Am I allowed to homeschool my child in Denmark?
Yes — Denmark has a duty to educate, not a duty to attend school, so you may teach your child at home. This follows from Constitution §76 and the Free Schools Act. The teaching must match what is generally required in the state school, and at minimum cover Danish, maths, English, history and the science subjects. You must notify the municipality in writing before you begin — it is not an application, and no approval is required. The municipality supervises and can test the child each year in the five core subjects. The duty runs from the age of 6 through the 9th grade; the 10th grade cannot be homeschooled. If supervision finds the teaching inadequate, the child can be sent back to school.
📋 The rules
- There is a duty to educate, not a duty to attend school
- The teaching must match the state school
- You must notify the municipality in writing first
- The municipality supervises and can test the child each year
- Applies from age 6 to the 9th grade, not the 10th
🔓 Exceptions
- A child with a significant disability can get free special-needs support at home
- A homeschooled child can sit the state-school final exams as a private candidate
- The municipality can exempt a family from supervision if the teaching is good
⚠️ Penalties & fines
There is no fine for homeschooling — it is a right, not an offence. The consequence sits in the supervision. If the municipality finds the teaching inadequate, the child is retested after 3 months, and if the level is still too poor, the child must attend the state school or another school. You get one chance to put it right, and the price is the child's time. If it goes well, it goes the other way: the municipality can exempt the family from supervision, and the child can sit the final exams as a private candidate.
📎 Official sources
- Ministry of Education · Homeschooling →
- Free Schools Act §§34–36 · Retsinformation →
- Constitution §76 · Parliament →
❓ Frequently asked
Can I homeschool my child?
Yes. Denmark has a duty to educate, not a duty to attend school, so you may teach your child at home. The right follows from Constitution §76 and is set out in the Free Schools Act, which also governs supervision.
Must I apply for permission?
No. You must notify the municipality in writing before you begin, but it is not an application, and no approval is required. The municipality cannot refuse to let you start teaching the child at home.
What requirements are there for the teaching?
It must match what is generally required in the state school and at minimum cover Danish, maths, English, history and the science subjects — those are the five core subjects the municipality tests in.
Does the municipality supervise?
Yes. The municipality supervises and can test the child each year in the five core subjects. If it goes well, the municipality can exempt the family from supervision, so the test need not be repeated every year.
What if the teaching is not good enough?
The child is retested after 3 months. If the level is still too poor, the child must attend the state school or another school, and the homeschooling cannot continue — you effectively get one chance to fix it.
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