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Enrolling to local school
You can enrol online or by visiting the school.
You can enrol your child at school electronically through the Asti online service(Link leads to external service). Asti will guide you through every step of the enrolment process. Also find step-by-step instructions to enrol below:
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Go to Asti
Go to the Asti front page at asti.hel.fi(Link leads to external service) (links leads to external service)
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Select the preferred language from the upper right corner of the website.
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Log in
Click on the 'Log in' button
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Follow the elctronic authentication procedure
When logging in to the Asti service for the first time, please accept the processing of personal data.
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Choose basic education in Finnish or basic education in Swedish
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Basic education in Finnish
- Select your preferred A1 language at your local school. Select your choice even if you are applying for other than your local school (in case you don’t get a place in your preferred school).
- You can apply for extensive bilingual Finnish-North Sami, or extensive bilingual Finnish-Swedish education. These options do not require a language test, which means anyone can sign up. If there are more applicants than there are places in the group, the pupils will be chosen at random.
- Declare if you are applying for other than your local school due to an aptitude test, A1 language or other reason.
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Basic education in Swedish
- Choose the pupil’s Finnish language skill level and continue forward
- Declare if you are applying for a school other than your local.
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If necessary, ensure all guardians have given their consent
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Tell us if the pupil needs support for learning
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Preview the application and make sure that the information given is accurate. Click the ‘Submit’ button to send the application.
You should enrol your child in school by visiting your local school if:
- your child is about to start school a year later than decreed
- you are currently applying for a decision on starting basic education one year earlier or later than decreed
- your child has been granted extended compulsory education
- you are applying for extended compulsory education for your child, and your child will continue in daycare for a second year of pre-primary education, in which case a decision will be made for starting basic education one year later than decreed.
You can enrol a child in a school of your choice in the following cases:
- the child wants to study an A1 language that is not available in their own local school
- the child applies for a school other than their local school (e.g. another school in the region) for some other reason.
The enrolment time for first graders starting their school in autumn 2024 will be added to this site in autumn 2023.
The enrolment at the school will also primarily take place online. Bring your ID to the school with you, as well as any documents needed for authentication (such as online banking credentials). Also bring the compulsory education note, which states the child’s local school assigned to them based on their residential address.
You will receive the necessary forms and advice for practical matters at the school
Applying for weighted-curriculum, English-language and bilingual education
You can apply for a place for your child who is starting school in weighted-curriculum, English-language or bilingual education. These options are available for first-graders at certain Finnish-language schools. You can find the application instructions on each option's own website.
Schedules for the 2024–2025 school year
Below, you can see some schedules related to school enrolment for parents and guardians of pupils born in 2017. We will add the more detailed dates during autumn 2023.
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October – November 2023
We post the Tervetuloa kouluun ('Welcome to School') guide to children born in 2017. Version in English will become available as an online pdf version.
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13 November 2023 – 15 January 2024
Schools may hold information events. School-specific times will be published on each school's own website in autumn.
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8–28 January 2024
- The start of a child’s compulsory education will be announced with a compulsory education note, which will be posted to the child's home address at the beginning of January.
- Application period for weighted-curriculum, English-language and bilingual education.
- School enrolment either online or by visiting the school.
- The principal will invite the new pupil and guardians to a hearing for a special support decision, when it is regarding special support arrangements as part of other instruction, or in a special needs education class in the local school.
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February 2024
- Aptitude tests or language tests for weighted-curriculum, English-language and bilingual education
- If the family moves to Helsinki after the enrolment period has ended and wants a place for the child at the local school, the guardians should contact the principal. You can check your own local school based on your family’s home address on the Service Map. If you move to Helsinki after the enrolment period and wish to apply for a place for your child in English-language or bilingual education, please contact the school providing this type of teaching.
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March 2024
The school will send the admission decision to the pupil’s home by post. If applied for, a decision regarding special support in a special needs class is also sent to the pupil’s home by post.
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March–April 2024
Application period for after-school activities. The decisions for after-school activities will be posted at home in summer 2024.
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By the end of March 2024
The period of providing additional information related to the child's instruction in school ends.
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August 2024
Start of school. Welcome!
Morning and after-school activities
We offer many types of voluntary guided activities to pupils in our primary schools both before and after the school day. They offer children meaningful activities in a safe environment.
Starting school a year later or a year earlier
A guardian may apply for their child to start school either later or earlier well in advance before the child is supposed to start school.
Extended compulsory education
A child is entitled to extended compulsory education if they will not be able to achieve the prescribed goals of education in nine years because of a severe disability or illness.
