← Back to the rankingSkagerak International School
Sandefjord, Norway · est. 1991 · Private
Illustration · Sandefjord
Skagerak International School is a not-for-profit private international school in Sandefjord and, by its own account, the only school in Norway offering the full IB continuum: kindergarten and primary school with the IB PYP, middle school with the IB MYP, and high school with a Foundation Year and the IB Diploma Programme. It was founded in 1991 as Skagerak Gymnas by local enthusiasts and companies led by Elisabeth Norr, with support from Sandefjord municipality, the business association and the company Jotun; in October 1992 it became an IB school offering the Diploma. The primary and middle school opened in 2000, gained PYP authorisation in June 2006 and MYP authorisation in February 2008; in 2011 the two schools merged into one organisation, and since late 2011 all stages have been at Framnes on the harbour front. The main language of instruction is English; everyone learns Norwegian, which is used for Norwegian language and literature and, in the primary school, for part of the PYP units. The school is proud of its non-selective admissions, small classes and diverse teaching staff; many students speak three or more languages. It operates under the private schools act, is funded by the state and by parents, and keeps fees at the level set by the state. The school has a second campus in Tønsberg.
Key facts
Tuition
≈ $3 089–4 655 a year
29 730–44 800 NOK
Programmes
IB · PYP, MYP, DP
Admits from
3 years · Pre-School
Languages of instruction
English
Languages taught
Norwegian, French, Spanish
Class size
up to 18-24 students in primary and middle school depending on the grade
About the fees Fees for 2026: primary school (PY1-PY6) and middle school (MY1-MY4) - 22400 NOK for the spring term (January-April) and the same for the autumn term (August-December), that is 44800 NOK per year; high school (Foundation Year, DP1, DP2) for students entitled to Norwegian state support - 14865 NOK for the spring term and the same for the autumn term, that is 29730 NOK per year. Fees can be paid in full or in 8 instalments; international high school students pay the year upfront, and the website gives no separate amount for students without state support entitlement. Kindergarten costs 1200 NOK per month at Sandefjord municipality rates, 11 payments, with 30% off for the second child and 50% for the third. Fees for 2027 will be revised from 1 January 2027 under Utdanningsdirektoratet rules. High school students can receive Lånekassen grants and loans.
Admissions The school calls its admissions inclusive and non-selective: it accepts anyone who wishes to learn within the IB programme. For primary and middle school places from August, the first deadline is 1 March and the second 1 May, then in order of receipt; if places are short, priority goes to current Skagerak students moving up, then children of staff, then children with international or English-language schooling, then siblings, with ties decided by a draw. Primary and middle school classes have up to 18-24 students. Kindergarten admission (ages 3-5) is coordinated with Sandefjord municipality. For high school: the Foundation Year (Vg1, up to 70 places) requires completed compulsory schooling (grunnskole) or equivalent and the right to upper secondary education; the deadline is 1 March. The IB Diploma admits students after 11 years of education: Vg1 studieforberedende, the Foundation Year, the MYP or an equivalent programme; progression to the second DP year requires at least 20 points in the first-year summer exams. External applicants are not accepted directly into DP2. The Foundation Year helps students who are not yet confident in English. International applicants are advised to check entry requirements on the UDI website; international high school students pay the year's fee upfront. A place is secured with a signed contract; decisions can be appealed to the Statsforvalteren.
Stages and year groups Kindergarten for ages 3-5 on PYP principles; primary school PY1-PY6 (grades 1-6) - IB PYP, with multi-age classes; middle school MY1-MY4 (grades 7-10) - IB MYP, with the designation of Leading MYP e-Assessment school; high school: the Foundation Year, Year 11 (Vg1), following the Norwegian studiespesialisering curriculum in English with a kompetansebevis certificate, then the two-year IB Diploma Programme (DP1-DP2, grades 12-13) with Theory of Knowledge, the Extended Essay and CAS. DP subjects: Norwegian A and English A (language and literature), Norwegian B and English B, Business Management, Global Politics, Psychology, Anthropology, Environmental systems and societies, Biology, Physics, Chemistry, two mathematics courses and Visual Arts. The Foundation Year covers English, Norwegian, French or Spanish, geography, social studies, mathematics, science, physical education and CAS.
Address Framnesveien 7, 3222 Sandefjord
Accreditations and programmes verified against official registries
IB · PYP, MYP, DP · authorised programmeThe school is listed in the IB register and runs the Primary Years, Middle Years and Diploma programmes.
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: PYP (ages 3-12), MYP (ages 11-16), DP (ages 16-19). PYP is the primary stage, ages 3 to 12. It is not a set of subjects but a frame for the whole school: learning is built around lines of inquiry, and there are no exams at the end. MYP is the middle stage, ages 11 to 16. There are no exams here either; at the end an optional electronic assessment of pupils' work is possible. 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 →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 hallnot stated on the website
✓Laboratories
·Theatre or assembly hallnot stated on the website
✓Library
✓Catering
·School transportnot stated on the website
·Boardingnot stated on the website
Clubs and activities: Skagerak Playmakers · Homework Club · Silver Surfers · Warhammer Club · Art Club · Craft Club · Book Club · Doctors without Borders · Beading for a Cause · Magic the Gathering · Model United Nations · Yearbook · School Newspaper · Music Club · School Football · Volleyball · Yoga · Dance
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 Sandefjord staff pages name 61 people, about 54 of them educators: heads of section, PYP, MYP and DP coordinators, subject teachers, learning support and EAL teachers, librarians, and kindergarten and primary assistants. The high school handbook describes the teachers as professional and highly qualified, with an impressive background of teaching experience; the director speaks of a diverse teaching staff and small classes. There is a university guidance counsellor.
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 room
·Counsellornot stated on the website
✓Child protection policy
·Staff trainingnot stated on the website
✓Anti-bullying policy
A Sandefjord municipality school nurse holds office hours at school; students can also use the town's youth health station and a physiotherapist. The school declares zero tolerance of bullying: all staff must intervene and report to leadership in writing, and the principal activates an action plan under chapter 12 of the Education Act; the school says bullying in student well-being surveys is close to zero. There are behaviour, inclusion and complaints policies, a head of pastoral care in the high school, a primary and middle school counsellor and PPT teachers. Since 2011 the school has been certified by the Norwegian Dyslexia Association as dyslexia-friendly - the first international school to be so.
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%)95 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 data70 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 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