Denmark · Odense
Odense International School is the English-medium division of Henriette Hørlücks Skole. It offers Cambridge education from preschool through IGCSE, but not the IB Diploma or boarding. Published 2026–27 prices are unusually detailed, although transport reimbursement depends on a shared subsidy rather than a promised percentage.
Odense International School (OIS) is the English-medium division of Henriette Hørlücks Skole. The two divisions share an organisation and some school life, but they have separate applications. Applying to both means submitting and paying for two applications.
OIS is a co-educational day school with no boarding. Its main address is Slotsvænget 3, 5000 Odense C. S7 remains on that site, while S8–S11 use Slotsgade 15, a short walk away.
Preschool begins in March for children who will turn five by 1 September that year. They normally move to P1 in mid-August. Primary covers P1–P6, with Cambridge Primary targets in English, mathematics and science.
S7–S9 follow Cambridge Lower Secondary. S10–S11 form the two-year Cambridge IGCSE examination course. The school says most pupils take eight or nine IGCSE subjects, chosen across languages, humanities, science, mathematics and creative or professional subjects.
IGCSE is an internationally recognised secondary qualification. It is not the Danish upper-secondary leaving qualification, and OIS does not offer the IB Diploma. Some S11 pupils also sit Denmark’s FP9 Danish examination when they follow first-language Danish.
The school points graduates towards IB, Danish gymnasium, business or vocational routes. OIS provides predicted grades and a reference for the next application. Pupils submit their upper-secondary preferences before the Danish 1 March deadline.
No onward place is automatic. Ask the next provider how it will place the pupil after S11, especially for IB. OIS’s own application page should not be treated as a guarantee of entry into a later Diploma year.
OIS is a practical option for a family based on Funen that wants English to remain the main academic language. The Cambridge sequence is clearest for a child arriving before the two IGCSE years.
It is less suitable if you need boarding, an IB Diploma on the same campus or full immersion in Danish. An older applicant also needs enough academic English to use the curriculum, even though IGCSE English as an Additional Language is available.
Danish is taught at first-language, second-language or foreign-language level. Upper-secondary pupils have four Danish lessons each week. Families planning to remain in Denmark should ask which group fits the child and what progression is realistic.
The 2025–26 inspection report confirms that the international division is approved to teach in English and follows Cambridge. The report also assesses the combined school against Danish independent-school requirements.
The fee page says OIS accepts new pupils in August and January. Preschool has its separate March start. There is no published universal application deadline, so first submit a free enquiry to check space.
The full online application costs DKK 1,500 per family and includes arranging a school tour. This fee is non-refundable, including when OIS cannot offer a place.
P1 applicants provide a readiness report and a reference from their previous kindergarten. For P2–S10, OIS asks for two academic years of reports. It also requires a teacher reference covering academics, relationships and any previous support.
The published checklist stops at S10. Families seeking S11 entry should ask whether a transfer into the second IGCSE year is possible before paying. Required coursework and subject continuity may limit a late move.
The admissions team meets twice monthly. It may offer a place, place a suitable applicant in the waiting pool or decline the application. A refusal is possible when OIS believes the child would not benefit or it cannot meet their needs.
An offered place is secured only after the family accepts the start date, completes the forms and pays the deposit. The deposit is lost if a new pupil does not start on the agreed date.
OIS describes its special educational needs and language resources as limited because it is a small school. That is an important capacity warning, despite the school’s inclusive approach.
Support may be integrated in class or delivered in mixed-ability groups. The school also describes speech and language therapy, a social worker and cooperation with Odense Municipality’s educational psychology service, known as PPR.
Individual education plans can be used when needed. Extensive support funding requires approval from the municipal psychologist. Cambridge examination access arrangements require evidence, written approval and a history of using the support in tests.
OIS publishes no separate support price on its current fee page. Before paying the deposit, ask for the available provision, waiting time, any family charge and examination arrangements in writing.
