in the area, but if places are available, the school may also admit other pupils in an order determined in the grounds for admission.
Admission criteria
See the admission criteria for Finnish- and Swedish-language schools:
Finnish-language shools
From 1.1.2024
- Admission criteria in Finnish-language basic education as of 1 January 2024(Link leads to external service) (PDF in Finnish). Decision by the Finnish-language division of the Education Committee 19 September 2023.
Until 31.12.2023
- Admission criteria in Finnish-language basic education as of 1 January 2022(Link leads to external service) (PDF in Finnish) Decision by the Finnish-language division of the Education Committee 26 October 2021.
Swedish-language schools
The admission criteria are also available at the schools and from the Education Division’s advisory services.
Finnish-language primary school admission areas, grades 1–6
The numbers represent the number of schools in the area shown on the map. Click on a number to find out the exact location and name of the school. The same school can appear twice on the map, as we show the information for the current school year and the next school year.
Swedish-language primary school admission areas, grades 1–6
The numbers represent the number of schools in the area shown on the map. Click on a number to find out the exact location and name of the school. The same school can appear twice on the map, as we show the information for the current school year and the next school year.
Finnish-language lower secondary school admission areas, grades 7–9
The numbers represent the number of schools in the area shown on the map. Click on a number to find out the exact location and name of the school. The same school can appear twice on the map, as we show the information for the current school year and the next school year.
Swedish-language lower secondary school admission areas, grades 7–9
The numbers represent the number of schools in the area shown on the map. Click on a number to find out the exact location and name of the school. The same school can appear twice on the map, as we show the information for the current school year and the next school year.