A foreign family arriving in Estonia has two workable routes, and the expensive one is not always the better one. The state system takes your child free, learning materials supplied, with a place guaranteed by law whatever passport the child holds. The international schools charge €4,610 to €26,764 a year for teaching in English and a curriculum the child carries to the next country.
The Estonian-language question decides most of it. State schools teach in Estonian, and the last Russian-medium classes are converting grade by grade to a deadline of 2030. A seven-year-old absorbs that; a fifteen-year-old two years from final examinations usually cannot.
Table of Contents
The State System Takes Your Child, Free
Start here, because a surprising number of arriving families never check. Every child in Estonia is guaranteed a school place, and a state or municipal school is free, learning materials included. School starts in the year the child turns 7, if that birthday falls by 1 October.
The obligation runs the other way too. A child living here who is a foreign citizen, or of undetermined citizenship, is subject to the obligation to learn exactly as an Estonian child is — to age 18 from the 2025/2026 school year, or until a secondary or vocational qualification is completed. Children of accredited foreign diplomats are the single exception.
Contact the local government where you live
The step foreign families skip, and the one that produces the guaranteed place. The municipality coordinates the placement.Submit an application to the school
With identity documents, the child’s health card, and records from the previous school where you have them.Expect a development review early
Held as soon as possible after arrival, to work out what support the child needs. A diagnostic, not a test to pass.
Estonian, And The Support A Newcomer Gets
Most Estonian schools teach in Estonian and the ones that did not are converting: the transition began in 2024 with kindergartens and grades 1 and 4, moves up one grade a year on each front, and completes by 2030. Teaching partly in another language needs government approval, applied for before 31 March of the preceding school year.
A school draws additional state funding for a newly arrived migrant pupil if it provides at least 2 of 3 supports:
- An individual curriculum for the child
- Estonian as a second language lessons
- Additional Estonian lessons on top of the timetable
Subject teaching is still in Estonian — the support is scaffolding, not a parallel track — and it is per school, so it varies between two schools in the same city. So the decision is one about age. A child entering at grade 1 or 2 lands where everybody else does; a child arriving at 14 must acquire an unfamiliar Finno-Ugric language while being examined in it, and that is where a fee-charging English-medium school earns its money.
Which Schools Teach In English, And Where
The English-medium map is short and splits three ways: fee-charging international schools, a state-founded European School, and municipal schools running the same thing for nothing.
| School | City | Teaches in | Ages / grades | Annual tuition |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| International School of Estonia | Tallinn | English | 3–19 | €8,356–€26,764 |
| International School of Tallinn | Tallinn | English | 3–19 | €9,550–€12,885 |
| Tallinn European School | Tallinn | English and French sections | Nursery to S7 | €4,610–€6,600 |
| Audentes International School | Tallinn | English | Grades 7, 10–12 | €8,600–€11,200 |
| Tartu International School | Tartu | English, Estonian from grade 1 | 1½–16 | €5,355–€11,235 |
| Miina Härma Gümnaasium | Tartu | English, in the international classes | Grades 1–12 | Municipal school; no fee published |
| Tallinn English College | Tallinn | English, on the Diploma Programme | Grades 11–12 | Free; pupils buy textbooks |
The last two rows are harder to enter than to afford: Tallinn English College through its own grade 10, so not a route you can join at 17, and Miina Härma's international classes aimed at diplomatic and public-sector families.
The Schools, One By One
Every figure below is from the school's own published fee page for 2026/2027. No school pays to appear here and nothing here earns a commission.
