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Schools & Education in Reykjavík

Good to know

Good to Know

  • International school capacity in Reykjavik is very limited — there are only a handful of schools for the entire capital region, so places fill quickly; apply as early as possible if your family will need English-medium (or French/British-curriculum) schooling.
  • Two of the more established options, ISI and BISI, are technically located in neighboring Garðabær and Kópavogur rather than central Reykjavik — both are only a short drive from downtown, but factor in the commute when choosing housing.
  • If you become a legal resident registered in a Greater Reykjavík municipality, you can usually apply for a municipal tuition 'voucher' that substantially reduces net international-school costs — this is not automatic and must be applied for annually.
  • Public Icelandic schools are completely free (including textbooks) for every legally resident child regardless of nationality, and provide Icelandic-as-a-second-language support — many long-term nomad/expat families ultimately choose this route over paying international-school tuition.
  • ISI's fees are billed directly in US dollars by the school itself rather than in krónur, which is unusual for Iceland and worth confirming directly with the school for the current year's exact figure.
  • If you need English-medium schooling, treat it as a limited-capacity resource, not a guaranteed placement — Reykjavík has only a handful of small international/bilingual schools, so apply as soon as your move is confirmed rather than after you land.
  • Check which 'stream' fits your situation before applying to ISI: the English Stream is aimed at families on temporary postings (often 3 years or fewer), while the Bilingual Stream is aimed at families settling long-term and expects Icelandic proficiency.
  • If international-school spots aren't available, the public system (grunnskóli) is a real fallback — by law it must accept children at any point in the year and provides language support from day one, though instruction is entirely in Icelandic.
  • Homeschooling in Iceland is legal but is not a casual 'unschool while traveling' option — it requires municipal approval, ongoing oversight tied to a local school, and adherence to the national curriculum, and it only applies once you're legally domiciled in an Icelandic municipality.
  • Don't rely on generic blog posts claiming homeschooling is simply 'not allowed' in Iceland — this is outdated or inaccurate; Iceland's own compulsory-education framework explicitly recognizes homeschooling as one legitimate route, just a regulated one.
  • The homeschooling community in Iceland is small; don't expect an active local co-op scene like in some countries — most support currently seems to happen online rather than through regular in-person meetups.

Schools And Curricula

Overview
Reykjavik's international/bilingual school sector is small (a handful of institutions total for the whole capital area), heavily concentrated in Reykjavik and the adjoining municipalities of Garðabær and Kópavogur, and generally full or near-capacity. Free public Icelandic-medium schools (grunnskóli) are open to every legally resident child regardless of nationality, with Icelandic-as-a-second-language support, and are the default choice for long-term expat families.

Schools

  • International School of Iceland (ISI) — Alþjóðaskólinn á ÍSlandi
    Grades
    Kindergarten (age 5) through Grade 10 (age 16)
    Tuition
    ISK 3,693,708
    Location
    Garðabær (Sjálandsskóli building), about a five-minute drive from central Reykjavik
    Curricula
    Private, non-profit school offering two streams: an English Stream for families on temporary assignment (embassy, business, university), and a Bilingual Stream (Icelandic-English) for long-term/permanent residents. Grades K-6 use the International Primary Curriculum (IPC) and AERO Common Core Plus standards; grades 7-10 follow the IB Middle Years Programme (MYP) — ISI is the only private school in Iceland authorized to offer any IB programme. Accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools (MSA) and the Council of International Schools (CIS).
  • Reykjavik International School (RIS)
    Grades
    Year 1 through Year 11 (roughly ages 5–16)
    Tuition
    ISK 2,212,968
    Location
    Dyrhamrar 9, 112 Reykjavik
    Curricula
    Private international school delivering the Cambridge International Curriculum in English, with Icelandic taught to both native speakers and learners; accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC) and a member of the Nordic Network of International Schools.
    Registration Fee
    ISK 15,000

    One-time registration fee per student

  • Landakotsskóli (International Department / IDL)
    Grades
    Kindergarten through Grade 10
    Location
    Landakotstún, central Reykjavik, near the University of Iceland
    Curricula
    The oldest private school in Iceland, historically a Catholic school; runs a bilingual Icelandic/English track built on the Icelandic National Curriculum combined with Cambridge Assessment International Education programmes. An International Department (sometimes called IDL) was opened in 2015 for Reykjavik's foreign and diplomatic community.

