Local school and secondary school

Enrolling in the 1st grade and applying to a local school takes place through the electronic Wilma service between 8th and 20th January 2026 by filling in the form Application for 1st grade of Comprehensive School. Please indicate in the form of the things You wish to be taken into consideration in assigning a local school:

• A health-related or other significant reason
• A sibling basis
• A local school preference
• New address and exact date of moving (by 3 August 2026 at the latest, the information will be verified from the Digital and Population Data Services Agency). 

If you are unable to use Wilma, you can fill in the paper form. The paper form must be submitted to the Finnish Basic Education Unit by 20 January 2026 at the latest. The return address is informed in the application form.

8-20 January 2026

The form Application for 1st grade of Comprehensive School can be found during application period on this page. 

A health-related or other significant reason refers to a factor closely related to the new first-grader that has a direct impact on which school is suitable for them. For example, a pupil with an illness or physical disability may not be able to go to a school that has a complex layout or many stairs.

If you have indicated in the application form that your child has a health or other significant reason, submit a  psychological, medical or other statement by 6 February 2026 at the latest to the following address: The Finnish Basic Education Unit, Administration Services, School admission statements, P.O. Box 31, FIN-02070 City of Espoo. 

Reports and statements submitted after 6 February 2026 are rejected. 

You can choose the means of delivery for the decision when filling in the application form. There are two options:

1. The decision will be published in Wilma on 24 April 2026. The decision will not be delivered by post.
2. The decision will be mailed on 24 April 2026. The decision will not be published in Wilma.

It is possible to choose only one. The choice is binding!

Enrolling in the 7th grade and applying to a local school takes place through the electronic Wilma service between January 8th and 15th 2026 by filling in the form Application for 7th grade of Comprehensive School. Please indicate in the form of the things you wish to be taken into consideration in assigning a local school:

• A health-related or other significant reason
• A sibling basis
• A local school preference
• New address and exact date of moving (by 3 August 2026 at the latest, the information will be verified from the Digital and Population Data Services Agency).

If you are unable to use Wilma, you can fill in the paper form. The paper form must be submitted to your child's current school in Espoo by 15 January 2026 at the latest. In case your child is attending a school in another municipality or a private school, please submit the paper form to the Finnish Basic Education Unit. The return address is informed in the application form. 

8-15 January 2026

The form Application for 7th grade of Comprehensive School can be found during application period on this page.

A health-related or other significant reason refers to a factor closely related to the pupils that has a direct impact on which school is suitable for them. For example, a pupil with an illness or physical disability may not be able to go to a school that has a complex layout or many stairs. A pupil may also be unable to attend a particular school, for example, due to severe bullying.

If you have indicated in the application form that your child has a health or other significant reason, submit a psychological, medical or other statement by 16 January 2026 at the latest to the following address: The Finnish Basic Education Unit, Administration Services, School admission statements, P.O. Box 31, FIN-02070 City of Espoo. Statements submitted after 16 January 2026 are rejected. 

A-languages are taken into account when assigning a local school for the pupil. If your child would like to stop studying an A2 language and this must be considered when assigning a local school, please fill in the separate application form Hakemus A2-kielen keskeyttämiseksi (only in Finnish). Submit the form to your child's current school in Espoo by 16 January 2026 at the latest. The form can be found on this page.

Read about the principles for discontinuing A2 language studies as defined in the City of Espoo's basic education curriculum (in Finnish).(external link, opens in a new window) The decision to change or discontinue language studies is made by the school principal.

You can choose the means of delivery for the decision when filling in the application form. There are two options:

1. The decision will be published in Wilma on 8 April 2026. The decision will not be delivered by post.
2. The decision will be mailed on 8 April 2026. The decision will not be published in Wilma.

It is possible to choose only one. The choice is binding!

