Good to know
Good to Know
- Whether a child has a Danish CPR number changes school fees dramatically — several international schools (CIS, ISH, Rygaards) charge a much higher rate or a flat monthly surcharge until a CPR number and matching address are registered with the school, so factor this into early relocation budgeting.
- Admissions to Copenhagen's popular international schools can be competitive, especially for IB Diploma years, and most schools recommend applying at least 6–12 months in advance.
- Free public Folkeskole is a real option for expat families planning a longer stay: it's free once you have a registered Copenhagen address, though instruction is in Danish.
- Most named international schools cluster in Nordhavn, Østerbro, Hellerup, and Frederiksberg; a few well-known state-subsidized options (like North Zealand International School) are 25–30 minutes outside the city center by train, which is worth factoring into daily commute planning.
- International school admissions in Copenhagen are 'rolling' with no fixed deadline, but that's not the same as 'no waitlist risk' — apply as soon as your move is confirmed, ideally 6–12 months ahead, especially for popular grades.
- Corporate/employer sponsorship, diplomatic affiliation, and having an older sibling already enrolled meaningfully improve your position in a school's waiting pool — a fully independent applicant with no such ties should expect to be lower priority.
- Budget for a registration fee at application/offer stage (roughly 1,000–3,000 DKK at most schools, or a 40,000 DKK registration fee specifically at Copenhagen International School) plus a separate enrollment deposit often equal to one term's tuition.
- Homeschooling is a genuine constitutional right in Denmark, not a legal gray area, but it comes with real obligations: you must notify Københavns Kommune before starting, teach Danish/English/math at a minimum, and accept periodic municipal inspections.
- Homeschooling is still statistically rare in Denmark (roughly 0.1% of pupils nationally), so English-language homeschool co-ops and in-person support networks are thin — most available groups and resources are Danish-language-first.
- One interviewed homeschooling parent described encountering a degree of social stigma around homeschooling in Danish communities — this is a single family's personal experience, not a documented institutional attitude, so treat it as anecdotal context rather than a fixed cultural fact.
Schools And Curricula
- Overview
- Copenhagen's international/bilingual school market is dominated by IB programmes, supplemented by Cambridge (British), American-diploma, French (AEFE), German, and Danish-bilingual options. Most sit in or just north of the city center (Nordhavn, Østerbro, Hellerup, Frederiksberg), with a couple of state-subsidized options further out in North Zealand.
Schools
Copenhagen International School (CIS)
- Ages
- 3 to 18
- Location
- Nordhavn, Copenhagen
- Curriculum Notes
- Copenhagen International School (CIS) is a private, day international school in Copenhagen that serves ages 3 to 18, delivering all three IB programmes alongside an American high school diploma, with English as the language of instruction and Danish taught within the curriculum. The school is an IB World School accredited by NEASC for the full IB continuum and the U.S. diploma.
Tuition
- Annual Range Estimate
- DKK 100,000
- Annual Range Estimate High
- DKK 175,000
- Notes
- Fees vary by grade/age and by whether the family has a Danish CPR number (non-CPR families lose a state subsidy and pay a higher rate). A newly enrolling 5-year-old paid DKK 194,000 in the first year of enrolment for 2025/26 including one-time fees.
One Time Fees
Application fee
- Application Fee
- DKK 2,500
Registration fee (non-refundable once offer accepted)
- Registration Fee (Non Refundable Once Offer Accepted)
- DKK 25,000
Administration fee (refundable if paid in full)
- Administration Fee (Refundable If Paid In Full)
- DKK 2,000
Curricula
- IB Primary Years Programme (PYP)
- IB Middle Years Programme (MYP)
- IB Diploma Programme (DP)
- US High School Diploma
International School of Hellerup (ISH)
- Ages
- 3 to 19
- Location
- Hellerup (just north of central Copenhagen, Østerbro-adjacent)
- Curriculum Notes
- International School of Hellerup is an English-speaking not-for-profit International Baccalaureate Continuum School for students aged 3-19, offering the three main IB programmes and operating under Danish law with financial support from the Danish State.
Tuition
- Application Fee
- DKK 2,000
- Non CPR Monthly Fee
- DKK 6,500
- Notes
- ISH is state co-funded, so fees are much lower than fully private schools, but only for pupils with a registered Danish CPR number. Without a valid CPR number/address on file by the deadline, families are billed DKK 6,500 per month until the requirement is met.
Curricula
- IB Primary Years Programme (PYP)
- IB Middle Years Programme (MYP)
- IB Diploma Programme (DP)
Rygaards International School
- Ages
- 4 to 16
- Location
- Hellerup, just north of central Copenhagen
- Curriculum Notes
- The international department educates pupils from 4 to 16 years old using the English curriculum, taught alongside a separate Danish department under one roof; French and German are taught as foreign languages by native-speaking teachers.
Tuition
- Range 2026 27
- DKK 42,350
- Application Fee
- DKK 2,000
- First Child Annual
- DKK 42,350
- Range 2026 27 High
- DKK 53,075
- Reception Class Annual
- DKK 95,700
- Notes
- State-subsidized (CPR-linked) fees are considerably lower than the reception-class/non-subsidized rates. Figures below are for CPR-registered pupils.
