Finland · Helsinki
This is not International School of Helsinki and not an IB continuum. It is a Finnish private school that teaches in Finnish and English and finishes with the national matriculation. The 673 euro year fee is the private-school charge the pages print, not a Geneva international bill.
Dieses Porträt steht noch auf Englisch. Die anderen Sprachen kommen Schule für Schule.
Curriculum laut Schule:Finnish National Core Curriculum (preschool and basic education) · Finnish general upper secondary education (lukio) · Finnish Matriculation Examination (ylioppilastutkinto)
Unterrichtssprachen:Finnish, English, Swedish (compulsory for Finnish citizens in Grades 7–9)
The English School sits on two Helsinki sites. Preschool and Grades 1–6 are at Mäntytie 14, 00270 Helsinki, in Meilahti. Grades 7–9 and high school are at Valimotie 17–19, 00380 Helsinki, in Pitäjänmäki. Official website: engs.fi. Office: english.school@engs.fi. Mäntytie: +358 10 321 7920, 08.00–15.00. Valimotie: +358 50 303 0103, 09.00–14.00. Director: Petri Vuorinen. Principal for preschool, Grades 1–6 and afternoon care: Kaarina Winter. Principal for Grades 7–9 and high school: Seija Nyholm. Assistant principal and a guidance counsellor: Seija Kiiskinen.
It is a day school. The homepage calls it the first bilingual school in Finland to offer education in Finnish and English — two-year preschool, elementary, middle school and high school, about 700 students aged 5–19. The same page’s key figures print 720 students and 1945. The Finnish history page says over 700. Treat those as the school’s own snapshots.
Do not confuse this with International School of Helsinki in Ruoholahti. ISH is an IB continuum that ends in an IB Diploma and an ISH High School Diploma. The English School follows the Finnish National Core Curriculum, then Finnish lukio, and students take the Finnish matriculation examination (ylioppilastutkinto). That is the loud distinction. The 673,00 € year fee is a Finnish private-school charge under Perusopetuslaki 31 § and Lukiolaki 34 §, not a Geneva-style international tuition.
The history page opens in 1939, when Sister Kostka Schnitzmeier arrived from the Sisters of the Most Precious Blood in Missouri, followed by Sisters Wencesla Broz, Claremarie Weaver and Linus Boehmer. The school opened on 1 October 1945 with eighteen pupils. A new building at Mäntytie was finished in 1952. Since 1996 it has been run by Englantilaisen koulun säätiö. Admissions bank details still use that foundation name.
Values on the about page: integrity, compassion, excellence. The mission adds a pioneer bilingual school and work “based on respecting our school’s tradition of Christian values.” The 2025–26 handbook repeats that sentence. This is a Finnish private school with a Christian tradition, not a secular IB franchise.
The useful questions are Finnish. Can this child work in both languages by Grade 9? If you want the bilingual lukio, can they sit the matriculation in Finnish? If you want the English-language lukio, do they meet the legal eligibility test, and do you understand that English-language matriculation exams start only in autumn 2028? Can you live with 673,00 € a year — and, if the child is a third-country high-school student from August 2026, with 11.314 € for that year?
It serves families who want a Finnish school life in two languages, not an English bubble that leaves the national exam to someone else. The FAQ’s goal is blunt: truly bilingual by the end of ninth grade, able to apply to Finnish-medium vocational or academic high schools if they leave. High school then offers two doors, both still Finnish lukio.
It is not a specialist SEN school. Contact lists special-education teachers — Karolina Witter for Grades 1–6, Riikka Majuri for Grades 7–9 and high school — plus City of Helsinki counsellor, psychologist and nurse. That is ordinary Finnish oppilashuolto, not an international learning-support brochure.
Preschool 1, Preschool 2 and Grade 1 are full for 2026–2027 on the live admission pages. Grade 1 is filled mainly from the school’s own preschool. Grades 2–8 take applicants only where a seat exists. Grade 9 is, as a rule, closed. High school is yhteishaku. This is not a mid-posting walk-in.
Mäntytie is Meilahti. Preschool and Grades 1–6 share the 1952 building. The elementary page lists native-level Finnish and English teacher teams on each grade, an English phonics programme, camp schools, a “spooky trail,” sports days, buddies, after-school clubs, afternoon care, and French or German. The 2025–26 handbook: doors at 08.00 for Grades 1–2 and 08.15 for Grades 3–6, no supervised waiting, indoor shoes, outdoor recess, phones silent in backpacks. It is a candy-free school under the 2011 THL sugar-free campaign. Lunch is Compass Group and sits inside the 673 euro fee. Dietary substitutes need a doctor’s certificate.
Valimotie is Pitäjänmäki: Grades 7–9 and high school in one block. Middle school is still bilingual, but more of the week is in Finnish, on purpose. Swedish is compulsory for Finnish citizens. Optional French and German run as A2 and B2. High-school pages add more music than the national minimum, an extra applied visual-arts course, and the chance of a Music Diploma or Visual Arts Diploma. After preparatory maths and English, students may sit the PSAT. Some days the last lesson ends at 16.00; check Wilma (yvkoulut.inschool.fi). Book both buildings.
