Finland · Espoo
Espoo International School is a municipal, English-medium comprehensive school for Grades 1–9. It follows the Finnish curriculum and adds the IB Middle Years Programme in Grades 7–9. Residence and admission criteria matter more than ability to pay.
Espoo International School, or EIS, is a City of Espoo school at Lillhemtintie 1, 02250 Espoo on the Opinmäki campus. It is a co-educational day school with no boarding.
EIS is a municipal comprehensive school, not a private international school. The school teaches Grades 1–9 in English within Finland’s basic-education system. It therefore ends before upper-secondary qualifications.
The important first questions are where the child lives, their English background and the required entry grade. Permanent entry and a temporary place use different criteria.
EIS can suit a family seeking English-medium education while remaining in the Finnish national system. The city says the provision is for pupils living in Espoo and Kauniainen.
English-language education is classed as weighted-curriculum education. This means admission is selective and is not the child’s automatic local-school entitlement. An eligible address does not guarantee a place.
The city also offers English-language education at Kivimies International School for Grades 1–6. Compare the two when both locations are workable. Moving between them later is restricted and is not a routine preference change.
All grades follow the Finnish National Core Curriculum and Espoo’s municipal curriculum. EIS is authorised to offer the IB Middle Years Programme, or MYP, in Grades 7–9. The IB’s directory confirms MYP only, not the Diploma Programme.
In Grades 7–9, the Finnish curriculum is taught through the MYP framework. MYP is therefore part of the lower-secondary programme, not a separate upper-secondary qualification.
The main teaching language is English. The school says pupils should have English as a mother tongue, speak it fluently through an international background, or otherwise have adequate English.
Every pupil studies Finnish and English from Grade 1. Swedish begins for all pupils in Grade 6. Optional languages start later, subject to the school’s offer.
The school ends with the Grade 9 Finnish basic-education certificate. The next step is a separate application to general upper-secondary school, vocational education or an IB Diploma provider.
Espoo admits permanent entrants to Grades 1, 4 and 7 through annual application rounds and entrance examinations. The exam can be taken only once in the same year.
The current city page still displays these 2026–27 dates and conditions:
| Entry grade | Application and decision dates | Entrance requirement | Published EIS capacity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 1 | Apply 8–20 January 2026; exam 27–28 January; decision 24 April | English test: at least 20/30. Linguistic-skills test: at least 30/45, including 7 points from each task in that test | 50 |
| Grade 4 | Apply 20 May–5 June 2026; exam 6 August | At least 43.5/50 overall | Not published |
| Grade 7 | Apply 8–15 January 2026; exam 21 January; decision 8 April | At least 67/100 overall | 100 total, including continuing pupils |
These dates have passed. As of 5 September 2026, Espoo has not published the equivalent 2027 timetable. Use the live English-language education page rather than shifting the old dates forward.
Passing a threshold does not guarantee admission. Applicants are ranked by score against the places available. Late applications are dismissed.
For Grade 1, the sibling criterion gives priority among qualifying applicants. It requires an older sibling at the same address who attends the school’s English-language provision below its highest grade. The guardian must claim the criterion on the form.
For Grades 4 and 7, sibling status breaks a tie in total score. Lots decide any remaining tie. This is a priority rule, not an automatic right for a younger sibling.
Current EIS Grade 6 pupils continue into Grade 7 without another application or exam. Pupils finishing Grade 6 at a separate Espoo English-language primary school have a continuation route if their application lists every provider.
New Grade 7 applicants compete only for places left after continuing pupils. The published figure of 100 is the total Grade 7 capacity, not 100 new places.
A temporary place is for Grades 1–9 and has no separate application period. The Finnish page says families may apply after the child has moved to Espoo. There is no entrance examination.
The child must have studied in English-language education for at least one school year immediately before applying. For Grade 1, the relevant study can be the current school year at the application date. A certificate must accompany the application.
