International schools in Norway

Search for the best international schools in Norway; you can find a list of selected schools at the bottom of this page. Use the search filters to select only girls' or boys' schools, prep schools, senior schools or sixth forms; or you can search for schools that offer a particular curriculum, such as the International Baccalaureate, the UK national curriculum, a US-style model or the International Primary Curriculum.

Ranked first in the world for human development, democracy and happiness in recent years, Norway also has a thriving international school sector.  Schools are strategically positioned around the capital Oslo and in other major cities including Stavanger, Bergen and Trondheim. 

The vast majority are coeducational day schools that teach in English and offer the International Baccalaureate curriculum to both expatriate and Norwegian students. Many cover both the primary and lower secondary years or admit children of all age-groups. 

The Deutsche School Oslo – Max Tau teaches in German and offers Germany’s Abitur, while the French-medium Lycée Français René Cassin d’Oslo delivers the French Baccalaureate. UWC Red Cross Nordic boarding school, which was founded by German educationalist Kurt Hahn to promote global peace and understanding, offers the IB Diploma programme to 200 students from more than 85 countries on a remote fjord in western Norway.  

There are 43 IB World Schools, of which 32 teach in English, while 10 offer bilingual instruction in English and Norwegian and one in English and French. A total of 25 schools offer the IB Diploma, while three schools follow all three stages of the IB programme.

Accrediting bodies active in Norway include the Council of International Schools and the Council of British International Schools. 

Norway has the highest level of education spending of any European country, amounting to 6.2 per cent of GDP in 2019. Education is compulsory from age six to 16. Children attend Barneskole from age six to 13, Ungdomsskole from age 13 to 16, and Videregående skole from age 16 to 19.  

Net enrolment rates in 2019 were 96 per cent for kindergarten, 100 per cent for primary level, and 96 per cent for secondary level, with 83 per cent of young people engaged in higher or further education. Among women, gross tertiary enrolment reached 100 per cent.