More schools are still being closed than new ones, but the number of schools closed in the 2020-21 school year is lower than a year earlier.
Less and less schools. Small schools in particular are closing down
In the 2020-21 school year, there were 2776 primary schools in Norway. This is 252 less than ten years ago, which means a decrease of 8%.
In the last 10 years, there were almost 20 primary school students. less, which means the schools have grown on average. Years 2020-21, primary school had an average of 229 students, 25 more than ten years ago.
In particular, small schools with fewer than 100 pupils are closing down. Schools closed in 2020-21 had an average of 43 students in the last year of their operation.
However, fewer schools were closed in the 2020-21 school year than in 2019-20
Last school year, 39 schools were closed, which is 14 less than in the previous school year. At the same time, 16 new schools were established. From the 2010-11 school year to 2020-21, an average of 50 schools per year were closed and 25 new ones were created. The number of schools closed peaked in 2013-14.
More than half of the new schools are private schools, but private schools are smaller than public ones
In 2020-21, 16 new schools were created, including 7 private ones. In the last ten years, 105 new public schools and 143 new private primary schools have been established. This means that 58 percent of all new primary schools in the last ten years are private. At the same time, 458 out of 500 schools closed during the same period are public.
From 2010-11, the percentage of private schools increased from 6% to 10%. Since private schools are smaller than public schools, only 4,4 percent. students attend private schools.
Non-public schools, which replace the public school, had an average of 38 students per class, while closed public schools had an average of 37 students.
Private school. Most private schools are independent schools
Private primary schools are either independent schools that have been approved under the Independent Schools Act § 2-1 or private schools that have been approved under the Education Act § 2-12.
Private schools approved for under the Act on free schools are entitled to state subsidies. Most private schools are independent schools.
Fewer schools have closed in Norway. Main conclusions and figures:
- In the 2020-21 school year, 39 schools were closed. This is less than the average for the last ten years.
- In the same school year, 16 new schools were established. 7 of them are private.
- Oslo has the lowest percentage of school closings.
- Ten years ago, there were 252 more primary schools than today.
- The number of new and closed schools varies from year to year, but the long-term trend towards a lower number of schools continues.
