Denmark School Route Passport
Follow Denmark’s route from early childhood education through Folkeskole, upper secondary study, vocational education, higher education, and adult learning.
Early Childhood
Selected stamp: Early Childhood. Choose another stamp to update the route card.
Denmark’s education system connects early childhood education and care, a ten-year compulsory phase, general and vocational upper-secondary routes, higher education, and adult learning. National legislation sets the main rules while municipalities and educational institutions carry much of the delivery. Education is compulsory, but attendance at a particular school type is not: Folkeskole, approved private alternatives, and home tuition can satisfy the compulsory-education duty under the applicable rules. [UVM]
System Profile in Numbers
| Primary and lower-secondary pupils | 670,009 | 2025 | [Statistics Denmark] |
| Average pupils per class | 20 | 2025 | [Statistics Denmark] |
| Upper-secondary students | 250,574 | 2025 | [Statistics Denmark] |
| Students in VET | 105,745 | 30 Sep 2025 | [UVM] |
| Higher education students | 249,743 | 1 Oct 2025 | [Statistics Denmark] |
| Higher education completions | 73,376 | 2025 | [Statistics Denmark] |
| ECEC participation, age 3 to school start | 95.7% | 2023 | [EU Monitor] |
| PISA mean scores: Math / Reading / Science | 471 / 460 / 478 | 2025 | [OECD PISA] |
| Education investment, primary through tertiary | 5.3% of GDP | 2022 | [OECD] |
| 25-year-olds completing upper-secondary or VET | 84.9% | 2025 | [Statistics Denmark] |
The indicators use different populations and reference dates. Student counts, participation rates, PISA scores, and expenditure measures should not be combined into one denominator.
Students Across Major Education Levels
Official 2025 student counts in primary/lower secondary, upper secondary, and higher education.
Source: Statistics Denmark. Counts refer to different education levels within the 2025 Student Register reporting cycle.
System Vocabulary Used in Denmark
- Folkeskole: the public single-structure primary and lower-secondary school route.
- General upper secondary: STX, HTX, HHX, and HF under the current structure.
- VET: vocational education and training, normally combining school and workplace learning.
- EUX: the current combined vocational and general upper-secondary route.
- 7-point grading scale: the grading scale currently in force across state-regulated education.
The present upper-secondary structure remains in use in 2026. A separate reform agreement schedules a new EPX route and a broader reorganization from school year 2030/31, so the future structure should not be described as if it were already operating. [UVM]
Governance and Local Responsibility
Denmark combines national education legislation with extensive local delivery. In Folkeskole, municipalities are responsible for the local public-school offer within national law, curriculum requirements, and examination rules. Families may choose public schools, approved private independent schools, or home tuition when the legal conditions are met. [UVM]
The state sets the main rules for qualifications, upper-secondary programs, VET, grading, and higher education. Municipalities and institutions then organize delivery within those rules. Social partners also have a formal role in vocational education, where employers and employee organizations participate in occupational training structures and qualification development.
Education Stages and Pathways
| Stage | Typical Age | Current Structure | Common Transition |
|---|---|---|---|
| ECEC | 0–5/6 | Early childhood education and care | Compulsory pre-school year |
| Folkeskole | About 6–16 | Pre-school year + Years 1–9; optional Year 10 | General upper secondary, VET, or another youth-education route |
| General upper secondary | Usually 16–19 | STX, HTX, HHX, HF | Higher education or employment |
| VET | Usually 16+, with many older entrants | Basic program + main program using school/workplace alternation | Skilled work, further education, or higher education |
| Higher education | Post-secondary | Short-cycle, professional, bachelor’s, master’s, doctoral study | Employment, advanced study, research, continuing education |
The compulsory route is formally ten years: one pre-school year followed by nine years of primary and lower-secondary education. Year 10 remains optional. Statistics Denmark counted 670,009 pupils across primary and lower-secondary education in 2025, with an average of 20 pupils per class. [Statistics Denmark]
Early Childhood Education and Care
Participation in Danish ECEC remains high by European comparison. In 2023, 95.7% of children from age three to the start of compulsory primary schooling participated in ECEC. Among children below age three, 62.9% were in formal childcare or education in 2024, including 57.1% attending for at least 30 hours per week. [EU Monitor]
The national ECEC participation rate for children aged three to school entry moved from 98.0% in 2015 to 95.7% in 2023. The latest figure remains above the EU average of 94.6%, but slightly below the EU-level 2030 target of 96%. Local organization also produces variation in staffing, child-to-staff ratios, professional qualifications, and leadership arrangements.
