Henriette Hørlücks Skole — Danish private education in Odense

Henriette Hørlücks Skole (HHS) is a Danish private day school at Slotsvænget 1–3 and 4 in central Odense. It runs from the March preschool programme, called forårsskole, through Grade 9. The school says its Danish department has about 470 pupils.

The same organisation also operates an English-medium department, Odense International School, with about 230 pupils. Treat it as a separate choice. OIS follows Cambridge programmes, has its own admissions process and publishes its own fees.

Our view: who should shortlist HHS?

HHS makes sense for a child who can learn primarily in Danish and whose family wants languages to begin early. English starts in Grade 0, French in Grade 4 and German in Grade 5. This is a particularly useful combination for a family expecting to remain in Denmark but wanting stronger English than a standard Danish timetable may provide.

The school’s semi-international English option is narrower than its name may suggest. It provides additional mother-tongue English for pupils who speak English at home or have attended an international school. It does not turn the rest of the curriculum into English-medium teaching.

Choose OIS instead if a child needs to study mainly in English or requires a Cambridge pathway across subjects. Compare HHS with a local folkeskole if Danish integration matters but private-school fees and a birth-year waiting list do not.

Curriculum and qualifications

HHS follows the Danish private-school route and prepares pupils for the Danish Grade 9 leaving examinations, commonly called FP9. These examinations mark completion of Danish lower-secondary school; they are not an upper-secondary qualification.

In its June 2026 newsletter, HHS announced an additional Cambridge English examination for Grade 9. Pupils on the semi-international option are to take IGCSE First Language English, while other pupils take IGCSE English as a Second Language. The school presented this as an alternative English assessment after changes to the Danish Grade 9 examination structure, not as a full set of IGCSE subjects.

The same newsletter says pupils also leave with French DELF and German Goethe certificates. Ask which level is offered, whether every pupil sits each examination, and what happens if a child joins late. A language certificate can document proficiency, but admission to a later school or university remains that institution’s decision.

Admission to the early years

HHS advises families to register shortly after birth because its younger classes traditionally have long waiting lists. Registration costs DKK 300. This is a non-refundable administration fee and does not guarantee a place.

For entry through forårsskole, the process is unusually early:

1. The child is registered for the calendar year in which they turn six.
2. HHS gives priority to siblings of current pupils and children of former pupils.
3. Remaining places follow registration order, while the school also seeks a balance of girls and boys.
4. Parents receive the decision in June of the year before forårsskole.
5. Children first spend an ordinary day at the school. Admitted children then attend a Saturday visit in late November or early December.
6. Forårsskole begins on 1 March, followed by Grade 0 in August.

The school says the weekday visit helps it assess whether the child is ready to start school. Ask what readiness means in practice, especially for a child who is still learning Danish or needs adjustments.

For a later transfer, contact the school before paying the waiting-list fee. The public admissions pages explain the early-years route but do not publish vacancies or a separate selection process for every older grade.

Fees: the public table is one year behind

As of 4 September 2026, the school’s fee page is still headed 2025–26. Those figures are useful only as a historical benchmark:

Item	Published 2025–26 charge
First child	DKK 2,300 a month for 12 months
Second child	DKK 2,175 a month for 12 months
Third child	No tuition
Forårsskole from 1 March, including SFO	DKK 3,100 a month, plus DKK 1,500 enrolment fee
SFO or Grade 4 club	DKK 1,575 a month for 12 months
Semi-international English	DKK 950 a month; included for pupils enrolled in SFO

The second- and third-child reductions did not apply in forårsskole or Grade 0. The page also says that withdrawal triggers payment for the following month.

Do not budget from these numbers without a written 2026–27 quotation. The page also contains an old OIS figure; use the separate OIS fee source for that department.

Support and after-school care

The 2025–26 table says SFO was charged for the same 12 months whether used daily or occasionally. It covered certain Odense Music School activities for younger pupils. The June 2026 newsletter also announces a Tuesday-and-Thursday Klub+ for Grade 5, but no current public price is given.

HHS publishes general evaluation and supervision information, but we did not find a current public description of learning-support capacity, eligibility or cost. Before accepting a place, share the child’s reports and ask who provides support, how many hours are available, and whether any support fee is additional.

Friendly orientation, not an application. Dates, fees, and programme details move. Confirm everything with the school.