OIS charges tuition for 11 months, from August through June. July is not billed. A pupil starting part-way through a month is charged for that entire month.
| Charge | Published amount |
|---|---|
| Application | DKK 1,500 per family |
| Deposit, first child | DKK 8,000 |
| Deposit, each later child | DKK 4,000, unless no first-child deposit is held |
| Preschool | DKK 3,825 monthly, March–June |
| P1–P4, first child | DKK 4,200 monthly × 11 |
| P1–P4, second child | DKK 4,000 monthly × 11 |
| P5–S11, first child | DKK 3,980 monthly × 11 |
| P5–S11, second child | DKK 3,780 monthly × 11 |
| P1–S11, third and later children | No tuition charge |
| ASCP, P1–P4, first and second children | Included |
| ASCP, P1–P4, third and later children | DKK 1,680 monthly × 11 |
| The Club, P5 | DKK 1,575 monthly × 10 |
| Club Plus, P6 | DKK 650 monthly × 6 |
| Music lessons from P5 | DKK 599 monthly; sibling discount available |
| Payment outside PBS | DKK 400 per transaction per pupil |
The third-child concession covers P1–S11 tuition only. It does not remove the application, deposit, trips or care charges. Preschool is also outside that published tuition concession.
ASCP is the after-school care programme for P1–P4. It runs from 13:05 until 16:15, and there is no before-school care. P5 uses The Club; Club Plus for P6 ends in early March.
A refund requires all three conditions in the school’s financial document. The family must satisfy the three-month notice rule or arrange payment for the remaining months. Books must be returned in good condition, and all outstanding bills must be paid within one month of leaving.
Books and P1–P4 music lessons are included. School trips are not. Families should also budget for a device, a scientific calculator from secondary, supplies, food and some theatre visits.
Families with limited income may apply in August for a small public subsidy towards tuition and ASCP. OIS says a successful award is usually only a few hundred kroner and starts the following February. Details appear in the parent system.
Public-transport support is separate. A family must arrange its own Rejsekort, retain receipts and mark journeys made to and from school. Claims are submitted to the OIS office at the end of the school year.
There is no promised reimbursement percentage. The amount depends on the public subsidy available and the total value of valid claims in the shared pool. Budget for the full fare unless OIS confirms an award after claims are assessed.
Withdrawal becomes official only when OIS receives the correct form. All custody holders must sign. An email about a planned move does not by itself start the notice period.
The family owes fees for three months after formal notice. July does not count as one of those months. OIS gives 31 March as the last notice date that avoids charges in the next school year.
For example, notice in April for a summer departure creates liability for May, June and August. All fees must be settled before OIS releases transfer documents and the final progress report.
The pupil’s ManageBac access ends on the last school day. Download reports before then.
Admission does not itself create a right to live in Denmark. SIRI says a study residence permit is generally not granted below the Danish 9th-grade level. It also limits this study route to one year.
A basic or youth-study permit does not allow the pupil’s family to accompany them under that permit.
Most relocating children therefore need an existing Danish residence basis, often as a dependant. EU, EEA, Swiss and Nordic families follow different residence rules. Check the child’s position with SIRI rather than assuming an OIS offer settles it.
The preschool page asks families for the child’s CPR number after admission. Ask OIS when that number and proof of address must be supplied if your move is still in progress.
School starts at 08:10. There is no uniform or canteen, so pupils bring lunch. P4–P6 should bring a suitable device, while S7 upwards require a laptop and scientific calculator.
Monday to Thursday assemblies combine the Danish and international divisions. The school describes these as traditional Danish assemblies with singing and a prayer. Friday’s separate OIS assembly is in English and described as religiously neutral.
The weak points are equally clear. Support resources are limited, S11 is the end of the programme, and the transport refund cannot be budgeted as guaranteed income.
Use the Odense guide for local alternatives and the Denmark guide for the wider school 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.
Choose HHS for a Danish private-school education with languages introduced early. The semi-international English option adds mother-tongue teaching; it is not the English-medium Cambridge programme at Odense International School.
AarhusAarhus International School offers the IB Primary Years and Middle Years Programmes in English from age 3 to 16. All sections now share the Dalgas Avenue campus. It is a useful through-school for international families in Aarhus, but it does not offer the IB Diploma after MYP5.
AarhusÅrhus Privatskole is a small, one-form-entry Danish private day school in Viby. It is not Aarhus International School: teaching is in Danish, the school ends after Year 9, and a 500 DKK waiting-list payment does not guarantee admission.
CopenhagenCIS is Copenhagen’s large, established full-IB day school. Its Nordhavn campus offers the PYP, MYP and Diploma in English, but admission also depends on language readiness, support capacity and a nationality limit whose wording differs between two official sources.
Odense International School and Henriette Hørlücks Skole share an organisation and location, but not a curriculum or application. OIS teaches in English through IGCSE at 16. HHS is a Danish private school. Choose by academic language and the next qualification, not by the shared address.
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.