Private schools

In Denmark, we have compulsory education and not compulsory schooling. That means that parents are free to choose whether they send their child to a public school or to one of the many types of private schools.

Private schools in Denmark may be roughly divided into the following categories:

• small independent schools in rural districts (friskoler)
• large independent schools in urban districts (privatskoler)
• religious or congregational schools
• progressive free schools
• schools with a particular educational aim, such as the Rudolf Steiner schools
• German minority schools
• immigrant schools.

Though the name may vary from school to school, private schools are all similar in their setup: 

• The schools are self-owned.
• The schoolchildren are from the age of 6 to 16.
• The schools operate within the framework described in the 'Act on free schools and private schools'.
• It is a characteristic of these schools that parents are actively involved in the school.
• Unlike public school, parents pay for their children to attend private schools.

In public schools and private schools, the children are expected to learn the same things regarding curriculum in subjects such as Danish, English, history and mathematics, but especially the methods of teaching and learning may vary. 

Approximately 15 per cent of Danish schoolchildren attend a private school instead of a public school.  

The size of school fees varies greatly from school to school and from urban to rural areas. A school in the countryside typically costs around DKK 1,250 a month per pupil, while school fees in the cities varies more and is typically between DKK 1,250 and DKK 2,500 per month (2024).

In most schools, a full or partial free admission is available and sibling discounts may be available. The exact rates and schemes are available from the individual private school.

You should apply to the private school(s) of interest to you. Each school has its own regulations for registration and acceptance, but in most cases it is a good idea to register your child well in advance.

If your child is offered a place at a private school, you can choose to contact the municipal district school which the child would otherwise have attended and explain that you do not need the place. In this way, the school can have a better overview of potential free places. 

Education in a private school must be on a par with what is provided in public schools (folkeskoler), and the schools aim to prepare the pupils to live in a society such as Denmark, with freedom and democracy.

The Danish Ministry of Education supervises the private schools. The part of supervision relating to the quality of education is the responsibility of the Education and Quality Board.

In order to get an overview of the whole area, the Board can choose to consider whether one or more schools need special attention, for instance because of low grades in the state primary school examinations.

Investigations can be initiated on the basis of approaches to the Board from parents or others. The Board does not deal with appeals. However, approaches to the Board on conditions in a private school may lead to an inspection if one or another parent give the Board information about a school which may create concern about the quality of the overall education of the school. In extreme cases, the Board can remove the subsidy from a private school and the right to be a private school.

In order to ensure the quality of education, the schools need to choose one or more external supervisors, or the school must carry out self-evaluation using an evaluation model approved by the Ministry. Self-evaluation ensures that the evaluation of a school can give the parents and Board of the school and the Education and Quality Board the opportunity to assess whether the school meets the requirements of the Free School Act. If the school chooses an external supervisor, regulations are laid down in the Free School Act on what supervision involves and newly-selected supervisors must be certified.

For many private schools, the school examinations are an important final objective in the education, but some schools do not offer examinations. It must be clearly stated on the school website if the school does not conduct primary school examinations and the school must inform parents of new pupils that the school does not conduct examinations.

If you wish to complain about a private school, you should contact the school Head or Board. Subsequently, if you are still worried about, for example, the general level of education or other conditions at the school, you should contact the Ministry of Children and Education.

• Ministry of Children and Education

• Ministry of Children and Education: Private schools in Denmark
• The Danish Free School Association
• Denmark's private schools (in Danish)
• The Danish little schools (in Danish)
• Association of Christian Free Schools FKF (in Danish)
• Association of Catholic schools in Denmark (in Danish)
• The German minority schools (in German)