Guardian of a future first-grader, follow these steps!
Is your child starting Grade 1?
- Your child will be assigned a local school based on their home address.
- The guardian must log in to Wilma and complete the compulsory education notification between 24 November and 14 December 2026.
- You will be notified of your child’s place at their local school in Wilma on 18 February 2027.
- If you would like to apply for a place for your child at a school other than the local school assigned to them, apply in Wilma between 18 February and 4 March 2027.
- If you would like to apply for a place for your child in a language-oriented class, apply in Wilma between 24 November and 7 December 2026.
- Apply for instruction in your child’s mother tongue between 17 March and 9 April 2027.
- Apply for a place in morning and afternoon activities in Wilma between 17 March and 9 April 2027.
Wilma IDs
If you do not have a City of Turku Wilma IDs , you can create one using Suomi.fi e-Identification. If you already have a City of Turku Wilma IDs, you can add your child to your existing account.
See the detailed instructions below.
The ID is created using Suomi.fi e-Identification, so the guardian information is retrieved from the Digital and Population Data Services Agency. You can also add a child who is about to start school to an existing Wilma ID.
To create an ID, you need
- a personal email address
- or an existing Wilma ID.
- You also need online banking codes or a mobile certificate to be able to identify yourself strongly in the Suomi.fi service.
If you are unable to create the ID by following these instructions, please contact perusopetus@turku.fi
- Creating a Wilma ID and completing the compulsory education notification form must be done in an internet browser. It is not possible with the Wilma mobile application.
- Go to https://turku.inschool.fi/connect
- Enter your email address in the field and click "Lähetä varmistusviesti" (Send verification).
- Open the verification message sent to your email and click the link in the message.
- The link takes you back to the City of Turku's Wilma. Press "Seuraava" to continue.
- Choose "Koulutulokkaat / nybörjare" as the relevant school and click "Seuraava” (Next) to continue.
- Under "Suomi.fi-tunnistautuminen" (Suomi.fi e-Identification), you can identify yourself by clicking the "Siirry tunnistautumiseen" (Go to e-Identification) button.
- Identify yourself in the service using one of the identification methods and continue to the service.
- On the "Wilma-tunnukset/Avainkoodit" (Wilma IDs/Key codes) page, select "huoltajatiedot saatavilla Digi- ja väestöviraston kautta" to retrieve your information from the Digital and Population Data Services Agency and click "Hae huollettavasi" (Retrieve dependant).
- Select the child you want to add to the Wilma ID and click "Valitse ja siirry asiointipalveluun" to confirm the selection.
- You are now back in Wilma. On the "Wilma-tunnukset/Avainkoodit" page, you can see the child you added in the "Roolit" (Roles) section. Press "Seuraava" to continue.
- The "Käyttäjän tiedot" page displays your user information. Press "Seuraava" to continue.
- Create a password for your ID and enter it in both "Salasana" (Password) fields. Press "Seuraava" to continue.
- Check the information and press the "Luo tunnus" button to create the ID.
- Finally, Wilma will notify you that the ID was successfully created. Click the "Takaisin etusivulle" link to return to the home page and then log in to Wilma.
- Log in to Wilma at Wilma
- Open "Asetukset" (Settings) from the top menu and navigate to "Käyttöoikeudet" (Access rights).
- In the "Roolien lisääminen" (Add roles) section, click "Lisää rooli" to add a role.
- Choose "Koulutulokkaat / nybörjare" as the relevant school and click "Seuraava” (Next) to continue.
- Go to Suomi.fi e-Identification by clicking the "Siirry tunnistautumiseen" (Go to e-Identification) button.
- Identify yourself in the service using one of the identification methods and continue to the service.
- On the "Wilma-tunnukset/Avainkoodit" (Wilma IDs/Key codes) page, select "huoltajatiedot saatavilla Digi- ja väestöviraston kautta" to retrieve your information from the Digital and Population Data Services Agency and press the "Hae huollettavasi" (Retrieve dependant) button.
- Select the child you want to add to the Wilma ID and press the "Valitse ja siirry asiointipalveluun" button to confirm the selection and return to Wilma.
- You are now back in Wilma. On the "Wilma-tunnukset/Avainkoodit" (Wilma IDs/Key codes) page, you can see the name of the child in the "Nyt lisättävät roolit" (Roles to be added) section. Click "Seuraava" to continue.
- Click "Yhdistä" to merge the roles.
- Finally, Wilma will notify you that the ID was successfully created. Click the "Takaisin etusivulle" link to return to the home page and then log in to Wilma.
The compulsory education notification form
Guardians of children starting Grade 1 in basic education must complete a compulsory education notification for their child.
