page_title: Education in Sweden
section_title: Comprehensive school
hierarchical_section_title: Education in Sweden / History / Comprehensive school
caption_attribution_description: English: Lars Ridderstedt II graduation party RealexamenPlace: Granbacksvägen 5, Danderyd, Sweden
context_page_description: Education in Sweden is mandatory for children between ages 6 and 15. The school year in Sweden runs from mid/late August to early/mid June. The Christmas holiday from mid December to early January divides the Swedish school year into two terms.
  Preschool is free for low-income families and subsidized with a price ceiling for all families. The year children turn six they start the compulsory preschool class, which act as a transition phase between preschool and comprehensive schools. Children between ages 7 and 15 attend comprehensive school where a wide range of subjects are studied. All students study the same subjects, with exception for different language choices. The majority of schools are run municipally, but there are also privately owned schools, known as independent schools.
  Almost all students continue studying in 3 year long upper secondary schools where most students choose one out of 18 national programmes some of which are vocational and some preparatory. For students not fulfilling the requirements for the national programmes, introductory programmes are available where students work to satisfy the requirements for the national programmes.
context_section_description: In 1842, the Swedish parliament introduced a four-year primary school for children in Sweden, "folkskola". In 1882 two grades were added to "folkskola", grade 5 and 6. Some "folkskola" also had grade 7 and 8, called "fortsättningsskola". Schooling in Sweden became mandatory for 7 years in the 1930s and for 8 years in the 1950s. In 1962 the first version of the current compulsory school was introduced with Swedish children having 9 mandatory years in school – from August the year the child turns 7 to June the year the child turns 16.
  The 1962 curriculum included two different study paths vocational and preparatory, this was however abolished in the 1969 revision. In 1980 came another major revision increasing the emphasize on the theoretical subjects. In 1994 the grading system was changed and in the latest revision from 2011 the grading system was changed yet again this time also introducing grades from year 6.
caption: Class of 15- and 16-year-olds celebrates a successfully completed Realexamen (graduation from realskolan) in a Stockholm suburb in 1965.
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