Preschool. Two years of total English immersion on the Finnish national preschool curriculum, as preparation for the bilingual elementary. Preschool 1 begins the year the child turns five. Hours: Preschool 1 12.00–16.00, Preschool 2 08.00–12.00. Each year is two groups, each with an assistant. Program I is play, movement, arts and crafts, basic English, Finnish as a second language, early maths and science. Program II adds fluency, phonics, reading, more maths, swimming, skating, gym and drama.
Grades 1–4. Highest English share, the FAQ says: total immersion. Finnish as mother tongue or second language. English at native level from preschool through Grade 12.
Grades 5–9. Finnish increases across subjects so a child can name the same science idea in both languages and still walk into a Finnish-medium lukio or vocational school. Middle school says the English programme’s objectives “clearly exceed” national requirements.
High school — two programmes, one national exam family.
English–Finnish language and culture (50 first-year places). Studies in both languages. English taught by native speakers; more English-taught subjects if chosen. The school wants balanced bilingualism. Every student in this programme completes the matriculation in Finnish. Finnish and English cannot be dropped when other courses are.
General upper secondary education in English (20 first-year places). For young people who have completed studies under the Basic Education Act for no more than three years and therefore lack the Finnish or Swedish for lukio in those languages. Strong English is required. The Finnish national curriculum still applies. Matriculation is in English, with at least five examination subjects, one of them Finnish as a Second Language and Literature. English-language matriculation exams start in autumn 2028. Students take two beginner Finnish courses (4 credits) before the national S2 units. The published aim is excellent English and at least good Finnish. Some instruction “may also be organised remotely” with other English-language lukio providers.
Graduation, on the 14 August 2025 study-plan PDF, needs a minimum of 150 credits. Recommended pace on that PDF: about 60 / 60 / 30 credits across three years. New HS26 students file 2026–2027 subject choices, then may change them in August with a guidance counsellor. Overlaps can kill a wish-list.
Instruction is Finnish and English. That is the product. Preschool 1 aptitude tests accept English or Finnish. Preschool 2 wants basic English and Finnish. Grade 1 needs English strong enough for the elementary curriculum and Finnish at least A1.3. From Grade 5 the Finnish share rises so the child is not trapped in an English corridor when the lukio door is Finnish.
Swedish in Grades 7–9 is compulsory for Finnish citizens. Optional French or German starts in elementary and continues as A2/B2. The high-school study plan also lists Spanish B3. Ask which groups are actually running this year.
The English-language lukio is not a way around Finnish. Finnish is compulsory; the matriculation still includes a Finnish test. Non-EU/EEA applicants to that track must hold a residence permit not based on studies. The bilingual track is the one the fees page says can, in limited cases, sit with a study-based permit. If the child holds a Finnish passport, ask how mother-tongue Finnish is grouped after years abroad.
Preschool 1 (born 2021). Aptitude tests for that cohort were held in early March 2026. The year is full; you may still register for a later opening. Acceptance looks at a language test, working habits, and social skills in a group. Tests are at Mäntytie.
Preschool 2 (born 2020). Full for 2026–2027. Basic English and Finnish required.
Grade 1 (born 2019 for 2026–2027). Mainly from own preschool. Full. English plus Finnish A1.3.
Grades 2–8. Email english.school@engs.fi. Tests only if a seat exists: written English and Finnish. Birth-year table for 2026–2027 is on the elementary and middle-school admission pages (Grade 2 / 2018 through Grade 8 / 2012).
Grade 9. As a rule, no. Discuss only with Seija Nyholm.
How to register for preschool or 1–9. Pay the 20,00 € registration fee to Englantilaisen koulun säätiö sr, Nordea IBAN FI67 2262 1800 0634 37, SWIFT NDEAFIHH, then submit the form with the receipt. Preschool message: “Preschool registration + child’s name.” Grades 1–9: “ES/MS registration + child’s name.” If there is no seat, confirm the registration in writing every year or the name drops off the register.
High school, studies starting August 2026 (first-years born 2010 or 2009). National joint application, yhteishaku, at opintopolku.fi 17.2.–17.3.2026.
Bilingual programme: admission only on the weighted GPA of academic subjects on the Basic Education Certificate. English (A1 or A2) and Finnish (mother tongue or S2) are each weighted ×2. Lowest acceptable weighted GPA: 7,50. Several study units are in Finnish. Overseas certificates go through discretionary admission (harkinnanvarainen valinta): copies by the end of April, written Finnish and English exam at Valimotie on Tuesday 5 May, 09.30–11.30.
English-language programme: selection only on the national entrance exam, lottery if points tie. You are ineligible if you completed basic-education Finnish or Swedish as mother tongue. Overseas papers by the end of April; official documents no later than 12 August 2026. The exam is in English, in Finland, not remote, no extra time: Tuesday 21 April 2026, 10.00–12.00, Valimotie auditorium, second floor, at the English-language lukio you ranked highest.
