Helsinki parents satisfied with schools, teachers: survey  

Parents and guardians are, on average, very satisfied with their children’s schools, according to the latest survey commissioned by the City of Helsinki.

The survey was carried out in the City of Helsinki’s Finnish- and Swedish-language schools in May 2026, said the City in a press release on Tuesday.

A total of 4,574 parents and guardians whose children attend Finnish- and Swedish-language schools run by the City of Helsinki took part in the survey.

According to the survey, parents and guardians are, overall, very satisfied with schools and they feel that the teachers treat them with respect and kindness.

Most children enjoy going to school and have friends there as well, according to the parents’ and guardians’ responses.

They feel that their child receives support with their learning when needed.

For the first time, parents were also asked how likely they were to recommend their child’s school to others. On a scale of 0 to 10, the most common rating was 9. The average rating was 8. The majority of parents said they would recommend their child’s school to others.

In the open-ended responses, particular praise was given to the smooth running of day-to-day life and the work of the teachers.

“It is great to hear that parents and guardians are so pleased with the way schools in Helsinki are run. This is certainly thanks to the staff at our schools,” said Director of Comprehensive Education Ville Raatikainen.

“There is, of course, always room for improvement, and the results of the survey provide us with useful background information for this work,” said Director of Swedish-Language Comprehensive Education Niclas Rönnholm.

The survey highlighted the flow of information as an area for improvement. Although parents and guardians felt that they could always get hold of the school staff when needed, they wanted more varied information on how their child’s learning and life at school were going.

If parents had not recommended their child’s school, the reasons given in the open-ended responses included the attractiveness of the school grounds or the functionality of the school facilities.