Starting March 1, parents in Tallinn can submit applications for assigning a local school to children entering first grade at municipal schools on September 1, 2024.

This year, there are over 4,800 children reaching school age, slightly more than in previous years. Applications for assigning a local school can be submitted by parents living in Tallinn, according to the population register, starting March 1. The application can conveniently be submitted via eKool. Parents whose children have received a place in a city-wide admission school do not need to submit an application.

Deputy Mayor Andrei Kante noted that the applications submitted by parents are the basis for assigning school places, as it provides the Tallinn Education Department with necessary information about siblings attending the school and the family's school preference. "If a parent does not submit an application or a notice of renunciation of the school place, the child will be assigned the nearest school based on the address in the population register," Kante explained. "As the next academic year brings a significant change – the transition to Estonian-language instruction – submitting an application is especially important, as parents have the opportunity to choose either the nearest Estonian-language school or a local school transitioning to Estonian language instruction for their child," emphasized Kante.

Additionally, the previously city-wide admission Tallinn Tõnismäe Real School is now a local school, except for one city-wide admission class. Also, from the new academic year, no first grade will be opened in the Räägu building of Tallinn Lilleküla Gümnaasium, where Ukrainian children study.
                                             
In assigning schools, priority is given based on the Basic Schools and Upper Secondary Schools Act and the regulations in force in Tallinn, mainly considering the proximity of the residence to the school and siblings studying at the same school, and if possible, parents' preferences as well. If there are more applicants to a school than available places, the time of registration of residence data may also be considered. Attendance in pre-school is not a basis for assigning a school place.

Parents who submitted the application via eKool will receive notification of the assigned school place to their email address by May 20 at the latest.

Applications can be submitted around the clock via eKool. If necessary, the Tallinn Education Department (Estonia pst 5a, Tallinn) also accepts applications in person on Monday from 9.00–17.45, on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 9.00–16.45, and on Friday from 9–15.45.

For more information about enrolling in the first grade: www.tallinn.ee/en/haridus/admission-first-grades

Further information: Tallinn Education Department phone 6404590, email [email protected]