See the instructions below on how to complete the notification.
- Log in to Wilma on a web browser. It is not possible to complete the form in the mobile application.
- Select "Hakemukset ja päätökset" (Applications and decisions) from the top menu.
- Next, click "Oppivelvollisuusilmoitus" (Compulsory education notification) under "Tee uusi hakemus" (Submit new application) on the right.
- Complete the "Oppivelvollisuusilmoitus" form according to the instructions on the form and click on the "Tallenna tiedot" (Save information) button.
If your child lives in Turku but you are unable to use Wilma, apply for a school place using the PDF form (in Finnish). Submit forms primarily through the Suomi.fi Messages service.
Oppilasilmoitus pdf, 133.36 KB
Contact us primarily via Suomi.fi
Please send enquiries and forms primarily via Suomi.fi Messages at suomi.fi/messages.
Select City of Turku, then Applying for a place at comprehensive school.
Local school and how school places are allocated
In Turku, each pupil of compulsory education age has a place in their local school. The local school of a pupil in Finnish-speaking basic education in the City of Turku (grades 1–9) is based on the designated student areas. The Regional Principal decides on the placement of the pupil within the student area.
The school is not necessarily the school closest to home. In other words, the local school and the nearest school can be different.
You can find the student areas in your residential area on the student area map. Each student area has 1–3 schools, one of which is your child's local school.
For specialised schools and classes, the student area is the entire city.
Admission areas and schools
The pupil will be allocated a school place at one of the local schools in their area based on their home address.
Aunela-Pansio – Topelius
- Aunelan koulu, grades 1-6
- Pansion koulu, grades 1-6
- Topeliuksen koulu, grades 1-9
Puolala-Topelius-Luostarivuori
- Puolalan koulu, grades 1-9
- Topeliuksen koulu, grades 1-9
- Luostarivuoren koulu, grades 1-9
Region Principal: Tanja Kytöniemi
Haarla-Syvälahti-Wäinö Aaltonen
- Haarlan koulu, grades 1-6
- Syvälahden koulu, grades 1-9
- Wäinö Aaltosen koulu, grades 1-6
Ilpoinen-Luolavuori – Puropelto
- llpoisten koulu, grades 1-6
- Luolavuoren koulu, grades 1-9
- Puropellon koulu, grades 7-9
Lauste-Vasaramäki
- Lausteen koulu, grades 1-6
- Vasaramäen koulu, grades 1-9
Vähä-Heikkilä – Puropelto
- Vähä-Heikkilän koulu, grades 1-6
- Puropellon koulu, grades 7-9
Region Principal: Katriina Sulonen
Hannunniittu-Nummenpakka
- Hannunniitun koulu, grades 1-6
- Nummenpakan koulu, grades 1-9
Pääskyvuori-Varissuo – Nummenpakka
- Pääskyvuoren koulu, grades 1-6
- Nummenpakan koulu, grades 1-9
Region Principal: Pasi Björk
Hepokulta-Raunistula-Teräsrautela – Rieskalähde
- Hepokullan koulu, grades 1-6
- Raunistulan koulu, grades 1-6
- Teräsrautelan koulu, grades 1-6
- Rieskalähteen koulu, grades 7-9
Turun lyseo
- Turku lyseon koulu, grades 1-9
Jäkärlä-Paattinen-Yli-Maaria
- Jäkärlän koulu, grades 1-6
- Paattisten koulu, grades 1-6
- Yli-Maarian koulu, grades 1-9
Region Principal: Miina Orell
- Katariinan koulu, grades 1-9
- Luolavuoren koulu, grades 1-9
- Mikaelin koulu, grades 1-9
- Kiinamyllyn koulu, grades 1-9
- Turku International School, grades 1-9
The city’s Swedish-speaking basic education has one joint admission area.
Guardians can register their child to the Swedish-speaking school of their choice. Select Swedish as a language in Wilma, if you are registering to the Swedish-speaking school.
Schools
- Braheskolan, grades 1-2
- Cygnaeus skola, grades 1-6
- Sirkkala skola, grades 1-6
- S:t Olofsskolan, grades 7-9
If the number of applicants exceeds the number of places for first graders, the admission criteria shall be applied in the following order:
- Health-related reason or need for support
- Accessibility of the school. School routes are based on the Föli journey planner: primarily on the basis of a safe walking route and, secondarily, on public transport connections.
- Siblings in the same school
- Draw
Principles of admission
Admission to the local school is determined by considering the following factors in the order listed:
- All pupils living in the school's admission area.
- Sibling basis (The pupil has a sibling who lives at the same address and attends the same school in grades 1-5.)
