Birkerød Gymnasium (BG) is a state upper secondary school in Birkerød, north of Copenhagen, with more than 1100 students aged 15-20. The school traces its history to a private boarding school of 1868. The Danish programmes STX and HF are taught only in Danish, and since 1991 an international line has run alongside them: the one-year pre-IB and the two-year IB Diploma Programme, taught only in English; the IB line has more than 300 students of 50-60 nationalities. Pre-IB formally equals the first year of Danish STX, so students can transfer into the Danish gymnasium after it. The school is strong in science: more than half of its gymnasium students are on science lines, and in 2019 it was named Research School of the Year. The school runs one of the few public boarding schools on Zealand, home to about 70 pre-IB and IB students; about 80% of boarders have an international background.
Key facts
Programmes
IB · DP · National programme
Languages of instruction
Danish, English
Languages taught
French, German, Spanish, Latin
About the fees The school is a state school and states that no fees are charged; excursions, the study trip, parties and graduation are paid separately, students bring their own computer and calculator, and books are provided. Boarding is paid (the fee list carries no year): 5550 kroner per month for 11 months from August to June, covering housing, meals, utilities and internet; a deposit of 6000 kroner and the first month are paid on accepting the place, and a starter pack costs 1000 kroner. EU and EEA families with low income can apply for a reduced boarding fee, and from age 18 students can receive the state SU grant.
Admissions The school states directly that its IB line welcomes both Danish and international applicants. Pre-IB admits students who have turned 15 with 9-10 years of schooling, the IB Diploma students who have turned 16 with 10-11 years; good English and average or above-average grades are required. The school considers international schooling in English, grades and the need to be taught in English (for example a foreigner who does not speak Danish), as well as the personal statement. Required: the latest report card (in Danish or English, or with an authorised translation), a reference from the current school, a personal statement, a passport copy and the health insurance card if available. Pre-IB applicants submit two applications, the school form and Optagelse.dk, by 1 March, the same deadline as the IB Diploma; boarding requires a separate application by 31 January. Non-EU students coming alone can only get a one-year student visa, which prevents completing the IB; this does not apply to those moving to Denmark with their parents.
Stages and year groups Grades pre-IB, IB Diploma 1-2; STX 1.g-3.g; HF 1-2. International line: the one-year pre-IB (legally equal to 1.g of Danish STX, giving several Danish C-levels in sciences and the arts) and the two-year IB Diploma Programme: six subjects, three at Higher Level, Theory of Knowledge, the Extended Essay and CAS, with exams in May of the second year. IB subjects: English A, Danish A, Self-Taught Literature, English B, Danish B, Danish ab initio, French B, Spanish ab initio, Geography, History, Business Management, Economics, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Environmental Systems and Societies, Analysis and Approaches, Applications and Interpretation, Visual Arts, Film. Danish programmes: STX (3 years, studentereksamen) and HF (2 years). Of the IB programmes, the school offers only the Diploma Programme.
Address Søndervangen 56, 3460 Birkerød
Accreditations and programmes verified against official registries
IB · DP · authorised programmeThe IB register lists the Diploma Programme at the school; it is taught in English after a preparatory pre-IB year, alongside the Danish STX programme and the studentereksamen exam.
school is in an official registryconfirmed by a school document, by membership or by taking part in a networkclaimed by the school, no confirmation, not counted in the scoreGuide to all organisations → What stands behind each entry
IBInternational Baccalaureate
A Swiss non-profit, working since 1968. Its programmes are among the most widely recognised school programmes in the world. Authorisation is granted stage by stage, so a school with the final stage does not necessarily run the younger ones; which stages this school holds is set out in the line below.
What the badge means for this school. The school is allowed to run this programme and to award its certificate. This is a confirmation of the programme, not a judgement on the school as a whole. The entry stands in the organisation's public register - anyone can check it. At this school: DP (ages 16-19). DP is the final stage, ages 16 to 19: six subjects plus a compulsory core of theory of knowledge, an extended essay and CAS. The diploma is accepted by universities all over the world, and in a number of countries it counts for admission on the same footing as the local leaving certificate.
Register to check for yourself, and the full guide →National programme
The state school programme of the country the school stands in: it is set by that country's ministry of education, which also licenses the school and awards the leaving certificate. That certificate is used for entry to local universities, and abroad it is matched to the local one.