Curricula
- Cambridge Primary
- Cambridge Secondary
- IGCSE
- IB elements referenced by some directories
North Zealand International School (NZIS/NIS)
- Ages
- 3/6 to 16/18
- Location
- Hørsholm, North Zealand — roughly 25-30 minutes by train from central Copenhagen, so not walkable/central but a commonly used option for families in the wider metro area
- Curriculum Notes
- As the international wing of NGG, Denmark's largest private school, it offers an environment where global students interact with the local Danish community, with the curriculum beginning with IEYC/IPC, moving through Cambridge Lower Secondary and IGCSE, and culminating in the IB Diploma Programme.
Tuition
- Annual Range
- DKK 25,000
- Annual Range High
- DKK 45,000
- Notes
- One of the most affordable state-linked international options in the wider Copenhagen area.
Curricula
- International Early Years Curriculum (IEYC)
- International Primary Curriculum (IPC)
- Cambridge Lower Secondary
- IGCSE
- IB Diploma Programme (via partner arrangement)
Institut Sankt Joseph Copenhagen
- Ages
- 6 to 16
- Location
- Østerbro, central Copenhagen (near Kastellet and Fælledparken)
- Curriculum Notes
- This private Catholic school offers a bespoke bilingual curriculum combining Danish and Cambridge International education; in Primary, about half of lessons are taught in Danish and half in English (Cambridge goals), with an International Bilingual Department opened in 2014.
Tuition
- Notes
- Specific tuition figures were not found in publicly available sources at time of writing; contact the school's admissions office directly.
Curricula
- Danish national curriculum
- Cambridge International
Byens Steinerskole (Waldorf International School Copenhagen)
- Ages
- 1 to 14
- Location
- Copenhagen
- Curriculum Notes
- An independent Waldorf school with an English-language international department; it is an IB Primary Years Programme candidate school, with full authorization planned for 2027 and MYP candidacy for 2026/27.
Tuition
- Notes
- Specific tuition figures were not found in publicly available sources at time of writing; contact the school directly.
Curricula
- Waldorf/Steiner (Danish Ministry-aligned)
- IB Primary Years Programme (candidate)
European School Copenhagen
- Ages
- Nursery through secondary
- Location
- Greater Copenhagen area
- Curriculum Notes
- A public international school with high academic standards, currently offering both a Danish language section and an English language section, providing multicultural and multilingual education for nursery, primary and secondary students.
Tuition
- Notes
- As a public/state-linked European School, fees are typically state-subsidized rather than full private tuition; exact figures were not found in publicly available sources at time of writing.
Curricula
- European Schools curriculum
- Danish language section
- English language section
Copenhagen Area
- Name
- Other named options referenced by local directories (curriculum/tuition not independently verified for this listing)
- Notes
- Copenhagen Expats and local school directories also list a French school affiliated with AEFE (Agence de l'Enseignement Français à l'étranger) following the French national curriculum, a Jewish school integrating religious education with academic study, Bjørn's International School, and International Montessori School Copenhagen. Tuition for these was not confirmed via primary sources for this entry.
Public School Alternative
- Notes
- Children aged between 6 to 16 can attend public schools (Folkeskole) for free, provided the family has a registered address in Copenhagen; a child does not need a CPR number to start public school, only a registered address, and enrollment in the local district school is guaranteed.
Enrollment And Homeschooling
Homeschooling
- Legal Basis
- Homeschooling (hjemmeundervisning) is a constitutional right in Denmark: Section 76 of the Danish Constitution guarantees parents the right to educate children themselves in place of public school attendance, provided the education is equivalent to what is generally required in the Folkeskole (public school).
- Community And Co Op
- A Danish-language Facebook group called 'Frit Læringsliv i Danmark' exists as a homeschooling community/network according to one homeschooling parent's account, and homeschooling families interviewed by the Copenhagen-focused outlet Last Week in Denmark describe finding (or eventually helping start) local homeschooling groups for peer support, though such groups are informal, Danish-language-first, and not a formal co-op institution; families should not assume a large, English-language, Copenhagen-specific homeschool co-op scene comparable to the US or UK.
- Prevalence In Denmark
- Homeschooling remains uncommon in Denmark relative to countries like the US or UK — Danish broadcaster DR reported at least 1,238 homeschooled children nationally in the 2020–2021 school year, roughly 0.1% of all primary-school pupils, though numbers have been rising since the pandemic.
- Curriculum Requirements
- Danish, mathematics and English must be part of the child's education plan alongside broader coverage of the humanities and sciences, and the education must also prepare the child to live in Danish society, including respect for basic freedoms and human rights and equality between the sexes; parents are expected to keep a portfolio of evidence of the child's learning and progress.
- Qualifications Required
- There are no specific teaching qualifications required of the parent or tutor, and Denmark grants homeschoolers freedom of teaching method (metodefrihed).
