Compulsory education in Denmark starts at six, and the state school is free. For parents arriving from abroad, the difficulty is rarely the teaching and nearly always the logistics: who registers the child, which language the school speaks, and what happens at three o'clock.
This guide to schools in Denmark and the childcare that comes before them draws on our fact sheets, built from official municipal and national pages as of October 2026.
How do schools in Denmark work?
What is compulsory in Denmark is education, not school as such. From age six, a child must be educated until the end of compulsory schooling, generally around age sixteen: preschool class (børnehaveklasse), then years 1 to 9. The state school (folkeskole), run by your municipality, is free. About 15 per cent of pupils attend a private school, either a friskole or a privatskole, which charge fees.
The rhythm of the year: 202 school days, a week of 27.8 hours in preschool to year 3, 33 hours in years 4 to 6 and 35 hours in years 7 to 9. Winter break falls in week 7 or 8 (February), autumn break in week 42 (October), and summer holiday runs from the last Saturday of June to early August. English starts in year 1 and a second foreign language in year 5; the school must offer German or French from year 7.
State schools generally have no canteen. Most children bring a cold packed lunch (madpakke), though some municipalities offer a meal service; ask yours.
How do you register your child?
- Register in the population register. Your address decides your school district and therefore the school you are offered. See CPR number in Denmark.
- Contact your municipality. Rules for children who arrive during the school year or who do not speak Danish vary by municipality. Registration is possible at any time of the year.
- For preschool class: the child starts in August of the year they turn six. The municipality notifies you through Digital Post, and you register the child online in the registration window. A deferral by one year, or an early start from the year they turn five, is agreed with the school and municipality.
- Choose your school. You may ask for a different state school from your district, even in another municipality, if it has room.
- For a private or French school, contact the school directly and early, as there are waiting lists.
- Register for after-school care (SFO or fritidsordning, for roughly ages 6 to 10) at the same time as the school, online.
Keep your Digital Post working: school letters and municipal decisions arrive there, and not reading them is no defence. Before you begin, collect the child's CPR number, proof of address and previous school reports or certificates, translated if necessary.
Moving mid-year, with a child who speaks no Danish? Moovy can explain the options your municipality is likely to offer, list the documents to prepare and draft a message to the school or the municipality in Danish with an English translation, including a request for a reception class (modtagelsesklasse) or Danish language support. You check it and send it yourself.
What about a child who does not speak Danish?
Among the schools in Denmark, many municipalities run reception classes (modtagelsesklasser) so that a child learns Danish before or alongside ordinary lessons. Not all municipalities have them, and some place the child directly in a regular class with extra Danish support. It is worth asking, in writing, what your municipality offers and who decides. Reception classes are free.
What are the private and international schools in Denmark?
Private schools set their own fees and admission rules, which vary widely. Larger cities have international schools with English or IB programmes; ask your municipality for the list and check fees and waiting lists directly. The German minority has its own private schools, and French families can use the Lycée français Prins-Henrik in Frederiksberg, near Copenhagen: about 795 pupils and 15 levels approved by the French Ministry of Education, from the first nursery year to the final year. Tuition fees are set by the school. French scholarships for French pupils are handled by the French consulate.
Whatever you choose, register early. Waiting lists in private schools and the French school are normal.
What happens after year 9?
After the ninth year, young people can enter the Danish upper secondary schools (gymnasium: STX, HTX, HHX and HF). With foreign schooling, the level needed corresponds to the end of the Danish ninth or tenth year, and it is the school you apply to that decides, so contact it directly. A foreign qualification can be assessed by the Danish Agency for Higher Education and Science (ufsn.dk): the written assessment is free, translation is not included, and it normally takes up to two months from a complete file. The assessment does not grade your marks or compare subject levels; for an admission, the institution decides.
If you plan to stay a long time, think about language early. English is enough in many workplaces, but the school, the municipality and the neighbours work in Danish. Language centres offer courses to adult newcomers across the country, some free and some paid, and your municipality can tell you which apply to you. For the wider picture, read living in Denmark.
How does childcare work before school?
Every child whose parents are legally resident has a right to a place in a day-care setting from 26 weeks old until school entry: a dagpleje (childminder, 0 to 3), a vuggestue (nursery, 0 to 3) or a børnehave (kindergarten, 3 to 6). Register on your municipality's waiting list online, giving the date from which you need a place, as soon as you know your date of arrival and your address. The municipality must offer a suitable place from 26 weeks, and if you ask just before or after, it has four more weeks.
Parents pay at most 25 per cent of the operating cost, and the municipality pays the rest. The tariff depends on the municipality. In Copenhagen from 1 May 2026, a nursery or kindergarten place costs DKK 4,289 a month with lunch (DKK 3,555 without) up to age three and one month, then DKK 2,816 with lunch (DKK 1,988 without). The income-based reduction in the 2026 scale is full below a household income of DKK 218,101 a year, partial up to DKK 677,499, and none from DKK 677,500, with higher thresholds for each extra child and for single parents. A sibling pays half price for the cheaper place. Report any income that is not taxed in Denmark, such as a foreign pension, to your municipality yourself.
Private nurseries are contacted directly; the municipality does not allocate those places but may grant a subsidy if it has approved them. Most settings operate in Danish, which helps a child learn the language. A few work in English.
How much does the after-school club cost?
The SFO is paid, and the municipality sets the tariff every year. In Copenhagen it is DKK 2,042 a month in 2026, with July free, and a free or reduced place is possible if the household earns less than DKK 677,500 a year. For other municipalities, check the town hall's website. See cost of living in Denmark for the family budget.
What mistakes do parents make?
- Waiting for August. A child arriving during the year can be registered right away.
- Joining the nursery waiting list too late. Lists are common in cities, so register as soon as you have an address.
- Mixing up public and private. Private places are arranged with the establishment itself.
- Not telling the municipality about foreign income when claiming a reduction.
- Complaining in the wrong order. Start with the head teacher, then the municipality within four weeks.
Greenland and the Faroe Islands have their own school systems (Greenland and the Faroe Islands). For the first weeks after landing, see moving to Denmark, and for choosing a city with a family, best places to live in Denmark.