Applying to a local school during school year is possible in the following situations:

• Your child moves to Espoo or within Espoo area.
• Your child gives up his/her school place in weighted-curriculum education, English-language education, Bilingual education, Swedish-language immersion education or secondary school.
• Your child is studying in a special education class and he/she is transferring to a general education group.
• Your child is studying in a preparatory education group and he/she is transferring to a general education group.

Please fill in the application form Applying to a local school and submit it to the school of your preference. The school must be located in the catchment area based on your child’s home address. Catchment areas are: Espoonlahti, Eastern Leppävaara, Western Leppävaara, Central and Northern Espoo, Matinkylä-Olari and Tapiola. 

The form Applying to a local school can be found on this page.

When enrolling in a Swedish-language local school, the pupil’s  school is determined based on the home address, and there is no separate application process. There are 10 catchment areas, and each area has a comprehensive school. You can find the catchment areas in the map service of the City of Espoo(external link, opens in a new window). In the map service, you can also check your child’s local school.  

• Click the down pointing arrow in the upper left corner of the page and select ‘Area search’. 

• In point 1, select ‘Swedish pupil district’, and 

• in point 2, write your home address. 

You can contact the customer service of the Unit for Swedish Education and Cultural Services via e-mail svebi@esbo.fi.

The pupil catchment areas are: Espoonlahti, Eastern Leppävaara, Western Leppävaara, Central and Northern Espoo, Matinkylä-Olari and Tapiola. A local school is assigned within these catchment areas in the following order:

1. Pupils with health-related or other weighty reason. A guardian must inform this in the application form and submit an expert statement (such as a doctor or psychologist) or another document proving the weighty reason (a multidisciplinary report prepared at an ECEC centre/school or primary school) within a deadline. Deadline is determined yearly.
    
2. Pupils on sibling criterion. A guardian must inform this in the application form. The sibling in question must live in the same address and attend a local school assigned by City of Espoo. The sibling criterion does not apply if, at the time of the decision, the sibling indicated in the application form
   - is in the last year of the school in question
   - studies at a school in another pupil catchment area
   - had been admitted for weighted-curriculum education, English-language education, Swedish-language immersion education, bilingual education (Finnish–English) or Montessori education
   - has been admitted as a secondary applicant for the general education group of the school in question
   - has been admitted to a group for preparatory education
   - has been admitted to a special class of a school to be designated separately.
    
3. Pupils based on the school travel lenght. A local school is assigned so that the travel is as safe and short as possible by taking into account all pupils in the catchment are. The geographically closest school cannot always be assigned as a pupil's local school.
    
4. Pupils whose school wish is possible to fulfill. A guardin is able to make one wish within a child's catchment are. The wish does not mean applying solely to this school.

A-languages are taken into account as pupils transfer in the 7th grade.

Familiarize yourself with the instructions and detailed principles of pupil admission, see section "Assigning a local school". 

You can find the pupil catchment areas on the Map service of the City of Espoo. Go to Map service and click the menu in the upper left corner. Select what is shown on the map and click ‘Regional divisions’. Check the option ‘Finnish pupildistricts’.
The Map service can be found on this page. (external link, opens in a new window)

Contat your childs current school's school secretary and ask for a key code to create an account. 

If your child is in pre-school, the Finnish Basic Education Unit will send you a key code and a letter regarding starting school. This letter is sent before application period starts to all guardians, whose child is starting 1st grade in school year 2026-2027. 

The Growth and Learning Committee made a decision on the A languages offered in the school year 2025–2026 on 13 November 2024. You can find the A languages offered by each school here(external link, opens in a new window).

Espoo schools do not have their own catchment areas based on addresses. Espoo has six pupil catchment areas: Espoonlahti, Eastern Leppävaara, Western Leppävaara, Central and Northern Espoo, Matinkylä-Olari and Tapiola. 

The education board decides every year, how many pupils can be assigned to each school (maximum pupil places). Each school is assigned within these maximum places according to the principles of pupil admission. Since number of pupils, places of residence and school capacity varies each year, children do not go to the same schools from same addresses than previous years. 

