Upper secondary schools

Upper secondary school is the three-year education that follows primary and lower secondary school. It is aimed at young people between 16 and 24, and the right to attend is set out in opplæringslova § 5-1 (the Education Act). The county authorities are responsible for provision, own the public school buildings, and size capacity on the basis of their own analysis of education needs. Privately run upper secondary schools are approved under friskolelova (the Independent Schools Act) and receive 85% state funding, on condition that they admit pupils without charging fees above a set limit.

Since Kunnskapsløftet 2020 (LK20), the national curriculum reform, teaching has been organised into 15 education programmes across two main tracks:

• Studieforberedende, the programmes that prepare for higher education: studiespesialisering, idrettsfag, kunst-design-arkitektur, medier-kommunikasjon, and musikk-dans-drama. Three years leading to general university admissions certification.
• Yrkesfaglige, the vocational programmes: bygg- og anleggsteknikk, elektro og datateknologi, frisør-blomster-interiør, helse- og oppvekstfag, håndverk-design-produktutvikling, IT-medieproduksjon, naturbruk, restaurant-matfag, salg-service-reiseliv, and teknologi- og industrifag. These follow the 2+2 model with two years at school and two years as an apprentice, and end with a trade or journeyman's certificate.

Utdanningsdirektoratet, the Norwegian Directorate for Education and Training, sets the curricula. SSB Skolestatistikk publishes applicant numbers and pupil numbers, which the counties use when sizing capacity. Admission to upper secondary school is governed by grade points and home address, and catchment areas vary between counties. Some counties allow free school choice, others apply a local school principle.

For housing developers and others assessing where people want to live, proximity to an upper secondary school is a measure of accessibility for households with teenagers. Points worth checking:

• Distance to the nearest upper secondary school and the public transport connection to it.
• Which education programmes the school offers.
• The catchment area and whether the county allows free school choice.
• Any ongoing or planned expansion or closure of the school, which may change provision within a few years.

In Placepoint, upper secondary schools appear in the education layer together with primary and lower secondary schools, kindergartens and higher education. This gives you a quick picture of the school provision around a property or an area you are assessing.

How the dataset appears on the map

The dataset is part of the map layer Education as Upper secondary schools:

From Placepoint's dictionary: Upper secondary schools

More information: Lovdata: Opplæringslova 2023, Utdanningsdirektoratet: Videregående opplæring, SSB: Elever i videregående skole

English: Upper-secondary schools (Norwegian school years 11-13).

Filtering

The filter lets you narrow by Number of pupils, Number of employees, Lowest grade, Highest grade, Total BRA and Ownership.

Shown here with Private selected under Ownership form.

Frequently asked questions

What is upper secondary school?

Upper secondary school is the three-year education between primary and lower secondary school and higher education, for young people between 16 and 24. The county authority is responsible for provision and owns the public school buildings.

What is the difference between the studieforberedende and yrkesfaglig tracks?

Studieforberedende programmes (for example studiespesialisering) end with general university admissions certification and qualify you for higher education. Yrkesfaglige programmes follow the 2+2 model: two years at school and two years as an apprentice, ending with a trade or journeyman's certificate.

Why does proximity to an upper secondary school matter to housing developers?

Households with teenagers weigh access to an upper secondary school when choosing where to live. Distance, public transport links and which education programmes the school offers all affect how attractive a place is for families with children.

How do I find upper secondary schools in Placepoint?

Upper secondary schools appear in the education layer on the map, together with primary and lower secondary schools and kindergartens. You can filter by number of pupils, ownership and grade levels to find relevant schools in a given area.