    Tuition

    Note
    Tuition figures were not published in available sources; contact the school directly for current fees.
  • British International School of Iceland (BISI)
    Grades
    Preschool through Grade 6
    Location
    Kópavogur, a neighboring municipality just outside Reykjavik
    Curricula
    Private British-curriculum school following the Early Years Foundation Stage and the National Curriculum for England.

    Tuition

    Note
    Tuition figures were not published in available sources; contact the school directly for current fees.
  • Lycée Français En Islande (French School in Reykjavik)
    Grades
    Kindergarten through Grade 9
    Location
    Reykjavik
    Curricula
    Follows the official French national curriculum, part of the global network of French schools abroad (AEFE-affiliated network), with classes primarily in French alongside Icelandic instruction. Aimed at French-speaking families and those seeking French/Icelandic bilingual education.

    Tuition

    Note
    Tuition figures were not published in available sources; as an AEFE-network school, fees are typically set on a published scale but this was not confirmed for Reykjavik specifically — contact the school directly.
  • ABC International School
    Grades
    Kindergarten through Grade 7
    Location
    Suðurvogur 3, 104 Reykjavik
    Curricula
    English-medium instruction following a curriculum similar to the Icelandic national system, run as an international offshoot of a local Icelandic school (ABC-skólinn).

    Tuition

    Note
    School's own guidance is to inquire directly; no published fee schedule found.
  • Nordic International School
    Grades
    Preschool through Grade 6
    Location
    Reykjavik
    Curricula
    Combines elements of Nordic-country curricula with international educational practices; classes conducted primarily in Nordic languages with English as a core part of the curriculum, aimed at Nordic and internationally-minded families.

    Tuition

    Note
    Tuition figures were not published in available sources; contact the school directly for current fees.
  • Menntaskólinn Við Hamrahlíð (MH / Hamrahlíð College)
    Grades
    Upper secondary, ages roughly 16–19
    Location
    Hamrahlíð, Reykjavik
    Curricula
    Public Icelandic upper-secondary school and the only school in Iceland offering the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme; a member of the International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO).

    Tuition

    Note
    As a public Icelandic upper-secondary school, tuition is free or limited to minimal administrative fees; specific IB Diploma programme fees were not itemized in available sources.

Enrollment And Homeschooling

Homeschooling

Process
Parents who want an exemption to teach their children at home must apply to the municipality where they are legally domiciled. Children who are approved to be homeschooled are exempt from attending compulsory school for the duration of the arrangement, but must be connected to a specific local school for regular assessment, supervision, and access to school and support services, and must be given the opportunity to join that school's social, recreational, and trip activities alongside enrolled students.
Legal Basis
Compulsory education can be fulfilled through homeschooling as one of the recognized alternatives under the Primary/Compulsory School Act, with the exemption process and oversight requirements set out in Article 46 of the Compulsory School Act (No. 91/2008) and detailed further in Regulation No. 531/2009 on Home Education at Primary School Level.
Prevalence And Community
Homeschooling is not common in Iceland; the overwhelming majority of families, including most expats, use the public school system. Available descriptions point to a small but reportedly growing homeschooling community, including among expat families, connected mainly through online forums and social media rather than a formal in-person institution.
Community Resources Found
The clearest concrete resource identified is an Icelandic homeschooling-focused Instagram account run by a local parent, used as an informal information and community-building channel; no independently documented, organized in-person homeschool co-op or meetup group specific to Reykjavík was found in this research.
Applies To Foreign Families
The same regulations apply to foreign residents as to Icelandic citizens, but the exemption is tied to legal domicile in an Icelandic municipality — it is not available to families who are merely visiting or who have not registered residence in Iceland.
Curriculum And Oversight Requirements
Homeschooling parents are required to follow the same national curriculum guide (Aðalnámskrá) used in Icelandic compulsory schools and their children remain subject to regular assessment and the nationally coordinated examinations under the Compulsory School Act.
Legal Status Description
Homeschooling is legal in Iceland but tightly regulated — it is treated as a temporary, municipally-approved exemption from compulsory schooling rather than an unrestricted parental right.
Teacher Qualification Note
Sources disagree on the precise personal-qualification bar: some describe a requirement that at least one parent hold an actual teaching license (a rule reportedly introduced in a 2009 regulation), while other guidance frames it as requiring a certified teacher to oversee or assess the child's education rather than the parent personally holding the license — this distinction could not be fully reconciled and should be confirmed directly with the municipality before relying on it.