Results from Thursday 11 June. Secure the place by 25 June. Mid-year or later-year transfers: Seija Nyholm (seija.nyholm@engs.fi). Open houses already printed for 2026: 21 January, 17.00–19.30 at Valimotie; 3 February, 17.00–18.00 online.
This is a private school. The 673 euro fee is the Finnish private-school tuition, the same from preschool through high school, and it includes a daily warm lunch. The 2025–26 handbook says that 673 € figure is for students resident in Finland, payable in two parts at the start of each semester. The fees page splits it as 336,50 € autumn and 336,50 € spring.
| Charge | Amount | Who / when |
|---|---|---|
| Registration | 20,00 € | Preschool and Grades 1–9, with the form |
| Entrance test | 60,00 € | Preschool and Grades 1–9 |
| Administration | 50,00 € | When a new student is enrolled |
| Tuition | 673,00 € / year | All grades, preschool to high school; lunch included |
No HSL travel cards. The fees page says so because this is a private school.
Third-country high-school students starting in or after August 2026 (General Upper Secondary Schools Act, Section 34 a). The charge applies to third-country nationals who reside in Finland on a student residence permit, or who apply for a residence permit on the basis of studies (that study-permit route “only possible within the bilingual program”). Third country means not the EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland. Exchange students and people with permanent or temporary protection are examples the page excludes. Students on this fee drop out of government transfer funding. The 2026–2027 year fee is 11.314 €, built from the average lukio unit price, learning materials including a computer, meals, inflation for 2027–2028, and the school’s own 673 € year fee. If a student starting autumn 2026 graduates in three years, the printed total is 33.942 €. Payment is a prerequisite for instruction.
Refunds if the student resigns, as printed:
If the residence-permit ground changes — the page’s example is a work-based permit — the student is exempted.
We are not inventing afternoon-care prices, club fees or camp-school bills. Afternoon care for Grades 1–2 is applied through the City of Helsinki Education Division, in English at the school, until 17.00 on official school days, snack around 14.00, City accident insurance. The afternoon-care page still printed 8 August 2024–30 May 2025 and a 2025–26 application window of 17 March–16 April 2025; the 2025–26 handbook prints 7 August 2025 to 29 May 2026. Confirm the live year and the City fee. The handbook says the school does not finance camp schools.
A first-year bilingual lukio student who is not on the third-country tariff is 673,00 € plus clubs, trips and travel — not a Geneva international bill. A third-country starter in August 2026 is 11.314 € for that year, on the printed page.
Student welfare is communal and individual: social worker Johanna Ek, psychologist Lizeth Ortiz, school nurses on each campus, special-education teachers as above. KiVa lessons are emphasised in Grades 1 and 4. That is not a promise the school can meet every need. If the file is thin, say so before you pay the 20 euro registration.
Ask which language path you are applying to, in writing. Ask whether preschool or Grade 1 is still full this week. Ask how Finnish is grouped for a citizen who has lived abroad, whether French or German is running in this child’s year, and how much bilingual lukio is actually in Finnish. Ask for the live 2026–2027 high-school handbook. Ask whether the child would sit English-language matriculation exams that only begin in autumn 2028. Ask for the third-country invoice in writing if a student permit is in play. Ask about City afternoon care and camp-school costs the school will not pay. Walk Mäntytie and Valimotie.
The 2026–2027 calendar the school prints: autumn 12 August–19 December 2026 (90 days), sports day 12 September, high-school Saturday 26 September, autumn break 12–16 October; spring 7 January–5 June 2027 (99 days), winter break 22–26 February, Easter 26–29 March, Ascension 6 May. The same page prints a Friday holiday as 7.5.2026 next to those 2027 dates — confirm that Friday with the office.
We are not ranking this school against ISH or a municipal peruskoulu. We are not guessing a waitlist or turning “well-known universities” into a forecast. We are not inventing a 2026–27 afternoon-care price or a camp-school bill.
Read the fees page and the high-school admission page before you resign a flat in another country. This is a map. The school still has to be the right Tuesday.
Offizielle Seiten und Dokumente, die wir gelesen haben. Wenn eine Zahl für Budget oder Bewerbung zählt, öffnet den Link und prüft, ob er noch gilt.
Freundliche Orientierung, kein Antrag. Termine, Gebühren und Programme ändern sich. Alles bei der Schule prüfen.
Helsinki is not one international campus. It is a Finnish city where peruskoulu is the default, plus six official doors posting families name. Ask which paper the child will hold at eighteen.
16 minDie Buchstaben auf dem Abschlusszeugnis zählen. Sie sind nicht das ganze Kind. So unterscheidet ihr sie ohne Kopfschmerz — und ohne so zu tun, als bliebe jede Tür offen.
16 minIhr braucht keinen perfekten Algorithmus. Nur ein paar wahre Dinge über euer Kind, eine langweilige Liste am Kühlschrank — und den Mut, einen schönen Campus zu ignorieren, der nicht passt.
15 minDas Schulgeld ist die Zahl auf der Startseite. Das PDF ist die Zahl, die im März kommt. Hier steht, wie ihr die zweite lest, ohne einen Euro, eine Krone oder eine Frist zu erfinden.