Finnish Education in Iceland
Iceland already shares much of the Nordic welfare-state approach to schooling that Finland is known for, but no school in the country currently teaches the Finnish national curriculum itself.
- Compulsory schooling in Iceland runs from age 6 to 16, within a comprehensive, mostly publicly funded system.
- The International School of Iceland (ISI) in the Reykjavik area teaches the International Primary Curriculum in K-6 and is moving into IB MYP for older students.
- Landakotsskoli's international department is an authorised Cambridge International School and part of the WIDA consortium.
- No school in Iceland currently teaches Finland's own national curriculum for primary years.
Where Iceland and Finland already agree
Both countries built their school systems around comprehensive, non-selective education: children are not streamed by ability in the early years, class sizes are kept manageable, and play has a recognised place in the first years of formal schooling. Families moving between the two Nordic countries often notice how similar the underlying values feel, even where the day-to-day curriculum differs.
Where Finland goes further is in how deliberately it builds its K-5 years around phenomenon-based learning, teacher autonomy over classroom methods, and assessment without high-stakes exams. Iceland's national curriculum shares the same broad aims but does not prescribe pedagogy to the same degree.
What families in Iceland can access today
For now, the international options in Iceland run through the International Baccalaureate and Cambridge pathways rather than the Finnish model. ISI's K-6 bilingual and English streams and Landakotsskoli's Cambridge-authorised programme are well established and serve expatriate and permanent-resident families respectively.
A Finnish-curriculum school or affiliated programme in Iceland would sit alongside these rather than compete with them directly: families choosing IB or Cambridge are usually looking for a recognised international qualification pathway, while a Finnish-curriculum option appeals more to families prioritising early wellbeing, reduced testing pressure, and Finnish pedagogy itself.
What a Finnish-curriculum school would add
The clearest gap is a K-5 programme built specifically around Finland's approach: mixed-methods literacy and numeracy instruction, formative feedback instead of grades in the earliest years, and a strong emphasis on outdoor time and student agency.
Schools or founders interested in bringing this to Iceland can review how to bring Finnish education to a school and how school affiliation with OPPI works for the practical steps involved.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a Finnish curriculum school in Iceland?
Not currently. Iceland's established international schools follow the International Primary Curriculum, IB MYP, or Cambridge pathways rather than Finland's national curriculum.
How similar are Icelandic and Finnish primary schools?
Both are comprehensive, publicly funded systems with a strong play-based early years tradition, but Finland prescribes its pedagogical approach, including phenomenon-based learning and exam-free assessment, more explicitly than Iceland does.
Could a school in Iceland adopt the Finnish curriculum?
Yes, in principle, through an affiliation or licensing model similar to those used elsewhere in Europe. It would need to combine Finland's pedagogical framework with Iceland's own regulatory requirements for schooling.
Related reading
Bring Finnish pedagogy to your school
OPPI affiliates a selective cohort of schools each year for its K-5 Finnish-pedagogy programme, backed by Education Finland. Tell us about your school and our team will reach out.
Backed by Education Finland. Over 20 schools have already affiliated, including DPS, Radcliffe and Sanctus. Places in each cohort are limited.
Apply to the affiliation cohort →