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Estonia’s well-developed day care system provides opportunities for families in which both spouses work. There are day-care facilities for children under the age of 3, which are called crèches. Between the ages of 3 and 7 children can attend nursery school, where they already learn some social and elementary skills and have lessons like music or drawing. Although most children go to municipal day care centres, privately-owned day care centres exist as well. In municipal day care centres the parents pay for the cost of meals, but the rest is covered by the local government. Additionally, babysitters can be found with the help of friends, agencies or through newspaper advertisements.
School is obligatory from the age of 7 to the age of 17 or until the acquisition of basic education. Municipal schools are prevalent; some schools belong to the state and a few are privately-owned. At municipal and state-owned schools there is no tuition fee, and parents must only buy school supplies.
Possibilities for education in English can be found in the two biggest cities – Tallinn and Tartu, where the International School of Estonia, Tallinn International Kindergarten and Tartu International School operate. The International School of Estonia accepts students up to grade 12 (17-18 years of age). Tartu International School educates students from age 6 to 14. As all these three are private institutions, a rather high tuition fee must be paid for the studies.
In the event that tuition in one of the private institutions is not possible, but your child still needs tuition in English, you should contact the local government education office, who will advise you on which school is most suitable for your child. The school will then devise an individual study plan for your child. As the number of English-speaking children in schools is growing, schools have become quite expeienced in meeting the needs of children, who are coming from abroad.
Parents may freely choose a school for a child if there are vacant places in the selected school. A school is required to ensure educational opportunities for each child who resides in the school’s catchment area. Some schools do not have a catchment area and may accept pupils on the basis of admission tests or other requirements.
A child should be registered at a school by the 1st of June, for schools with admission tests earlier, and for that parents should submit to the school an application for admission together with a copy of the child’s personal identification document or birth certificate. In the event that your child has already attended school, documents certifying education obtained abroad or in another school in Estonia must also be presented.
Admission to upper secondary school takes place on the basis of admission tests and results from basic school. In most schools, admission tests to upper secondary level take place in March or April; the local education board can give you the exact dates.
The academic year usually lasts from 1 September until June of the following year. It consists of a study period, examination period, and holidays, which include one week in the autumn, two weeks at Christmas and one week in the spring. The maximum number of lessons per week varies from 20 lessons (grade 1) to 34 lessons (grade 9). At upper secondary school the number of lessons may be 35 or even more.
You can find more information about the pre-school, basic and secondary education in our Education system section
Educational possibilities in Estonia
Tallinn. Education
Tartu. Education and Science
Survival Guide to citizens of Tartu 2009 (978 KB pdf)
Going to school in Estonia (759 KB pdf)
The International School of Estonia
Tartu International School
Tallinn International Kindergarten
Pihel OÜ. Babysitters, housekeepers
T&V Kodu Abi. Babysitters, housekeepers
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