School attendance is compulsory from the ages of 6 to 16, i.e. in the autumn of the year in which the child turns 6. Parents are obligated to ensure that their children of compulsory school age are registered and attend school. Pupils are in school for 180 days during the months of August – June. Compulsory education, including textbooks and materials is free of charge.

Subjects learned and the time spent learning each subject is specified in the national curriculum. Children begin learning English in the 5th grade (10 years old) and begin learning Danish in the 7th grade (12 years old).

Children living in Iceland who speak a language other than Icelandic have a legal right to special teaching in Icelandic. According to Icelandic law all students with a different mother tongue than Icelandic have the right to two hours a week of special teaching in Icelandic while they are getting a grasp of the language. It is important to ask questions and be aware of your child’s growth in the Icelandic language. Even if your child has had a certain amount of extra Icelandic teaching, don’t be afraid to request more if you think that your child needs more extra help. Becoming fluent in Icelandic is the key to being a successful student in Iceland.

Children who have another mother tongue than Icelandic may request exemption from Danish. This exemption is never given to younger children. With this exemption it usually follows that the child is also exempt from taking the National Standardized Examinations (samræmdpróf) in Danish. This decision should be taken very seriously because not having credits in Danish may have an effect on what area of study students may pursue in college. For further information contact your child’s headmaster, or the Ministry of Education.

Nationally coordinated examinations (samræmdpróf) in Icelandic and mathematics are taken in the 4th and, 7th grade. Note: these exams are compulsory. These tests are given to evaluate individual schools and teaching methods, not individual students. Grades from 1 – 10 are given, 10 being the highest. 10th graders or those students completing their compulsory education have the option of taking nationally coordinated proficiency exams in Icelandic, math, sciences, social studies, English and Danish. While these exams are not compulsory they are important in that colleges use them as a way of assessing academic standing.

Parents have a large role in the education of their children. Each school has a Parent’s Council. Parent councils work closely with each school and headmaster and have the right to comment on and affect curriculum, school policies and school finances. Schools also have Parent’s Associations that are active in fundraising, improving communication between parents and the school and parents with other parents. The general rule is that each class assigns 2 parents to act as “bekkjarforeldra” and to take part in the association.

In some areas of the country there are reception schools (móttöku-deild). In Reykjavík these schools offer one-year classes for students from 9 – 15 years of age, who do not have enough knowledge of Icelandic to enable them to attend regular classes. After this, students may attend their neighbourhood school where they may still receive extra help if needed. There are 3 reception schools in Reykjavík, one in Kópavogur, one in Hafnarfjörður and one in Akureyri. Parents may inquire about enrolling their child into one of these reception schools even if it is not their next neighbourhood school.

Grunnskólar í Reykjavík

Grunnskólar í Reykjanesbæ

Grunnskólar í Kópavogi
     
Nesskóli
Neskaupsstað,
Tel.:                                          447 1726                     

Lækjarskoli
Skólabraut,
Hafnarfjörður
Tel.:                                           555 0585                     
Oddeyrarskoli
Víðivelli, Akureyri,
Tel.:                                           462 4999                    

To register your child in school you may go to the school that is nearest you. If you are not sure which school that is, contact your local school administration office. The website at Fræðslumiðstöð Reykjavík, www.grunnskolar.is, has registration forms available in 14 different languages.

Skólaskrifstofa Hafnarfjarðar (Hafnarfjörður School Office)