- Travel distance
The admission decision is made until the end of the sixth grade in primary schools and until the end of the ninth grade in secondary schools. In comprehensive schools, the admission decision is made separately for grades 1-6 and 7-9.
Your child may receive a place in another school, other than the designated local school, if there is enough room.
Read about the admission criteria for basic education in Turku
The sibling basis is only applied when the guardian separately requests it when registering or applying to a school.
The sibling basis shall not apply if the sibling is
- In the top grade of the school in question (grades 6-9)
- admitted for weighted-curriculum education, secondary school, preparatory education or specialised classes.
- In specialised education.
The length of the journey to school is determined using the shortest safe and passable route. The route measured must be suitable for pedestrians and accessible throughout the year.
The City of Turku’s Basic Education uses dedicated route-planning software to measure journeys to school and, where necessary, the Turku region map service.
Applying for a place in a school other than your local school
If you want to apply for a school place for your child in a school other than the one assigned to your child, submit your application through Wilma.
Your child may receive a place in another school if there is enough room. The admission decision is made by the The regional principal of the receiving school. The decision on places in schools other than your local school will be published on Wilma.
If you apply for a school place for your child in a school other than the local school assigned to them, school travel costs will not be reimbursed.
If you want to apply for a place in a class specialised in language teaching, submit the application through Wilma.
Basic education in Turku offers language classes in Swedish, French, English and German. A pupil can only apply to one school that provides special classes. A pupil who has accepted a special class place can no longer apply to another special class, except for new special classes starting in grade 7.
If the child does not receive a language class place in the school they applied to, they will be assigned to a school in their local student area.
Briefings on language classes will be organised at schools in November and December.
Read about language classes in Turku. Here you can find the schedules and additional information for briefings about language classes.
Turku International School is intended for international families living and working in the Turku region. The language of instruction is English.
- Apply to Turku International School via Wilma by completing the compulsory education notification.
- Fill out also a separate online application form: Application form Turku International School (TIS)
You can also apply for a place for your child in Turku Teacher Training School or Turku Steiner School or register them to the city's Swedish-language basic education. Applications must be submitted through Wilma.
- Read more about applying to Turun Normaalikoulu on the website of Turun Normaalikoulu. (In Finnish)
- Read more about applying to the Turun Steiner-koulu on the website of Turku Steiner-koulu. (In Finnish)
Starting school in different circumstances
You can apply for permission for your child to start school earlier, later or in another school.
You can apply for the right for your child to start school one year early.
Application forms are available from schools and from the administration of Division of Children and Young People.
In addition to the application, you will need a psychologist’s statement and, if necessary, a medical report. Obtain statements from private service providers.
Application Form (in Finnish)
Koulun aloittaminen aikaisemmin pdf, 39.59 KBSubmit the application and attachments through the Suomi.fi Messages service
You can apply for your child to start grade 1 one year late.
Application forms are available from schools and from the administration of Division of Children and Young People.
In addition to the application, you will need a psychologist’s statement or, if necessary, a medical report on the grounds for the late enrolment.
Application Form (in Finnish)
Koulun aloittaminen myöhemmin pdf, 39.63 KBSubmit the application and attachments through the Suomi.fi Messages service
Going to school in Turku from a different municipality
You can apply for a school place for your child in a comprehensive school in Turku even if they live outside Turku.
In this case, submit an application for the right to attend school in Turku. Submit the application through the Suomi.fi Messages service.
You can get permission for your child to attend school in Turku for grades 1–6 or 7–9. In schools where the primary and lower secondary school are in the same building, your child can get permission to attend for all 9 grades. Getting permission depends, among other things, on whether there are free places in your preferred school.
You do not need to apply separately to enrol your child in basic education in Swedish. The City of Turku has an agreement with neighbouring municipalities on providing basic education in Swedish.
Applications for school transport are made to your home municipality.
Related content:
Moving up to the 7th grade
As a rule, your child will continue in the same secondary school as the primary school. If your child has attended primary school in a school other than the one in his/her admission area and lives in Turku, his/her local school from grade 7 onwards will automatically be determined by the new admission area. No separate decision or notification is required.
Your child has the right to apply to a secondary school other than the one designated on the basis of their primary school. The school may be located in a different area than your local school. Fill in the application to another school on Wilma.
The City of Turku informs guardians of the transition to grade 7 in November. Each lower secondary school holds a briefing at the end of the year. Decisions on school places are published to guardians on Wilma.
If you do not have access to the City of Turku’s Wilma
Your family does not have access to Wilma in the City of Turku programme if your child does not attend school in the City of Turku. In this case, contact the lower secondary school to which your child is applying.