Education in Sweden
Education in Sweden is mandatory for all
children aged 7-16.[1] Most 6 year olds at-
tend a non compulsory pre-school class run
within the school system. The school year in
Sweden runs from mid/late August to early/
mid June The winter holiday from mid
December to early
January divides
the
Swedish school year into two terms.
All young children from 1-5 years old are
guaranteed a place in public day-care facility
(förskola or daghem/dagis). Between ages
7-16, children attend compulsory compre-
hensive school, divided in three stages. After
completing the ninth grade, 90% continue
with a three-year upper secondary school
(gymnasium) leading sometimes to a voca-
tional diploma and (depending on which pro-
gram you’ve chosen) to qualifications for fur-
ther studies at a university or university col-
lege (högskola). Both upper secondary school
and university studies are financed by taxes.
Some Swedes go straight to work after sec-
ondary school. Along with several other
European countries, the government also
subsidizes tuition of international students
pursuing a degree at Swedish institutions, al-
though there has been talk of this being
changed.[2] Swedish 15-years-old pupils have
the 22nd highest average score in the PISA
assessments, being neither significantly high-
er nor lower than the OECD average.[1] Only
few countries except Canada, United States
and Japan have higher levels of tertiary de-
gree holders.
Diagram
Terminology
Förskola (literally "preschool"), colloquially
daghem or dagis,
is
the kindergarten.
Grundskola is the 1-9 grade primary school.
Gymnasieskola (literally "gymnasium school")
is the three-year secondary school. Högskola
(literally "high school") is a tertiary school
(formally translated to university college, less
formally to university) and universitet (al-
ways translated to university) is a tertiary
school with postgraduate education.
Historical terms include småskola ("small
school") and
folkskola
("folk school") for
primary school and läroverk ("learning insti-
t