- Legality And Regulatory Status
- Fully legal and regulated
- Copenhagen Specific Administration
- There is no separate Copenhagen-specific homeschooling law — the national constitutional right applies, and it is administered locally by Københavns Kommune (Copenhagen Municipality) under the same notify-and-supervise framework used nationwide; in practice, supervision approach can vary somewhat between municipalities.
- Notification And Supervision Requirements
- Parents must notify their local municipality (kommune) before starting home education and identify who will be teaching the child, and municipal supervisors then carry out periodic inspections — commonly once or twice a year — to confirm the education is comparable to public-school standards, with the possibility that homeschooling can be required to stop if an inspector deems it inadequate.
- Language Of Instruction Note
- Sources differ slightly on language: one municipal-guide source states only that Danish itself must be taught as a subject while other subjects can be delivered in the family's native language, whereas at least one expat-focused guide asserts instruction overall must be in Danish — families should confirm the specific expectation directly with Copenhagen (Københavns) Kommune before starting.
International Bilingual School Admissions
- Overview
- Copenhagen's main international/IB schools (e.g. Copenhagen International School, CIS) operate on rolling, year-round admissions rather than a single hard deadline, but that does not mean there is no waitlist pressure — popular grade levels and the early years can still fill up, especially in central, high-demand areas like Hellerup and Nordhavn.
- Application Timing
- According to Copenhagen International School's own FAQ, there are no fixed application deadlines and the school runs rolling admissions to accommodate families relocating outside the normal August start.
- Rolling Admission Detail
- CIS explicitly states that students can start at any time of the year where space is available, since it operates rolling admissions specifically to accommodate expat families moving mid-year.
- Practical Lead Time Advice
- Because places are granted on a first-come, space-available basis and popular grades can fill, applying as soon as a move to Copenhagen is confirmed — realistically 6–12 months ahead for sought-after grades — gives a meaningfully better shot than waiting until arrival; industry guidance on international-school admissions generally confirms that applying earlier in the cycle (e.g. in spring/early summer for an August start) improves odds over families applying right before term starts.
- State Subsidy Note
- Many of Copenhagen's international schools are approved privatskoler that receive a per-pupil subsidy from Denmark's Ministry of Children and Education, and Danish-resident families pay only the unsubsidized portion of tuition — a factor that affects overall affordability but not the enrollment/waitlist mechanics themselves.
Documents And Requirements
- Campus Visit Step
- A campus tour with the admissions office (CIS recommends reserving 60–90 minutes) is treated as a standard early step in the process, ahead of formal application review.
- General Checklist
- CIS's published admissions checklist centers on a completed application form, prior school records, and confirmation that the school's financial requirements (tuition and fees) are met, with final registration completed once an offer is accepted and the registration fee paid.
- Typical Supporting Documents For Foreign Families
- In practice, foreign families applying to Copenhagen's international/bilingual schools should expect to prepare the child's passport copy, previous school reports/transcripts, immunization records, and — once resident — a Danish CPR (personal registration) number, plus proof of the family's Copenhagen address for schools that receive Ministry of Children and Education subsidies tied to residency.
Fees Relevant To Enrollment
- Cis Registration Fee
- DKK 40,000
Paid once, at the point an offer is accepted, to secure the place at Copenhagen International School.
- Enrollment Deposit Pattern
- Beyond the registration fee, many Copenhagen international/private schools also require an enrollment deposit roughly equal to one term's tuition, which is later returned or applied to the child's final term.
- Typical Registration Fee Other Int Schools Low
- DKK 1,000
Lower end of typical non-refundable application/registration fee range across Copenhagen's other English-medium/bilingual private schools, paid with the application.
- Typical Registration Fee Other Int Schools High
- DKK 3,000
Upper end of that same typical registration fee range.
Waitlist And Priority Mechanics
- Sibling And Corporate Priority General Pattern
- Across international schools generally (a pattern also reflected in CIS's own categories), sibling priority and corporate/diplomatic sponsorship priority are common, so a family with an employer-sponsored relocation package or an older child already enrolled typically ranks ahead of a fully independent applicant with no existing ties to the school.
- How It Works
- Once a grade level fills, subsequent qualified applicants are placed in a waiting pool rather than being outright rejected, and schools admit from that pool according to defined priority categories rather than strict first-come order.
- Cis Priority Order
- At CIS, priority in the waiting pool goes first to returning enrolled students who confirm re-enrollment by the school's deadline, then to applicants affiliated with diplomatic missions, governmental/non-governmental organizations, or multinational corporations operating in Copenhagen, followed by returning former CIS students (including those who attended a Danish efterskole) and IB transfer students from other schools.
- Decision Timeline And Deposits
- Once an offer is made and accepted at CIS, the place is secured with a registration fee, after which the admissions team guides the family through enrollment paperwork; more broadly, admitted families are typically given a limited window (commonly around two weeks in similar international-school systems) to confirm and pay a deposit before the place can be released back to the waiting pool.
AI-generated estimateData refreshed July 2026
This section has no cited sources.
More About Copenhagen
Data last updated July 2026 · Verify anything important.