International School of Estonia
Estonia's first IB World School
Key highlights
Key features
- All three IB programmes, no transfer
- Preschool €8,356 and Reception €9,192
- Merit and needs-based scholarships exist
Account details
- City
- Tallinn
- Curriculum
- IB PYP, MYP and DP
- Ages
- 3–19
- Annual tuition
- €8,356–€26,764
Summary
- All three IB programmes, no transfer
- Preschool €8,356 and Reception €9,192
- Merit and needs-based scholarships exist
- The most expensive school-age tuition here
- €3,000 capital levy on entry at Reception
- Discount amounts are not published
International School of Tallinn
All three IB programmes at Ülemiste
Key highlights
Key features
- Fully authorised for PYP, MYP and DP
- Diploma €12,885 against €26,764 at ISE
- Monthly payment schedule published
Account details
- City
- Tallinn
- Curriculum
- IB PYP, MYP and DP
- Ages
- 3–19
- Annual tuition
- €9,550–€12,885
Summary
- Fully authorised for PYP, MYP and DP
- Diploma €12,885 against €26,764 at ISE
- Monthly payment schedule published
- Aftercare, ESL and trips charged separately
- Kindergarten €9,550 exceeds several rivals' school-age rates
Tallinn European School
The European Baccalaureate route
Key highlights
Key features
- By far the lowest international fees here
- Mother tongue taught from P1 to S7
Account details
- City
- Tallinn
- Curriculum
- European Schools
- Sections
- English and French
- Annual tuition
- €4,610–€6,600
Summary
- By far the lowest international fees here
- Mother tongue taught from P1 to S7
- Ordinary foreign families admitted only if space
- Admission is tested, including mathematics
- A2 second language before Secondary 1
Tartu International School
Tartu's English-medium school
Key highlights
Key features
- The cheapest English-medium school-age tuition here
Account details
- City
- Tartu
- Curriculum
- IB PYP; MYP in progress
- Ages
- 1½–16
- Private tuition
- €5,355–€7,330
Summary
- The cheapest English-medium school-age tuition here
- No Diploma; a move at 16
- Authorised for PYP only so far
- Corporate scale roughly 1.5× the private
Audentes International School
IB Diploma for arriving teenagers
Key highlights
Key features
- A pre-IB year for arrivals from elsewhere
- Family and early-payment discounts published
- Full-year Diploma scholarships exist
Account details
- City
- Tallinn
- Curriculum
- IB MYP and DP
- Entry points
- Grade 7, or grade 10 pre-IB
- Annual tuition
- €8,600–€11,200
Summary
- A pre-IB year for arrivals from elsewhere
- Family and early-payment discounts published
- Full-year Diploma scholarships exist
- No primary years — not for young children
Miina Härma Gümnaasium
A Tartu municipal school teaching the IB
Key highlights
Key features
- The full IB continuum, in a municipal school
Account details
- City
- Tartu
- Curriculum
- IB PYP, MYP and DP
- Grades
- 1–12, plus a pre-IB year
- Tuition
- Not published
Summary
- The full IB continuum, in a municipal school
- Admissions targeted, not open to any family
- English is assessed; Diploma applicants interview
- No fee published for these classes
What the cards leave out. ISE is at Juhkentali in central Tallinn, English-medium from 3 to the Diploma. IST is on the Ülemiste campus at Valukoja 9, its 175-day year running September to June. TES, at Tehnika 18, runs English at all levels and French to primary only. TIS, at J. Liivi 2d, bills in ten monthly instalments and teaches Estonian from the first grade; Audentes takes a first instalment then eight monthly payments. Miina Härma has run the Middle Years Programme since 2019 under an administrative contract with the Ministry of Education and Research and Tartu City Government — so it sits inside the Estonian system, and transfer to a national-curriculum school afterwards is straightforward in a way it is not from a private school.
IB, The European Baccalaureate, Or The National Curriculum
Three curricula are on offer, and they answer three different questions about where your family goes next.
| Curriculum | Where it is taught | Leaves with | Suits |
|---|---|---|---|
| International Baccalaureate | ISE, IST, Audentes, Tartu Int. (PYP), Miina Härma, Tallinn English College | IB Diploma | A family that may move again, or aims at universities abroad |
| European Schools curriculum | Tallinn European School only | European Baccalaureate | EU institution families, and any next move inside the EU |
| Estonian national curriculum | Every state and municipal school | Basic school certificate at grade 9, then the gümnaasium leaving examinations | A family staying, with a child young enough to learn Estonian |
The IB's advantage for a mobile family is continuity of shape rather than syllabus. Its limit here is that only three schools offer the Diploma privately and one municipal school offers it free, so at 16 the choice narrows sharply. Choosing English-medium is not opting out of Estonian either: Tallinn European School requires a second language from P1 and a third from S1, with A2 in the second before Secondary 1.
What It Costs, Side By Side
The gap between the cheapest and dearest English-medium school-age seat in Estonia is about 4×.
| Stage | Tartu Int. (private) | Tallinn European | Audentes | IST | ISE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Preschool / nursery | €5,355 | €4,610 | — | €9,550 | €8,356 |
| Primary years | €7,005 | €5,400 | — | €11,715 | €23,988 |
| Middle years | €7,330 | €6,600 | €8,600 | €12,460 | €25,812 |
| Diploma / final years | — | €6,600 | €11,200 | €12,885 | €26,764 |
| One-off on entry | €800 corporate | €200 application | — | None listed | €600 + €3,000 |
Who pays decides which Tartu scale applies: private where the family pays and a parent and the child are registered residents, corporate where an employer reimburses — grades 4–9 cost €7,225–€7,330 privately against €11,235 corporately, so a relocation package puts you on the dearer scale. And the fee excludes more than it looks: Audentes adds €350 a year for digital textbooks, plus IBO examination fees, meals and trips.
The training-expense deduction is the one relief that applies here
An Estonian resident taxpayer can deduct qualifying training expenses on the annual return, within a combined cap of €1,200 together with gifts and donations, and no more than half of taxable income. Tartu International School states on its own fee page that privately paid tuition is subject to a tax refund in Estonia. It is a deduction against tax, not a rebate of the fee — but on a five-figure bill it is worth claiming.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a foreign child attend an Estonian state school, and what does it cost?
