Major Swedish municipalities have announced high first-choice placement rates in this year's school admissions, with Uppsala reporting 86% of pupils receiving their top pick and Umeå achieving 98% for year 7 requests, according to officials. The results come amid varying participation levels and capacity challenges across regions.
In Uppsala, 4,381 children received a school placement in the compulsory school choice, officials said. They reported that 99% of guardians made an active choice, and 86% of all pupils received their first-choice school, a one percentage point increase from last year. For specific grades, 96% of those choosing preschool class, 97% for year 4, 92% for year 6, and 96% for year 7 received one of their chosen options, but 5% of pupils did not receive any of their chosen options and were placed at a municipal school as close to home as possible.
In Umeå, guardians of over 3,000 pupils received decisions on school placement for preschool class and year 7 at municipal schools on Tuesday, March 17, the municipality said. Officials confirmed that 98% of those who requested a municipal school for year 7 received their first-choice request. After the school placement for preschool class for the autumn term 2026, there are currently no available pupil places in ten municipal schools, with Bräntbergsskolan, Ersängsskolan, Tegs centralskola, and Västangårds skola having more applicants than places. All 6-year-olds who applied for preschool class in municipal school have received a place at a school within three kilometers from where the child is registered or to a school where school transport is arranged, officials reported.
Region Gotland conducted its first coordinated school choice this year with new guidelines and queuing rules, involving 542 children, officials said. They reported that 65 children, or 12%, declined to choose municipal school, and all but a small number of pupils received one of their desired alternatives, with high demand for Alléskolan and Norrbackaskolan in Visby.
In the Gothenburg region, compared to last year, 312 more compulsory school pupils have applied to an upper secondary school within the region, officials stated. They reported that 73% of pupils in this year's preliminary admission have been accepted to their first-choice program and school. Interest in vocational programs is increasing, with 188 more applicants admitted to a vocational program compared to last year's preliminary admission, and the largest increase is in sales and service, followed by construction and civil engineering, and hotel and tourism, officials said.
In Malmö, all who applied for school for the autumn term 2026 receive notice of which school they have been placed at today, major media reported. About 6,000 pupils were invited this year, and 95% of prospective preschool class pupils and 99% of prospective year 7 pupils chose to participate in 'Söka skola', major media reported. The placement decisions are published in an e-service on malmo.se, major media reported. In Växjö, over 2,000 pupils have now received notice of which school they will start at in the autumn, and 94% of prospective preschool class children received their first-choice school, according to major media.
In Borås, about 20% of preschool pupils do not receive their first-choice school, major media reported. The Moderates, Christian Democrats, and Sweden Democrats introduced the mandatory school choice in 2016, but the three opposition parties are now more critical of the school choice system, according to major media. The chairman of the compulsory school committee, Per Carlsson of the Social Democrats, dismisses the opposition's criticism as populism, Borås Tidning reported.