A temporary place lasts at most three school years and can be granted only once during basic education. The school year in which the child starts counts as the first, even with a mid-year start.
The child must start within one week of receiving the decision, excluding school holidays, or the decision expires.
A pupil with a temporary place may later seek a permanent place through the Grade 4 or Grade 7 route. Do not assume temporary admission automatically converts into permanent enrolment.
Espoo’s main page explicitly includes Kauniainen under the inter-municipal arrangement. Other applicants planning to move before the next school year can receive only a conditional decision. It takes effect after the move and address registration by Espoo’s deadline.
Applicants moving during the school year are considered after they have moved. Admission from abroad is to the age-appropriate grade by year of birth. Prior schooling in Finland is assessed from the latest school certificate.
Eligible applicants who miss out because places are limited form a waiting list. Temporary-place applicants rank first by the length of their prior English-medium study. Entrants who passed an exam then rank by score.
The list expires at the end of August. Equal lengths of prior English-medium study are resolved by drawing lots.
The waiting list for the 2026–27 intake has therefore expired. Ask about a later application route rather than relying on that list.
Changing between Espoo’s English-language schools is restricted to a significant welfare or health reason. The guardian must provide an expert statement or a multidisciplinary school report.
English is the medium of instruction and an admission condition, not an optional support language. Ask how the school would support the child without overstating what its public pages promise.
The school lists special-education teachers, pupil welfare, school health care, psychology and social-work services. These services do not establish that every learning or medical need can be accommodated in a particular class.
The school directs children who fail its English test and have little Finnish to Espoo’s preparatory education. That is a separate municipal provision, not an alternative entry route into EIS.
Afternoon activities are available for Grades 1–2 and for older pupils with a formal support decision. A late application is possible, but a place is not guaranteed.
Espoo states that municipal basic education is free. Teaching, required learning materials and the daily school meal are provided without tuition fees.
English-language pupils are not entitled to Espoo’s school-transport benefit or public-transport travel card. Budget the journey from the actual home address.
For 2026–27, citywide afternoon activities cost €100 per month until 3pm or €160 per month until 5pm. The fee runs from August through May; June is not charged. A snack is included.
Families can apply for a half fee or full exemption based on income. Ask whether EIS has a place and what clubs, trips or other optional items cost before committing.
It is less suitable if the family needs boarding, guaranteed sibling entry, school transport, or an IB Diploma at the same school. A temporary place also has a firm three-year limit.
The Espoo guide provides local comparisons. The Finland guide explains the wider education system.
Official pages and documents we read. If a figure matters to your budget or your application, open the link and confirm it is still current.
Friendly orientation, not an application. Dates, fees, and programme details move. Confirm everything with the school.
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EspooMattlidens is a Swedish-language City of Espoo upper-secondary school with a three-year English IB route. Its 50-place pre-DP accepts at most eight pupils from outside Finland’s comprehensive system. The 2026 application cycle is closed, and a new citywide study-permit fee now applies to some entrants.
TurkuCygnaeus is a municipal Swedish-language school for Grades 1–6 at Maariankatu 7 in central Turku. It is worth considering for a family seeking primary education in Swedish, rather than an English-medium international programme.
HelsinkiDeutsche Schule Helsinki combines Finnish schooling with the German international-school system. Its German and Finnish routes converge before the Deutsches Internationales Abitur. The decisive questions are which language route fits your child and whether they meet its entry standard.
Espoo International School ends at Grade 9. Mattlidens and Etelä-Tapiolan offer separate English-language IB routes at upper secondary, with their own admissions and residence conditions.
7 minStart with the qualification your child would actually receive. Then check its subjects, language demands, and recognition in the countries where they may study next.
7 minStart with your child and the family's likely plans. Define the non-negotiables, verify the school's claims, compare three realistic options and visit with specific questions.
7 minTuition is only one line of the budget. Separate charges from advance payments, record what each figure includes, and ask the school to confirm your calculation in writing.