Tarton suomalainen koulu is an official Finnish school abroad equivalent to a basic education school, for Finnish children living in Tartu. It is a private school run by the association Tarton suomalaisen koulun yhdistys ry; it has operated since autumn 2000 and teaches grades 1-9. In recent years it has had about 15 pupils; most study here for one to three years and return with their families to Finland, continuing in their own grade. The school shares its building and most lessons with Tartu International School: under a bilingual teaching programme Finnish pupils study some subjects in combined classes in English, and Estonian is reinforced through activities in a real language environment. Subjects are the same as in Finland; the year's cross-curricular themes are built together with the international school's IB primary programme. Groups are very small, often mixed-age, and every pupil gets a lot of individual attention.
Key facts
Tuition
≈ $1 966–2 711 a year
1 740–2 400 EUR
Programmes
Finnish programme
Languages of instruction
Finnish, English
Languages taught
Estonian, Swedish, German
Class size
Teaching groups are very small, and lessons are often in mixed-age classes together with international school pupils.
About the fees Fees 2026-2027: 870 EUR per term in grades 1-6 and 1200 EUR per term in grades 7-9, i.e. 1740 and 2400 EUR per school year of two terms. Fees are set each year by the association that runs the school. Pupils not enrolled on the September census day are charged a separate fee to cover costs.
Admissions A child registering at the school must be a Finnish citizen and speak Finnish. Official registration for the next school year takes place in spring via an online form; the school asks families to get in touch as early as possible, while planning the move, because even one new pupil changes how lessons are organised. Joining mid-year must be agreed with the principal; pupils not enrolled on the September census day are charged a separate fee. Parents of children who need learning support or an assistant are asked to discuss this with the school in advance: a small school cannot offer everything available in Finland.
Stages and year groups Grades 1-9. Finnish track: basic education perusopetus grades 1-9 under the Finnish curriculum; the school calls itself an official Finnish school abroad equivalent to a basic education school; grade 9 final exams take place in spring. There is no preschool class and no lukio. Most lessons are shared with Tartu International School: English, Estonian, German, mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, health education, PE, music, art, geography, environmental studies and technology are taught in English. The year's cross-curricular themes are built with the international school's IB PYP programme for grades 1-6.
Address J. Liivi 2d, 50409 Tartu
Accreditations and programmes verified against official registries
OPHThe Finnish government has licensed the school to provide basic education under Finnish law, and Opetushallitus names it on its list of Finnish schools abroad: the curriculum and the certificates are Finnish.
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
OPHFinnish National Agency for Education (Opetushallitus)
A Finnish school abroad: the Finnish curriculum, a Finnish government licence to provide basic education, state funding and Finnish certificates.
What the badge means for this school. This is a Finnish school abroad: the Finnish government has licensed it to provide basic education under Finnish law, and Opetushallitus names it on its list. The entry is not a quality inspection. The curriculum and the certificates are Finnish. Whom the school admits and what it charges are on its own website. The entry stands in the organisation's public register - anyone can check it.
Register to check for yourself, and the full guide →Finnish programme
The Finnish school curriculum taught in Finnish: the basic school, perusopetus (Years 1-9), and at some schools the lukio upper-secondary school with the Finnish matriculation examination, ylioppilastutkinto.
What this means for this school. The curriculum is set by the Finnish state: the Finnish government has licensed the school to provide basic education under Finnish law, the school receives state funding and awards Finnish certificates. A child who returns to Finland carries on without switching from another system.
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
·Laboratoriesnot stated on the website
·Theatre or assembly hallnot stated on the website
·Librarynot stated on the website
·Cateringnot stated on the website
·School transportnot stated on the website
·Boardingnot stated on the website
Campus: The school is near the centre of Tartu, in the same building as Tartu International School; the city centre is a short walk away. The building is open on weekdays from 8:00 to 17:00, lessons last 45 minutes, and after the second teaching block there is lunch and an outdoor break. Many lessons take place outside school: in museums, theatres and cinemas, and on trips around Tartu and Estonia. It is a day school.
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 sizein the key facts above
What the listings show: The principal holds a master's degree in education and studied Estonian language and literature at the University of Tartu; the history teacher holds a doctorate and gained an Estonian teaching qualification in 2024.
The site names the principal, who teaches Estonian language and literature, and three teachers: Finnish language and literature and religion, history, social studies and ethics, and Swedish. Subjects taught in English are taught by Tartu International School teachers.
Safety and wellbeing from the school's official website
The school says nothing on its website about security, medical care or pupil support.
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%)72 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 data55 Accreditation and verifiability (10%)85 Teaching staff (10%) scored on disclosed data55 Facilities (10%) scored on disclosed data60 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
Tartu, Estonia · est. 2000 · Private