The international school dilemma

(Fig. 1)

For international families in Denmark, school choice can define both children’s well-being and family life. Kelly Draper Rasmussen researches whether there are enough international schools to meet demand.

Text: Kelly Draper Rasmussen

One of the top decisions for an international family, after where to live, is where to send the kids to school. Do they want their child taught in Danish or another language? Can they afford private school fees? What is even available?

Depending on the location, there might only be a choice between a Danish-language local school and a Danish-language private school. However, in cities where schools teach in English (or French or German), this brings another layer to the decision.

Why school choice matters for international families

One of the main factors for expat satisfaction that Copenhagen Capacity found in 2025 was the well-being of children. Families with thriving children are more likely to stay in Denmark. Copenhagen Capacity recommended that access to international schooling be improved to support this aim. But is there a lack of international school places?

Copenhagen Municipality’s Policy Analysis Office analysed key trends of international families in the capital and found that Danish language schools increased in popularity the longer families stayed, starting with 64% of newly arrived foreign children attending local schools compared with 72% whose parents had been in Denmark for at least 6 years. This compares with 70% of Danish families (Fig. 1).

One main attraction for putting children into a Danish school is that they will meet and make friends with Danes. Depending on location, however, some international schools have more local students than internationals (Fig. 2), especially in older grades. This can be because the children have at least one foreign parent, or they have returned from international schools overseas. It can also be because Danish families want their children to have the ‘international experience’. (International Departments in private schools were not included in this analysis, since their numbers are mixed with the Danish department.)

Are there enough international schools in place?

These trends raise an interesting question. Copenhagen Capacity recommended increasing the number of international school places to improve retention rates of international families. Are there, in fact, enough places, but Danish children have taken them? Are 70% of international families choosing the local school, or was that the only place available?

To begin to answer, we need to see how international children are distributed across Denmark and compare this with the number of international schools or departments serving them. Greater Copenhagen has 12 international schools catering to roughly 9,000 international 6–15-year-olds.

Aarhus, on the other hand, has one international school and 4,000 international school-aged children. Odense has had one international department since 2000. Ringkøbing-Skjern has 1,000, and the nearest international school is two kommuner away in Ikast-Brande (800 children).

Clearly, international schools are not planned to cater for demand. The newest international school, which opened last month for 50 students in Kalundborg, now has 500. Lolland has 500. The principle of “if you build it, they will come” seems at play. Both of these new municipal international schools have bilingual curricula, which is an advantage for international and local children.

(Fig. 2)

What parents can do

If you are an international parent who wishes you could send your child to an international or bilingual school, but there are no places available, you need to take matters into your own hands. You cannot wait for policymakers to notice you. The Danish thing to do is to form an association. Then you can lobby local politicians about setting up a municipal international school. If they see votes in it, they might be more inclined. Kalundborg International School secured donations from local businesses, so it does not necessarily require public money.

Otherwise, you can join the long, proud tradition of setting up a private school. The process is not designed to be easy, and there are many strict rules, especially for those who wish to teach in a foreign language like English, but this is for good reason. Once the school is set up and enough children are enrolled, the government provides millions of kroner in grants to subsidise parental fees.

If you live in Greater Copenhagen, there are many options. Anywhere else, you rely on luck and the local business community. International families choose local schools, but that shouldn’t be because they had nowhere else to go. Whether families are choosing Danish schools or settling for them remains the million kroner question. The Danish way forward is clear: if you want something, get organised, get vocal and get building. Your municipality can’t read your mind, but they might read the room if you make the need visible.