International schools in Denmark: Copenhagen list, fees and admission

What counts as an international school in Denmark?

In Denmark, an international school is usually a private school that the Ministry of Children and Education has approved to teach in a language other than Danish. Approval goes to schools, or divisions of schools, that mainly serve children of foreign parents living in Denmark for a shorter period. The Ministry counts 26 international basic schools, from Copenhagen to Aarhus, Billund, Esbjerg and Aalborg. Some teach entirely in English; others are an English, French or German division inside a Danish private school (Ministry of Children and Education).

There are two free routes. European School Copenhagen is Copenhagen’s only public international school. Teaching is free, places are limited, and the school runs its own admissions (City of Copenhagen). And kommuner may set up a kommunal international grundskole (municipal international school) teaching in English, German or French for children of foreigners here temporarily for work. It cannot charge for teaching, only for after-school care (Ministry of Children and Education). Ask your kommune whether it runs one.

For how the Danish system works as a whole, see our education system guide. For daycare and folkeskole places, see getting your children into school and daycare.

International school or folkeskole: which suits your family?

Neither is the “right” choice. It depends on how long you will stay and how old your child is.

An international school tends to suit you if:

• you expect to move country again in a few years and want a curriculum that travels, such as the IB or a British curriculum;
• your child is 10 or older, has no Danish, and has exams coming;
• your employer pays the fees.

The local folkeskole tends to suit you if:

• you plan to settle, and you want your child to speak Danish and have friends on your street;
• your child is young, when picking up a language is easiest;
• you do not want to pay school fees.

Many international families choose the folkeskole deliberately. It is free, it has a legal duty to teach Danish as a second language, and a newly arrived child can join a reception class first (see the school and daycare guide). Between the two sit the Danish private schools with an English division, such as Rygaards, Bernadotteskolen and Institut Sankt Joseph, where your child is in an English stream inside a Danish school community.

Which international schools are there around Copenhagen?

Every school below is on the Ministry’s list. Where we could read the school’s own site, we say what it offers. Where we could not, we give only the Ministry’s entry.

IB schools (Primary Years, Middle Years and Diploma Programmes):

• Copenhagen International School (CIS), Nordhavn. Pre-Kindergarten from age 2 to Grade 12, with IB programmes (CIS). Instruction is in English, with Danish in the curriculum (CIS 2025-26 conditions).
• International School of Hellerup (ISH), Hellerup. Pre-K to the IB Diploma (DP2), plus a Danish STX track (ISH).
• Nordsjællands Grundskole & Gymnasium (NGG), Hørsholm. Its North Zealand International School runs from Early Years to Year 13, with the IB Diploma (NGG).

Other curricula:

• Viking International School, Ballerup. Combines the British National Curriculum with the Danish one, and uses the Oxford International Curriculum in the upper years (Viking).
• International Montessori School, Skovlunde. English-language Montessori school (Ministry of Children and Education).
• Skt. Josefs Skole, Roskilde. An international division from Primary Year 1 to IGCSE in Years 10-11 (Skt. Josefs).
• Prins Henriks Skole, Frederiksberg (French; Danish-French baccalaureate), and Sankt Petri Skole, Copenhagen (German; Deutsche Internationale Abiturprüfung). These are on the Ministry’s lists, but their own sites blocked our checks.
• European School Copenhagen. Public, with English, French and Danish sections (Ministry of Children and Education), leading to the European Baccalaureate (Ministry of Children and Education).

English divisions in Danish schools: Bernadotteskolen (Hellerup), Rygaards (Hellerup), Institut Sankt Joseph (ISJ), Bjørns Internationale Skole (Bjørn’s) and Waldorf International School, all in or near Copenhagen.

Free IB at 16-19: public gymnasiums such as Nørre Gymnasium (Brønshøj) and Birkerød Gymnasium offer the IB Diploma (Ministry of Children and Education). Nørre Gymnasium charges no tuition and no exam fees (Nørre Gymnasium).

What do international schools cost?

All prices are each school’s own published figures, read in October 2026.

Sources: ISH, CIS, Viking, Montessori. Montessori’s page still showed its 2025-26 schedule in October 2026.

On top of the fee. At ISH, after-school care for younger pupils is DKK 1,630 a month, lunch DKK 750, and IB Diploma students pay a DKK 300 monthly IB fee. Fees rise by at least 2% a year. At CIS, after-school club for Kindergarten to Grade 5 is DKK 1,100-2,000 a month, and sport, trips and lunch are billed separately. At Viking, SFO is DKK 600-1,750 a month. None of the fee pages we read published a school bus price.

Why the CPR number matters. These schools are partly funded by the state, but only for pupils with a Danish CPR number registered in time. ISH needs it by 1 September, or you pay the DKK 6,500 rate for the whole year. Montessori’s cut-off is 5 September, and Rygaards charges more for pupils without a CPR number (Rygaards). Get your CPR number before September if you can.

Employer-paid fees. School fees are a common thing to negotiate in an expat relocation package. Schools’ terms provide for this: Rygaards’ payment terms make a company that is registered as payer liable for the fees. Get the arrangement in writing before you accept a place.

How do you get a place?

• Apply before you move. The City of Copenhagen warns that the most popular schools have waiting lists. ISH and CIS both run a waiting pool rather than a strict queue. CIS fills places by priority group: current pupils first, then siblings and scholarship students, then families linked to embassies, NGOs and multinational companies in Copenhagen, then returning former pupils and IB transfers from abroad, then everyone else (CIS). At Bjørn’s, paying the application fee confirms your place on the waiting list, but time on the list is not the only criterion.
• Expect an assessment. ISH invites applicants from PYP 4 to DP 1 for an English and maths test and an interview (ISH). CIS reviews each application as a whole, including English level and learning-support needs.
• Mid-year entry. ISH enrols all year round from Pre-K to MYP 4, but the IB Diploma closes to new students on 1 September. CIS bills a mid-year joiner by quarter: someone starting between 16 January and 19 March 2027 pays 50% of the annual fee.
• Pre-K in Copenhagen. English-language private daycare classes must show that a child’s stay is short-term. ISH asks for a work-based residence permit, a contract with an end date, or proof of a posting abroad (ISH).

What should a foreign parent ask before signing?

• Does my child need English already? Not always. ISH has English Language Support, and Viking includes English and Danish as additional languages in its fee.
• Is Danish taught? CIS includes Danish in its curriculum (CIS). A municipal international school must teach Danish in Danish.
• When are the terms? CIS runs from 12 August 2026 to 18 June 2027, close to the Danish calendar. Ask about autumn and winter holidays, because these differ between kommuner.
• What happens if we leave mid-year? ISH requires three months’ notice, and the deposit can cover it. At CIS, the share of the annual fee you owe rises by quarter, with one month’s notice through the parent portal. Montessori asks for three months’ notice by email, and Viking refunds its deposit once you have paid three months’ fees after giving notice.

Common mistakes

• Waiting for a CPR number before applying. Apply first, then get the CPR number before the September cut-off.
• Comparing monthly and annual prices. CIS quotes a year’s fee; ISH and Viking quote a month’s, paid over 12 and 11 months.
• Forgetting non-refundable fees. CIS’s DKK 40,000 registration fee is not returned if you leave.
• Assuming IB means fees. At 16, a public gymnasium IB costs nothing.