English-language upper secondary education starting in autumn 2027 at Kiviruukin lukio upper secondary school in Espoo

The City of Espoo has received a licence from the Ministry of Education and Culture to provide English-language upper secondary education. You can apply for the English-language general upper secondary education in the joint application procedure in spring 2027. English-language upper secondary education will begin at Kiviruukin lukio upper secondary school in August 2027, when the new upper secondary school starts its operations. A smooth study path to upper secondary education is important for the families of international experts moving to Espoo, for example.

“English-language upper secondary education based on the Finnish curriculum brings significant added value to Finnish and Espoo upper secondary education. It enables young people whose Finnish language skills are not sufficient to complete the Finnish-language upper secondary school path to complete their upper secondary school studies,” says Jussi Paavola, Director of Upper Secondary Education. 

The target group for English-language general upper secondary education and the matriculation examination is students whose Finnish or Swedish language skills are not sufficient for general upper secondary studies, but whose language skills enable studying in English. A young person who has been in primary education in Finland for less than three years is considered to have insufficient language skills. The target group also includes Finnish returnees whose strongest academic language is English, and those who have moved to Finland and Espoo due to their parents’ work, and for whom English has been the language of instruction at school. 

In the joint application procedure in spring 2027, there will be an estimated 30 available student places for English-language general upper secondary education. The student intake will be decided by the Espoo Growth and Learning Committee in October-November 2026. In total, Kiviruukin lukio upper secondary school will have approximately 1,200 students.

“I am excited about the versatility of the future Kiviruukin lukio upper secondary school, to which this entity is an excellent fit. In the upcoming school year, we will continue to plan the English-language upper secondary education as part of the development of the new upper secondary school – the work is really inspiring,” says Principal Helena Mielikäinen.

The English-language general upper secondary school curriculum is a translation of the Finnish-language curriculum. The English-language matriculation examinations are implemented as translation tests, i.e. they are the same in content as the Finnish and Swedish-language tests. To be eligible for an English-language degree, the student must take the Finnish or Swedish as a Second Language and Literature test, depending on the language of instruction in the general upper secondary school. The language of instruction at Kiviruukin lukio is Finnish. In English-language upper secondary education, the main language of instruction is English. The first English-language matriculation examinations can be taken at Kiviruukin lukio upper secondary school in autumn 2029.

In Espoo, two upper secondary schools also offer the International Baccalaureate (IB) diploma.