Yes, and free, learning materials included. The obligation runs both ways: a foreign citizen or child of undetermined citizenship living here must learn to age 18 from the 2025/2026 school year, or to a completed secondary or vocational qualification. Children of accredited foreign diplomats are the exception.
Which schools in Estonia teach in English?
Fee-charging in Tallinn: the International School of Estonia, the International School of Tallinn, Tallinn European School and Audentes; free, Tallinn English College. In Tartu: Tartu International School, and Miina Härma Gümnaasium free. Outside those two cities the options thin out sharply.
How much does an international school in Estonia cost?
For 2026/2027, from each school's own fee page: Tallinn European School €4,610–€6,600, Tartu International School €5,355–€7,330 privately and €10,500–€11,235 corporately, Audentes €8,600–€11,200, International School of Tallinn €9,550–€12,885, and the International School of Estonia dearest at €23,988–€26,764.
Is there any English-medium schooling in Estonia that is free?
Two. Tallinn English College charges no tuition for the IB Diploma Programme — pupils buy only textbooks. It was the first municipal school in Estonia authorised as an IB World School, has run the programme since September 2009, and entry is through its own grade 10. Miina Härma publishes no fee for its international classes.
How is a school place allocated in Tallinn?
On proximity of the child's registered residence and on keeping siblings together; an oversubscribed school breaks the tie on the earlier population register entry. Applications run 1–15 March through the city's LAUR system or on paper at the Education Department, the school is named by 20 May, parents confirm by 10 June, and vacancies open from 11 June. Registration in Tallinn is what makes the place guaranteed.
My child speaks no Estonian. What support will a state school give?
A school draws additional state funding for a newly arrived migrant pupil by providing at least 2 of 3 supports: an individual curriculum, Estonian-as-a-second-language lessons, or extra Estonian lessons, plus a development review after arrival. None of it moves subject teaching out of Estonian.
Will my child have to learn in Estonian?
In a state or municipal school, yes. The transition began in 2024 with kindergartens and grades 1 and 4, advances a grade a year, and completes by 2030; teaching partly in another language needs government approval before 31 March of the preceding year. International schools teach Estonian too.
What is the difference between the IB and the European Baccalaureate here?
The IB is taught at ISE, IST, Audentes, Miina Härma and Tallinn English College, and as the Primary Years Programme at Tartu International School: the same programme structure in the next country. The European Baccalaureate is taught only at Tallinn European School, founded by the Ministry of Education and Research in 2013, recognised across EU member states for university entry, and guaranteeing mother-tongue teaching from P1 to S7.
When do international school applications open?
Earlier than families expect. Tallinn European School's admission period for 2026/2027 ran 12 January to 13 March, with testing in the section language, the second language and mathematics where required. Miina Härma wants Diploma subject choices by 1 May. Both sit separately from the municipal first-grade window of 1–15 March.
Who gets priority at Tallinn European School?
Category I — children of EU institution and agency staff — have a guaranteed place. Category II is children of foreigners living and working in Estonia who cannot study in their mother tongue locally, and depends on availability. Within it: the school's own staff, EU citizens with priority to diplomatic families, non-EU citizens with priority to those already taught in a section language, two or more years of prior European School experience, then siblings.
Are there discounts or tax relief on school fees?
Some of each. The International School of Estonia says more than half its pupils receive a discount and offers merit and needs-based scholarships, amounts unpublished. Audentes publishes a 10%–20% family discount and 5% off for paying within ten days of enrolment. Tartu International School states privately paid tuition attracts an Estonian tax refund. Separately, a resident taxpayer may deduct qualifying training expenses within a combined cap of €1,200, shared with gifts and donations and capped at half of taxable income.
We are moving to Tartu rather than Tallinn. What are the options?
Two. Tartu International School at J. Liivi 2d takes children from 18 months to 16, is authorised for the Primary Years Programme and working towards the Middle Years; its private scale runs €5,355–€7,330. Miina Härma runs all three IB programmes in English for diplomatic and public-sector families. Neither offers a privately paid Diploma, so plan the step at 16 early.
At what age does school start in Estonia?
In the year the child turns 7, if that birthday falls by 1 October. Basic school covers grades 1 to 9 in three stages — 1–3, 4–6 and 7–9, ages 7 to 16 — then upper secondary or vocational education, with the obligation to learn running to age 18.
How do we actually enrol a child who has just arrived?
Contact the local government where you live first: the municipality coordinates the placement, and that is what turns the guarantee into an actual school. Then apply to the school with identity documents, the child's health card and any previous school records.
Related Guides
Disclaimer
General guidance. Tuition, admission windows and priority rules are set by each school and change every year. Confirm current fees and deadlines with the school, and school-place allocation with your local government, before acting.