International Bilingual School Enrollment

Overview
Reykjavik's international/bilingual options for foreign families are few and small, so realistic planning means applying well before an intended start date rather than assuming a spot will be available on arrival.
Public School Contrast
By contrast, Icelandic public compulsory schools (grunnskóli) are required to accept children at any point during the year, with children assigned to their local school by municipality and given language support from day one — so families willing to use the Icelandic-medium public system avoid the international-school waitlist problem entirely, though the tradeoff is that instruction is in Icelandic.
Documents And Process Reality
No school in the research publishes a single standardized checklist; each institution runs its own thorough, individualized admissions process (ISI explicitly describes its process as one that 'takes time to complete'). Practically, this means contacting the specific school directly early to get their current document list (typically school reports/transcripts, proof of family's residence status or assignment letter for temporary-stream applicants, and immunization records are commonly requested by schools of this type, though this could not be confirmed as an official published Icelandic requirement for every school).
Waitlist And Capacity Reality
International schools in Iceland are limited to a handful of small institutions concentrated in the Greater Reykjavík area, and spots at each are limited — admission and enrollment procedures vary school to school, space is often limited, and preference may in some cases be given based on nationality or family circumstance (e.g., diplomatic/temporary-assignment status for ISI's English Stream).
Application Timing Recommendation
Because international schools in Iceland are small and spots can be limited, families who know they will need English-medium education are advised to apply as early as possible — ideally as soon as a move to Reykjavík is confirmed, rather than waiting until arrival.

Main Schools And Admission Notes

  • International School of Iceland (ISI), Garðabær (Reykjavík Capital Area)
    Type
    Private, non-profit; IB Middle Years Programme (MYP) authorized; grades K–10
    Admission Notes
    The International School of Iceland runs two separate tracks: an English Stream intended for children whose families are temporarily located in Iceland (foreign-service dependents, business-assigned families, visiting scholars), and a Bilingual Stream (Icelandic-English) intended for children who are proficient in Icelandic and make Iceland their home. The school itself states that because admission is a thorough process, applications take time to complete.
  • Reykjavik International School (RIS)
    Type
    International curriculum, Cambridge-referenced; Years 1–11, roughly ages 5–16
    Admission Notes
    Reykjavik International School enrolls students from the beginning of primary school through adolescence, with instruction primarily in English and Icelandic studied by all students, including differentiated tracks for native speakers and learners. Its student body includes repatriating Icelandic families, diplomatic/business dependents, and other foreign residents.
  • Landakotsskóli – International Department
    Type
    Icelandic national curriculum with an English track and Icelandic-English bilingual pathway; Cambridge-authorized for certain subjects, kindergarten through grade 10
    Admission Notes
    This international section functions as an authorized Cambridge International school integrated within a larger Icelandic school, designed to serve Reykjavík's foreign and diplomatic community.
  • Lycée Français En Islande (French School in Reykjavik)
    Type
    Official French national curriculum, kindergarten through grade 9
    Admission Notes
    Classes are primarily in French with instruction also in Icelandic and other languages, and the school belongs to the global network of French overseas schools, allowing a French student to generally transfer within that network or re-enter school in France without a gap.
AI-generated estimateData refreshed July 2026

This section has no cited sources.

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Data last updated July 2026 · Verify anything important.