← Back to the rankingSandefjord videregående skole
Sandefjord, Norway · est. 1996 · State
Illustration · Sandefjord
Sandefjord videregående skole (SVGS) is a Vestfold county upper secondary school and, by its own account, the largest videregående skole in Norway: about 2200 students and 300 teachers who speak around 45 languages. The school opened on 1 August 1996, merging four upper secondary schools of Sandefjord into one complex; the IB Diploma Programme has been taught here since 1992. Besides the general academic programme studiespesialisering (with an elite sports track), the school offers many vocational programmes, from electrical engineering, IT and media to restaurant and food, hairdressing, health, and music, dance and drama. The international department consists of Pre-IB in the first year (Vg1, 45 places, partly taught in English) and the two-year IB Diploma Programme in the second and third years (Vg2-Vg3), where all lessons, textbooks and exams are in English except Norwegian and foreign languages. The rest of the school teaches in Norwegian. Tuition is free for students entitled to upper secondary education.
Key facts
Programmes
IB · DP · National programme
Languages of instruction
Norwegian, English
Languages taught
French, German, Spanish
Class size
in small classes (per the department brochure, no number given)
About the fees Tuition is free: it is a county school, the IB page states that there are no fees for the IB Diploma programme at SVGS, and the IB brochure says no fees, 100% state-financed. The admission policy specifies that the IB Diploma and Pre-IB are free for students registered in Vestfold county; the school does not state separate terms for those living in other counties or abroad. Textbooks are lent free through the learning centre.
Admissions Admission to Norwegian videregående goes through vigo.no and the Vestfold county admissions office: the main deadline is 1 March, results come in July, followed by waiting lists. The school is primarily for Vestfold residents, and IB and Pre-IB are free for students registered in the county. Pre-IB (45 places) is applied for via vigo.no; selection is by lower secondary grades; completed Norwegian grade 10, MYP year 4 or an equivalent is required. The IB Diploma (Vg2) admits students after Vg1 studiespesialisering or Pre-IB, MYP year 5, IGCSE or equivalent schooling (at least 10 years), with sufficient English and mathematics; students choose six subjects, three at higher level. Applicants from other counties and from abroad apply by 1 March: for Pre-IB through the county admissions office, which assesses their prior learning, and for the IB directly to the school with its form and documents; the decision is sent by letter in June. The school says it welcomes students of all socio-economic, ethnic, linguistic and national backgrounds who meet the requirements; if places are short, selection is by previous grades. Transfers are accepted when places are available and the subjects taken are offered at the school.
Stages and year groups Grades Vg1-Vg3. A three-year Norwegian upper secondary school (Vg1-Vg3, grades 11-13) following LK20 with the vitnemål diploma: studiespesialisering in sciences, languages, social sciences and economics, studiespesialisering with elite sports, sports, music, dance and drama, art and design, and health programmes, plus vocational programmes, a påbygg supplementary year and an introductory programme for newcomers. International track: Pre-IB (Pre-DP) in Vg1 - the same Vg1 studiespesialisering partly taught in English with IB methods - then the IB Diploma Programme in Vg2-Vg3 in English, with Theory of Knowledge, the Extended Essay and CAS and exams in May of the second year. IB subjects: English and Norwegian Language A (plus self-taught Language A in the mother tongue), Norwegian, French, German and Spanish Language B, French, German and Spanish ab initio, Economics, History, Environmental systems and societies, Biology, Chemistry, Physics and two mathematics courses. Pamoja online courses are not offered.
Address Krokemoveien 2-4, 3214 Sandefjord
Accreditations and programmes verified against official registries
IB · DP · authorised programmeThe school is listed in the IB register and runs the Diploma Programme. The IB track runs inside a Norwegian upper-secondary school: after a preparatory year (pre-IB) in Vg1 comes the Diploma in Vg2-Vg3; alongside it runs the Norwegian studiespesialisering programme.
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
The school publishes nothing about where its leavers go: no share going on to university, no exam results, no list of universities.
Facilities from the school's official website
·Swimming poolnot stated on the website
✓Sports hall
·Laboratoriesnot stated on the website
·Theatre or assembly hallnot stated on the website
✓Library
✓Catering
·School transportnot stated on the website
·Boardingnot stated on the website
Teaching staff from the school's official website
·Teachers listed by namenot published
·Teacher qualificationsnot stated
·Number of teachersthe school does not say
✓Students per teacher or class sizein the key facts above
The school's language policy cites about 300 teachers across the school; a large share have international backgrounds and many studied at universities around the world. Teachers in the IB department teach both IB and Norwegian programme subjects and must master both languages at academic level. The IB brochure promises qualified, experienced, internationally trained IB teachers and small classes.
Safety and wellbeing from the school's official website
✓CCTV
·Security staffnot stated on the website
·Access controlnot stated on the website
✓Nurse or medical room
✓Counsellor
·Child protection policynot stated on the website
·Staff trainingnot stated on the website
✓Anti-bullying policy
The student services team (Elevtjenester) is available during the school day: school counsellors, social educators, special needs teachers, educational psychology advisers, a physiotherapist, a school nurse and a psychologist; students can talk to them about wellbeing, bullying, relations with teachers and classmates, health and substance use. A county anti-bullying ombudsman is available. Since 2014 the school has been certified by Dysleksi Norge as a dyslexia-friendly school. Parts of the site are under CCTV around the clock; recordings are kept for 7 days and only the principal and a few managers have access.
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 data55 Safety and wellbeing (12%) scored on disclosed data80 Accreditation and verifiability (10%)85 Teaching staff (10%) scored on disclosed data55 Facilities (10%) scored on disclosed data70 Clubs and activities (8%) scored on disclosed data55 "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