What this means for this school. This entry does not count towards the score, and that is deliberate. Every lawful school in a country works to the national programme, so on its own it tells one school apart from no other - unlike the French, German or Russian programmes, which are carried abroad and confirmed by the register of their organisation. We show it because a parent needs to know what programme their child is taught and what certificate the child will get. Counting it would lift the whole ranking at once and still tell nobody apart.
Exams and destinations from the school's official website
Average IB score
33 (world average 30.88)
Exam results IB Diploma, 2025: 134 candidates, 121 awarded the diploma (90.3%), average score of diploma holders 33, highest score 44 points, average subject grade 5.27. In 2024: 125 candidates, 110 diplomas, average score 32, highest score 45 points; in 2023 the average was 33, in 2022 34.
Facilities from the school's official website
·Swimming poolnot stated on the website
✓Sports hall
✓Laboratories
✓Theatre or assembly hall
·Librarynot stated on the website
✓Catering
·School transportnot stated on the website
✓Boarding
Campus: The recently renovated school building stands in the nature of North Zealand, 30 minutes by S-train from central Copenhagen. The school is strong in science and experimental work, and students visit laboratories at the University of Copenhagen and DTU. The school has a boarding school with about 100 places: everyone has their own room, shared bathrooms on each corridor, a living room, cinema, study room, theatre hall, fitness, gym, club house and a dining room with professional chefs (breakfast, hot lunch and dinner); two boarding teachers live there with their families.
Clubs and activities: Fodbold (football) · Håndbold (handball) · Basketball · Badminton · Volleyball · Ultimate · Fotomaraton (photo marathon) · Filmværksted (film workshop) · Musical · Kreativ skriveklub (creative writing club) · Open Art Workshops · Musikkollektivet (music collective) · BIGMUN · Elevråd (student council) · Yoga · Film club
Teaching staff from the school's official website
·Teachers listed by namenot published
✓Teacher qualifications
·Number of teachersthe school does not say
·Students per teacher or class sizenot stated
What the listings show: all teachers hold a university master's degree and teacher training; several are IB examiners
According to the school, all teachers hold a university master's degree and teacher training, several are IB examiners, and some science teachers have research or industry experience; teachers write textbooks such as a biotechnology series. The IB line has a Head of IB and IB Coordinator and three student counsellors, one for each year.
Safety and wellbeing from the school's official website
·CCTVnot stated on the website
·Security staffnot stated on the website
·Access controlnot stated on the website
·Nurse or medical roomnot stated on the website
✓Counsellor
✓Child protection policy
·Staff trainingnot stated on the website
·Anti-bullying policynot stated on the website
Each IB student has a counsellor who holds an intro talk; counsellors help with subject choices, absences, grades and well-being and can refer students to a psychologist or life coach who work with the school. The school publishes study and order rules, an access and inclusion policy for students with dyslexia, psychological or physical challenges, and an academic integrity policy. Two boarding teachers live at the boarding school, with a monthly corridor meeting.
Reviews
No reviews yet. The community rating counts towards the score once a school has five verified reviews - until then we do not show a zero, so as not to mislead.
Criteria breakdown criterion weight in brackets
Academics and programmes (16%)82 Community rating (16%)no dataparent reviews are needed: the criterion switches on at the fifth verified one Exams and destinations (12%) scored on disclosed data80 Safety and wellbeing (12%) scored on disclosed data65 Accreditation and verifiability (10%)85 Teaching staff (10%) scored on disclosed data55 Facilities (10%) scored on disclosed data85 Clubs and activities (8%) scored on disclosed data78 "Scored on disclosed data" stands where we count only what the school has written about itself on its own site: exams and destinations, safety and wellbeing, teaching staff, facilities, clubs and activities. A low score here means the school does not write about this, not that the school does not have it: a school with good security and a sparse site will score low. A school can fill in its profile, and the score will be counted again.
The score is counted from 8 of the 9 criteria.Only those with checkable data count: programmes and accreditations from official registers, the fee from a published price list. Where it says "scored on the median", the school has no data and the middle of the list is put in its place, so that a gap gives no advantage. Admissions, teaching staff and reviews come in as their data arrives.
The full methodology → Similar schools in the country
Birkerod, Denmark · est. 1868 · State