Schooling for children and adult education

Here you will find information about schooling in Sweden.

School for asylum-seeking children

Children who are in Sweden through the Temporary Protection Directive have the right to attend preschool and primary school. They also have the right to attend secondary or secondary special school if the education starts before they have reached the age of 18.

Duty to attend school

In Sweden, school attendance is compulsory. This means that all children who are residents here must go to school from the age of six. Younger children can attend preschool, which is voluntary.

Asylum-seeking children also have the right to attend preschool and school, even if they do not have to. You can register your child for school by contacting the municipality where you live. You can also talk to your reception unit if you would like help contacting the municipality.

Schooling for children and adolescents

Open preschool

Open preschool is for children who are not enrolled in preschool, for example children under the age of one, and there is no cost to participate. The child goes to open preschool together with a parent or another adult. There the child can play with other children and parents can talk to each other and get advice and support from the staff. Some open preschools have language training for parents.

Preschool

Preschool is for children between one and six years old. There, children play, sing, move, paint, explore nature and practice collaborating. Children have the right to go to preschool while their parents work or study, or if there are special reasons.

From the age of three, all children have the right to go to preschool a few hours a day, even if the parents do not work or study.

Compulsory school

The first year of school is called preschool. It involves a lot of play and creative activities to prepare young children for their future schooling.

After that comes nine years of compulsory school, which is divided into primary school, middle school and junior high school. Students in compulsory school study Swedish or Swedish as a second language, mathematics, English, practical-aesthetic subjects, technology, social science subjects, science subjects, native languages and modern languages.

As of grade six, students receive grades at the end of each semester.

Leisure centres

Children aged 6-13 years can attend a leisure centre before and after school and during school vacations if their parents work or study or if there are special reasons. This is so that the child can have meaningful leisure time when they are not at school and the parents are not at home.

Upper secondary school

Upper secondary school is a voluntary education where students have the opportunity to choose a specialisation to prepare for professional life or continued studies at a university or college. To be able to study at a high school, you must have completed your studies in compulsory school and have received passing grades in a certain number of subjects.

If you are an asylum seeker, you have the right to complete an upper secondary education if you started your upper secondary studies before you turn 18. This also applies if you move to another municipality.

Cost of attending school

Open preschool, preschool class, compulsory school and secondary school cost nothing. In preschool, the child is entitled to three hours per day from the autumn semester of the year the child turns three years old. For the rest of the time, parents pay a fee that is based on their income. The fee for a leisure centre is also based on the parents’ income.

Adult education

As an adult asylum seeker, you can take part in various activities called early interventions (TIAs) where you can learn Swedish, among other things.