Elementary school

About the school

School management and administration:

Contact information for the school's management and administration

School staff
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Contact the school
Longyearbyen School
Pb 350
9171 LONGYEARBYEN

Tel: 79 02 39 00 / Email

Students
In the 2025-2026 school year, the school has 194 students in primary school and 41 students in secondary school. The culture school has approximately 90 students.
The after-school program (SFO) is used by 70 children this school year.

Employees
This school year, approximately 55 people are working at the school, distributed across approximately 48 full-time equivalents. The positions include teaching staff, assistants, and administrative staff associated with the school (primary school grades 1-10 and secondary school) and the SFO. As in the local community in general, there can be some staff turnover due to a generally high turnover rate.

School building
The school building dates from 1971 and has been extended several times. In August 2012, a new pavilion was put into use for the SFO and as a classroom for 1st grade. At the same time, three new classrooms were completed on the second floor of the part of the school building used by the primary school. In the fall of 2005, a new secondary school section of approximately 750 square meters was put into use, and in the fall of 2006, the renovation of a similarly large part of the existing school building was completed.

Schooling

Schooling in Longyearbyen has some limitations compared to the schooling available to pupils in their mainland municipality. 

Only the Longyearbyen local government can operate kindergartens and primary and secondary schools in Longyearbyen. The type of services and rights available in Svalbard are governed by the Svalbard policy in force at any given time. (Meld. St. 32) External link, opens in new window.

Regulations on kindergarten activities in Longyearbyen and regulations on primary and secondary education in Longyearbyen ensure that children and young people in Longyearbyen receive a good education in a safe and positive school environment.
The regulations also contribute to the fulfillment of Norwegian Svalbard policy objectives.

Special conditions in Longyearbyen:

Right and obligation to primary and secondary education
Children have the right and obligation to primary and secondary education from the year they turn six until they have completed primary and secondary school (10th grade). The right to primary and secondary education applies when the child is likely to be in Longyearbyen for more than three consecutive months. This right must be fulfilled as soon as possible and no later than one month after the child has arrived in Longyearbyen and the parents have notified the Longyearbyen local council. Children have an obligation to attend primary and lower secondary school when they have been in Longyearbyen for six months.

Limited right to special education in primary and lower secondary education in Longyearbyen
Children with needs that exceed the Longyearbyen local council's obligation
under Section 6, first paragraph, letter f, and Section 7, External link, opens in new window. and who therefore cannot benefit adequately from the education provided by Longyearbyen School, do not have the right and obligation to primary and lower secondary education in Longyearbyen. Decisions made under this rule are individual decisions and may be appealed in accordance with the rules of the Public Administration Act. External link, opens in new window. The State Administrator in Troms and Finnmark is the appeal authority.

Pupils who need minor or moderate adjustments to their education are entitled to special education, cf. Section 11 of the Education Act, External link, opens in new window.with the limitations that follow from this provision.

When assessing whether a pupil is entitled to special education, emphasis shall be placed on, among other things

a) the pupil's overall need for adaptation and services in order to be able to participate in the education and achieve a reasonable benefit from it

b) how costly the adaptation will be

c) the impact on other pupils' educational provision

d) the fact that the school shall not compensate for other services that are not available and rules that do not apply in Longyearbyen.

Only in special cases are students entitled to one-to-one teaching or a dedicated staff resource, e.g. a teacher, assistant, or special education teacher. Students are not entitled to such adaptation for more than a limited part of their education and for a short period of time.

The right to special education is otherwise limited by the capacity and expertise available to the Longyearbyen local government.
 

Transitional arrangement for special education On September
13, 2022, the local government decided September 2022 that, in connection with the entry into force of the Regulations on Primary and Secondary Education in Longyearbyen, a transitional arrangement shall be implemented for the provision of special education for school pupils and kindergarten children who moved to Longyearbyen before September 1, 2022. A guide will be prepared for the implementation of the regulations that will apply to those who are not covered by the transitional arrangement.

See the decision of the Local Council – September 13, 2022 pdf, 335 kB, opens in new window.
 

For families with children who are about to start or are already attending lower secondary school:

Lower secondary school pupils are offered Spanish as a foreign language. If a pupil has studied another language before moving to Svalbard, they must expect to study English or working life subjects.

Young people in Longyearbyen who have completed primary school or equivalent education have the same right to upper secondary education as they would have had in mainland Norway, but students are not entitled to special Norwegian language training or special education in upper secondary education in Svalbard.
(Regulations on admission to upper secondary education in Svalbard) External link, opens in new window.
This right can be fulfilled either through upper secondary education in Longyearbyen or through upper secondary education on the Norwegian mainland in accordance with the rules in the Education Act. External link, opens in new window.

The subject Food & Health is taught in the 9th grade. Students therefore receive a grade in this subject in the 9th grade.
 

Foreign students

Students are offered special language training, but it is very important to familiarize yourself with the admission rules for upper secondary education if you envisage that your child will also continue their upper secondary education in Svalbard. Upper secondary education has its own admission requirements and is limited.
See information about upper secondary education in Longyearbyen pdf, 2 MB, opens in new window.

