Students to start study year in Tallinn municipal schools
Tallinn has 58 municipal general education schools as of the 2023/24 school year. 48,700 students will start in these schools in September. More than 3860 of them will enter the first grade. The city offers an allowance at the beginning of the school year for students under the age of 19.
According to a prognosis by the Tallinn Education Department, 3862 students will enter the first class in municipal schools this year. The number of children going to school has increased, mainly due to an increase in the number of Ukrainian students. 3620 students will enter the tenth grade, which is about 100 fewer than last year. This is primarily due to the opening of state secondary schools in Tallinn.In total, 10,350 students study at the secondary school stage. Exact student numbers will be known by 10 September, when schools have submitted their data to the EHIS information system.
There are over 2180 Ukrainian students in Tallinn municipal schools. 420 of them study in the Räägu branch of Tallinn Lilleküla Secondary School, 935 in Russian-language schools and 830 in Estonian-language schools. Räägu School will continue operating with six grades in the coming study year. In autumn, it will open three first-grade classes. Students who have completed their sixth grade at the school can continue their education at the Tallinn Tõnismäe State Gymnasium Freedom School until the end of secondary school.
“I wish all students a pleasant study year, where each day can provide something new and exciting and you can be happy about what you accomplish,” said Tallinn Deputy Mayor Andrei Kante. “I hope that teachers and parents keep being happy and patient in supporting children in their pursuit for education so that the year is filled with mutual growth.”
Kante added that the city wants to help contribute to providing for the children, as the beginning of the school year can cause a significant load on family budgets. “The city offers an allowance at the beginning of the school year for students under the age of 19,” said Kante. “Students entering the first grade will receive 320 euros of backpack allowance, and students in the second to twelfth grades and in vocational schools will receive 75 euros. I hope that this will help, especially in families where several school-age children.”
For underage students, the application will have to be submitted by the parent. Students older than 18 will have to do so themselves. Applications for the allowance can be submitted from 13 September to 30 November using the Tallinn self-service portal.
Tallinn offers allowances towards the costs of sports and hobby activities (see Allowances for children in hobby schools). The city also supports the purchase of a bike and bicycle helmet for children aged 10-15 under the European Green Capital ‘Bike to School’ programme (see Bike support).