Compulsory Education in Folkeskole
Folkeskole is a single-structure route covering the compulsory pre-school year and Years 1–9. There is no formal institutional split between primary and lower-secondary education inside the public-school model. Private independent schools and home tuition can provide alternatives under the applicable rules. [Eurydice]
The school year 2025/26 brought several changes under the Folkeskole quality program. The number of mandatory final examinations in Year 9 was reduced from eight to six. Oral English moved from a fixed examination to the draw-based examination group, the number of drawn examinations fell from two to one, and several written draw examinations and the physical-education examination were removed. [UVM]
The same quality program increased local flexibility and practical learning. From 2025/26, older pupils gained additional elective options, work-placement participation became mandatory in the upper grades, and pupils in Years 8 and 9 can choose juniormesterlære, which combines school subjects with practical learning in a workplace or vocational setting. New, slimmer subject plans are being developed separately and are scheduled to take effect in school year 2027/28. [UVM] [UVM]
PISA 2025 and Digital Skills
PISA 2025 is now the latest international assessment of Danish 15-year-olds. Denmark recorded mean scores of 471 in mathematics, 460 in reading, and 478 in science, compared with OECD averages of 463, 461, and 482. Denmark also scored 506 in computational problem solving, above the OECD average of 500. [OECD PISA]
Denmark’s PISA Performance Across Four Cycles
Mean scores in mathematics, reading, and science for 2015, 2018, 2022, and 2025.
Source: OECD PISA trend data.
| 2015 | 511 | 500 | 502 |
| 2018 | 509 | 501 | 493 |
| 2022 | 489 | 489 | 494 |
| 2025 | 471 | 460 | 478 |
Unit: PISA score points. Only actual PISA assessment cycles are shown.
From 2015 to 2025, Denmark’s mathematics mean fell by 40 points, reading by 40 points, and science by 24 points. OECD reports the 2022–2025 changes as about −19 points in mathematics, −29 in reading, and −16 in science. Average performance in all three subjects was lower in 2025 than in any Danish PISA assessment before 2022. [OECD PISA]
PISA 2025 Baseline Proficiency
Share of students reaching at least Level 2 in Denmark and across the OECD.
Source: OECD PISA 2025.
| Domain | Denmark: Level 2+ | OECD Average: Level 2+ | Denmark: Level 5 or 6 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mathematics | 72% | 65% | 5% |
| Reading | 71% | 69% | 4% |
| Science | 75% | 74% | 5% |
Denmark remained above the OECD average for the share reaching the mathematics baseline and slightly above it in reading and science. The top-performing shares were lower than the OECD averages in all three subjects. Compared with 2015, the share below Level 2 increased by 15 percentage points in mathematics, 14 points in reading, and 9 points in science. [OECD PISA]
Digital skills provide a separate measure. In ICILS 2023, 32% of Danish eighth-graders did not reach the basic digital-skills level used by the EU monitoring indicator. This measure concerns computer and information literacy and should not be treated as another PISA domain. [EU Monitor]
Upper Secondary Education: General Programs
The current general upper-secondary routes are STX, HTX, HHX, and HF. STX provides a broad general program, HTX has a technical and scientific profile, HHX focuses on commercial and business-oriented study, and HF is a shorter preparatory route. These remain the operative program labels in 2026. [UFSN]
Statistics Denmark counted 143,017 students in general upper-secondary education on October 1, 2025. Across general and vocational upper-secondary programs combined, the national total was 250,574 students. [Statistics Denmark]
EPX Reform Scheduled for 2030
A February 2025 political agreement schedules a new EPX upper-secondary program to open in August 2030. EPX is planned as a two-year practical and theoretical program with an optional one-year top-up. The two-year route is designed to give access to VET and business-academy programs, while the top-up expands access to professional bachelor’s programs. University bachelor’s admission would require additional supplementation or an extended subject package. [UVM]
The agreement also schedules a wider reorganization from school year 2030/31 in which two-year HF, EUX, the first VET basic course, and the current municipal Year 10 route are to be replaced within the new youth-education structure. Students who start affected programs before the transition are to receive arrangements allowing them to complete their studies. These are future changes; they do not replace the current routes in 2026. [UVM]
Vocational Education and Training
Denmark’s VET system combines school-based education with workplace training. The basic program is school-based and divided into two 20-week courses for the relevant entrant groups. The main program uses the dual principle, alternating between vocational school and an approved training workplace. Main programs are commonly organized into four or five school/workplace periods and often last about three to three and a half years, although duration differs by qualification. [UVM]
The Ministry of Education reported 105,745 students enrolled in VET on September 30, 2025. The ministry describes more than 100 vocational education types across four broad fields: care, health and pedagogy; administration, commerce and business service; food, agriculture and hospitality; and technology, construction and transportation. [UVM]