Contact us before you move to Longyearbyen
If you are planning to move to Longyearbyen with school-age children, you must contact the school well in advance of your move.
Contact information for the school management

Moving to Svalbard

The educational opportunities in Longyearbyen are somewhat limited compared to those available to students in their mainland municipality. 

Only the Longyearbyen local government can operate kindergartens and primary and secondary schools in Longyearbyen. The services and rights available in Svalbard are governed by the Svalbard policy in force at any given time. (Meld. St. 32) External link, opens in new window.

Regulations on kindergarten activities in Longyearbyen and regulations on primary and secondary education in Longyearbyen ensure that children and young people in Longyearbyen receive a good education in a safe and positive school environment.
The regulations also contribute to the fulfillment of Norwegian Svalbard policy objectives.

Contact the school before you move to Longyearbyen
If you are planning to move to Longyearbyen with school-age children, you must contact the department head well in advance of your move.
Contact information for school management and administration

Forms:
There is a separate form for enrolling new students at Longyearbyen School.
Link to form overview in Local Government External link.
Information about after-school care

Moving FROM Svalbard

Parents/guardians must report a move from Longyearbyen School using the electronic form available here External link, opens in new window.
This form is used regardless of whether you are moving to a municipality on mainland Norway or moving from Svalbard to another country.

If you are moving to mainland Norway, we recommend that parents/guardians contact the relevant municipality and new school well in advance of the move.
Once Longyearbyen School has received notification of the move, we will send a message to the relevant municipality with information about the moving date, the name of the school, and the new address.

Student leave

Guidelines for student leave in primary and secondary school

Separate leave regulations have been drawn up for Longyearbyen School. The purpose of the leave regulations is to help keep student absenteeism at Longyearbyen School low and to ensure equal treatment of applications for leave.
The leave regulations apply to primary and lower secondary school. It is not possible to apply for leave from upper secondary education.

Leave regulations for Longyearbyen School pdf, 177 kB.

The regulations are based on Section 2-11 of the Education Act and apply to the processing of applications for leave of absence from education for all pupils in primary and lower secondary school at Longyearbyen School. Leave of absence from upper secondary education is not granted. For more information, see the separate tab – secondary education.

Leave of absence for up to ten school days is not a right, but may only be granted if it is considered justifiable for the student's education. The assessment shall take into account, among other things:

- the student's absence history
- the school's teaching program during the period
- the student's learning outcomes and whether there is a sufficient basis for assessment
- whether oral/written exams, tests, national tests, or mandatory state assessments are to be held during the period.

The exception is students who belong to religious communities other than the Church of Norway. Upon application, these students are entitled to leave during the religious community's holidays. It is a prerequisite that guardians provide the necessary education during the absence so that the student can follow the regular teaching when the leave period is over.

When you do not need to
apply for leave - You do not need to apply for leave if your child is visiting a healthcare specialist on the mainland. Such absences must be reported in the usual way in the Min Skole app. -
If such a healthcare trip is combined with private travel, leave must be applied for for the extra days off.

Case
processing - Parents/guardians must apply for leave well in advance of the desired leave date, at least 14 days in advance.
- Leave must be applied for via the Parent Portal External link, opens in new window.
. - Leave of up to one day may be granted by the contact teacher if the contact teacher considers it reasonable.
- Leave requests for more than one day must be decided by the principal after consultation with the contact teacher.
- You will receive a written response to your application either as digital mail from the school or as a letter if you have opted out of digital mail. The response to the application will also be displayed in the Parent Portal.
- If your application is rejected, the reason for this must be stated, and you can appeal the decision.

Here you will find user instructions pdf, 370 kB, opens in new window.on how to apply for leave in Visma Flyt Skole.

Parents' responsibility during the leave period
When a student is granted leave, the parents take over the responsibility for their education. Parents must ensure that the student receives the necessary education during the leave period.
Teachers cannot be expected to prepare a separate program for the student during the leave period. It is the parents' responsibility to ensure that the student catches up on missed lessons and keeps up to date with the work plan.

Leave of absence for more than ten school days
Leave of absence for more than ten school days will not be granted. If a student is absent for more than ten days, they will normally be withdrawn from the school and must re-enroll when they return.
There may be situations where the reason for the absence, based on a reasonable assessment, means that the student is not withdrawn from the school. The assessment is made by the principal. In these cases, however, absences exceeding ten days will be considered invalid.

Absences on the report card
The main rule is that all absences in grades 8, 9, and 10 must be recorded on the report card.

The student, together with their parents, may request that up to ten school days in a school year not be recorded on the report card. Only whole days can be deleted, not individual lessons.

You can request that documented absences be removed from the report card if they are due to:

- Health reasons (absences of more than three days documented by a doctor)
- Health reasons (from the first day of absence for students with a documented risk of absence, e.g., chronic illness). Absences due to health reasons require a doctor's note. The doctor's note must be sent by mail to the school principal.
- Granted leave from the first day

Form for requesting deletion of valid absences can be found here External link, opens in new window.
The form should be submitted to the school by June 1
.