Finland · Helsinki
HRSK is a Finnish state school in Munkkivuori offering education in Finnish and French from pre-primary to upper secondary. It follows the Finnish curriculum and leads to the Finnish matriculation examination. Tuition is free, but families pay for travel and preschool afternoon care. Admission depends on the entry stage and, in most cases, language tests.
Helsingin ranskalais-suomalainen koulu (HRSK), also called Lycée franco-finlandais d’Helsinki, is a co-educational Finnish state language school at Raumantie 4, 00350 Helsinki, in Munkkivuori. It offers pre-primary education (esiopetus), basic education in grades 1–9, and general upper secondary education (lukio). The school reports about 800 pupils overall, including about 650 in basic education.
HRSK follows the Finnish national curriculum and leads to the Finnish matriculation examination, ylioppilastutkinto. Its French name should not be read as a promise of the French national curriculum or the French baccalauréat. For applications and visits, use the school’s administration contacts.
HRSK is a good fit for families who want Finnish schooling with substantial French-language education. The school says a large part of basic education is taught in French and describes exchange trips to France in grades 4 and 8. Its upper secondary school has a special educational task in French language and culture.
The upper secondary information describes opportunities for French language examinations at B2 and C1 levels. The correct qualification names are DELF B2 and DALF C1, as distinguished by France Éducation international. These certify French proficiency; they do not replace a school-leaving qualification. They may meet a university’s French-language requirement, but families should check the intended course’s full admission conditions.
Compare International School of Helsinki if your child needs English-medium education and International Baccalaureate (IB) programmes. SYK is another option for Finnish schooling with a language focus: it is a privately run school operating under an agreement with the city, begins at grade 3 and also has an IB route. Deutsche Schule Helsinki is relevant if German education and the German International Abitur qualification are the priority; it charges semester fees.
HRSK’s practical test of fit is whether your child can meet the language requirements and whether its support provision is sufficient. English alone is not the teaching-language route here.
The 2026 preschool introduction gives a free day from 8.00am to 1.15pm, with lunch at 10.30am. Afternoon care runs from 1.15pm to 5.00pm and is charged separately. Ask for the current charge and availability. The grade-1 introduction describes three parallel groups in preschool, the basic-school year groups and upper secondary.
The school does not provide boarding or school transport. HRSK is not a child’s assigned neighbourhood school (lähikoulu), so parents are responsible for travel costs.
The admissions page states that the school offers group-level support but not pupil-specific support. Families whose child needs individual support should discuss this restriction directly before applying and ask what the available group support would mean in their child’s classroom.
For reference, the published 2026 school start was Wednesday 12 August: 8.15am for grade 1, 8.30am for preschool, 9.00am for grades 2–6, and 9.30am for grades 7–9 and upper secondary. These are past opening-day times, not the regular daily timetable.
Applications use Wilma, the school’s online administration system. Language tests are free and conducted by the school’s teachers. The dated preschool and grade-1 arrangements below describe the completed 2026 intake, not a new application window.
For entry to grade 1, the school’s transition guidance tells families to register for their assigned municipal place first. After accepting an HRSK place, cancel that municipal place in writing. HRSK offers must be accepted within 14 days of notification; keep that acceptance deadline separate from the municipal cancellation.
The 2026 application was electronic in January. The Finnish and French test took place on Saturday 31 January 2026, lasted about 1.5–2 hours and was held in the preschool rooms. No preparation was required. Families had to submit the child’s VASU, or early-childhood education plan, by the test day.
The published selection rules were:
The preschool PDF said decisions would arrive by email by 31 March 2026, with 14 days to accept the place.
The 2026 grade-1 introduction gave an application deadline of 30 January 2026 and an external-applicant language test on 31 January. There were 72 places in total, at least 12 through language testing. Applicants needed an identity document on the test day. The PDF gave 31 March 2026 for decisions and results.
Children already in HRSK preschool also had to register and pass tests in both Finnish and French, with at least half the marks in each. Their transition is therefore not unconditional. The admissions page gives a separate decision timetable for existing preschool pupils; confirm the dates applicable to your child rather than assuming the external-applicant timetable applies.
Grades 2–6: applications are accepted throughout the school year if places are available. Tests are individual and free. Applicants must score at least half in both Finnish and French. If too many applicants pass, siblings have priority and the remaining places are allocated by lottery.
Grades 7–9: applications are also accepted subject to available places. Tests are held at the end of April and beginning of August when places remain, with more flexible arrangements possible for applicants still abroad. A previous Finnish-medium school report may establish sufficient Finnish without another Finnish test; the equivalent applies to French-medium schooling and French. The report must show the level needed for the year being requested.
As of 1 September 2026, the admissions page still showed xx.xx.2027 placeholders for the joint application through Opintopolku (Studyinfo), Finland’s national application service, the language-and-aptitude test and the open evening. Ask for the completed timetable.
The page describes two routes:
| Route | Places | Selection conditions |
|---|---|---|
| Special French-language and culture programme | 45 | Pass the language-and-aptitude test, or replace it with a passed DELF B1 French examination. Eligible applicants are then selected by their average in academic subjects. |
| General programme | 15 | Selection by the average in academic subjects, with a grade or a pass entry for A1 or A2 French on the basic-education leaving certificate. These are Finnish curriculum language-course categories, not French proficiency levels. |
For entry to the second or third upper secondary year, a place must be available and the applicant must pass the required language tests. Applicants with Finnish certificates take French; applicants with foreign certificates take both Finnish and French. Contact the office about available places.
The 2026 preschool and grade-1 introductions explicitly state that teaching is free. Preschool lunch is included in the free day, while afternoon care is paid. Request any applicable care, meal or trip charges for the relevant stage; the reviewed material does not establish a complete schedule of additional costs.
The final academic qualification is the Finnish matriculation examination. The upper secondary page reports that its spring 2025 results were at the top of an STT, the Finnish news agency, comparison. That is the school’s account of one dated comparison, not a ranking calculated for this guide.
Choose HRSK if Finnish and French education, free tuition and the Finnish matriculation route match your plans. Its language tests and stated support limits deserve attention before you make a housing decision. If the goal is the French baccalauréat or English-medium schooling, this programme does not provide that route.
Use the current admissions page alongside the dated 2026 grade-1 introduction; the latter explains the previous intake rather than setting future deadlines.
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.
Deutsche 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.
HelsinkiSYK is a privately run Finnish school in Etelä-Haaga that charges no pupil fees. It begins at grade 3 and offers both the Finnish matriculation route and an English-medium IB programme at upper secondary level. The admissions routes have different language requirements and timetables: the published basic-school dates below concern 2027, while the IB information concerns the completed 2026 intake.
HelsinkiISH offers English-medium education for ages 4–19 in Ruoholahti, with IB programmes from the early years to the Diploma. Annual tuition for 2026–27 ranges from €12,432 to €16,608 when paid in one sum. Families should check the child’s language placement, any non-residency surcharge and the support available before applying.
HelsinkiRessu is a City of Helsinki upper secondary school with a Finnish programme on Kalevankatu and an English-medium IB programme on Ruoholahdenkatu. The main 2026 application closed on 17 March. Families should distinguish the admissions route for Finnish comprehensive-school certificates from discretionary admission, and confirm whether the tuition rules introduced in August 2026 apply.
Compare English-medium IB, bilingual Finnish schools and German education in Helsinki. Check the actual campus, admissions route and residence-based fees before choosing.
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.