Admission normally requires completion of compulsory education and at least 2.0 in Danish and mathematics under the current admission rules, unless the learner enters through an approved training agreement or another qualifying route. Adults aged over 25 can use EUV, where prior learning and work experience are taken into account. EUX currently combines VET with general upper-secondary qualifications and gives access to skilled employment and a broad range of higher education. [UVM]
A May 2025 agreement on VET contains 31 initiatives aimed at reducing dropout, strengthening teacher skills, improving school environments, and making access more flexible. The ministry states that around four in ten VET students leave before completing their education, which remains one of the central completion issues in the sector. [UVM]
Assessment and the National Grading Scale
The current national reference point is the 7-point grading scale, which uses the grades −3, 00, 02, 4, 7, 10, and 12. A grade of 02 is the minimum passing grade where a pass is required. The scale has been used since school year 2006/07 and is mapped to ECTS grade descriptors for international interpretation. [UVM]
In November 2025, the government proposed an eight-step replacement scale: 00, 01, 02, 4, 6, 8, 10, and 12, with an optional 12* marker for an exceptional performance. The proposal schedules implementation from August 2030 in upper-secondary, adult, and continuing education and from the 2031/32 academic year in compulsory and higher education. The proposal has not replaced the current 7-point scale in 2026. [Government of Denmark]
Higher Education: Institutions and Study Levels
Danish higher education includes universities, university colleges, business academies, specialized institutions, and maritime education. Programs build on upper-secondary education or VET and include short-cycle, medium-cycle and professional programs, bachelor’s degrees, long-cycle university education, and PhD study. [UFSN]
Statistics Denmark counted 249,743 students enrolled in higher education on October 1, 2025, and 73,376 higher education completions during 2025. Short-cycle programs commonly last one to two years, while the long university route is usually organized as a three-year bachelor’s program followed by a two-year master’s program. [Statistics Denmark]
OECD data place government expenditure at USD 15,027 per full-time-equivalent student from primary through post-secondary non-tertiary education and USD 24,113 per tertiary student, including research and development at tertiary level. Overall investment from primary through tertiary education equaled 5.3% of GDP in the 2022 reference year. Government provided 93.4% of funding for primary, secondary, and post-secondary non-tertiary education before transfers. [OECD]
Upper-Secondary Completion and Adult Skills
Statistics Denmark reports that 84.9% of 25-year-olds had completed upper-secondary education or VET in 2025. The share was 80.9% in 2015, a rise of 4.0 percentage points over the decade. The 2025 rate was 81.9% for men and 88.0% for women. [Statistics Denmark]
Upper-Secondary or VET Completion by Age 25
Share of 25-year-olds who had completed upper-secondary education or vocational education and training, 2015–2025.
Source: Statistics Denmark sustainable-development indicators.
| 2015 | 80.9% |
| 2016 | 82.1% |
| 2017 | 82.6% |
| 2018 | 83.0% |
| 2019 | 83.0% |
| 2020 | 82.9% |
| 2021 | 82.8% |
| 2022 | 83.7% |
| 2023 | 84.8% |
| 2024 | 84.7% |
| 2025 | 84.9% |
The completion series rose over the decade but not in a straight line. The rate moved from 80.9% in 2015 to 83.0% in 2018, slipped to 82.8% in 2021, and then reached 84.9% in 2025. OECD uses a different attainment indicator for 25–34-year-olds and reports that the share without upper-secondary attainment fell from 18% in 2019 to 15% in 2024. The two indicators cover different populations and should not be treated as interchangeable. [OECD]
Adult skill data add another view of later learning needs. In the latest OECD Survey of Adult Skills measure cited in the 2025 country note, 18% of adults aged 25–64 in Denmark had literacy proficiency at or below Level 1. The EU Adult Education Survey measure reports that 47.1% of adults participated in formal or non-formal learning during the previous 12 months in 2022. [OECD] [EU Monitor]
Participation Beyond Compulsory Schooling
The EU early-leaving indicator stood at 10.4% among 18–24-year-olds in 2024, compared with 8.1% in 2015. The measure counts young people with at most lower-secondary education who are not in further education or training; it is therefore different from the Statistics Denmark age-25 completion series above. [EU Monitor]
A separate national indicator showed that around 43,000 people aged 15–24, or 6.3% of the age group, were outside education and employment in 2025 under the Ministry of Education’s definition. The corresponding count was about 43,900 one year earlier. The national measure also excludes young people who have already completed a youth education and uses an employment threshold, so it should not be equated with the EU early-leaving rate. [UVM]
Teaching Workforce Economics
OECD relative-earnings data show that actual salaries of primary teachers in Denmark were 18% lower than earnings of tertiary-educated full-time, full-year workers in the comparison used for the 2025 country note. Relative earnings are not the same as statutory salary scales; they compare actual teacher earnings with those of similarly educated workers in the wider labor market. [OECD]
Compare with other countries
- Denmark vs New Zealand
- Japan vs Denmark
- Finland vs Denmark
- Netherlands vs Denmark
- Denmark vs Switzerland
- Denmark vs Indonesia
- South Korea vs Denmark
- Singapore vs Denmark
- Estonia vs Denmark
- Turkey vs Denmark
- France vs Denmark
- Germany vs Denmark
- Denmark vs Canada
- Denmark vs US
- Denmark vs Sweden
- Denmark vs China
- Denmark vs United Kingdom
- Denmark vs Australia