You can find the pupil catchment areas on the Map service of the City of Espoo. Go to Map service and click the menu in the upper left corner. Select what is shown on the map and click ‘Regional divisions’. Check the option ‘Finnish pupil districts’.
The Map service can be found on this page. (external link, opens in a new window)

A local school will be assigned to your child in the catchment area based on their address. However, health-related and other significant reasons, the sibling criterion and local school preferences cannot be considered after the deadline. Please contact us at oppilasrekisteri@espoo.fi.

Espoo-based pupils can apply to Kauniaisten peruskoulu(external link, opens in a new window) as secondary applicants. Please contact the school for application instructions.

If your child is admitted to Kauniaisten peruskoulu, Espoo will not assign them a local school. If you want, you can give up your child’s school place in Kauniainen and apply for a place in a local school in Espoo.

Local school preference can be stated in the application form. Stating a local school does not mean your child is applying solely to that school. The preference will be considered where possible. 

When a local school is assigned, the distances must be as short as possible for all children enrolling to a local school. This means distances must be viewed as whole, not individually. As a result, the assigned local school can be other than the nearest located school.

The decision can be appealed by submitting a written demand for rectification to the Regional State Administrative Agency of Southern Finland within 14 days of receiving notice on the decision. You have received instructions with the decision. 

Alternatively or additionally, you can fill in the application form Application for a secondary school and submit it to the school you prefer. Note! Applying for a secondary school is not a means of appeal and does not mean your child is applying to another local school. 

Please fill in the form Toissijaiseen kouluun hakeminen (only in Finnish) and submit it to the school your child is applying. The form can be found on this page.
 

• 6 October 2025 by 3:45 pm (grades 1-9)
• 15 December 2025 by 3:45 pm (grades 1-9)
• 9 February 2026 by 3:45 pm (grades 1-9)
• 29 April 2026 by 3:45 pm (grades 1-9)

• 29 April 2026 by 3:45 pm (grades 7-9)
• 26 May 2026 by 3:45 pm (grades 1-9)
• 4 August 2026 by 3:45 pm (grades 1-9)

Secondary applicants can be admitted only if there are free study places in the school's teaching groups after all pupils have first been assigned a local school. 

Applications submitted within the application period are processed simultaneously. If there are free study places, applicants are admitted to a secondary school in the following order of priority:

1. An applicant who has moved away from the school's close region and still lives in Espoo, but wants to continue in his/her current school.
2. Applicants based on the school travel lenght.

If there are study places available after all qualified applicants who are Espoo residents are admitted, applicants from other municipalities can be admitted. If there are several applicants, a lot is drawn.

One of your child’s basic rights is to have a place in their local school. The term ‘local school’ refers to a school in the catchment area where your child lives. It may not be the geographically closest or your preferred school. The local school is assigned by the City of Espoo (see ‘Assigning a local school’). If your child has a younger sibling, they have the right to attend the same local school. A local school can only be one of the schools in the catchment area based on your child’s home address. Your child may be entitled to a free travel card or school transport services if they meet the criteria. Criteria for granting the school transport benefit.

The term ‘secondary school’ refers to a school other than the local school, which your child applies to with a separate application. The school does not need to be located in your child’s catchment area. Applying to a secondary school is your child’s basic right, but admission is not guaranteed. Admission is based on criteria that differ from those used for assigning a local school (see ‘Admission criteria for secondary school’). If your child is admitted to a secondary school, they are not entitled to a free travel card or school transport services and their younger siblings do not have the right to attend the same school.

Applying to a secondary school is not a means of appeal, as it is not about applying to another local school. If you are dissatisfied with your child’s local school decision, you can submit a request for administrative review to the Regional State Administrative Agency for Southern Finland. Instructions for requesting review were sent to you together with your child’s decision.