Estonia's smallest schools to welcome only a handful of first-graders this fall
Several small rural schools in Estonia will open the new school year with only a few new pupils, though municipalities say closures are not currently planned. Officials note that restructuring, such as reducing grade levels, may become necessary within the next five years.
A number of small schools across Estonia will begin the new academic year with very few incoming students, but local municipalities say they have no immediate plans to shut them down.
Meremäe School in Setomaa, once a secondary school and converted into a basic school in the early 2000s, will see just two children start first grade this year. The school, which shares its building with a kindergarten, currently has 26 pupils across nine grades. Pille Liblik, director of Setomaa's schools, said that while enrollment has dropped over the past decade, the number of new pupils has actually risen slightly over the last two years, and the municipality aims to keep at least the first six grades available locally.
A similar pattern is seen in Peipsiääre Municipality, where Kolkja School, with 37 students, will also enroll only two first-graders. Acting director Aitel Käpp highlighted the school's role in sustaining the area's centuries-old Old Believer community and its traditions alongside civic life in Estonia. This year, Kolkja's kindergarten group will have no children at all, leaving future enrollment numbers uncertain. The municipality says it does not plan to close the school, but an analysis due by spring will explore possible restructuring.
Other schools, including Unipiha Primary School in Kambja Municipality and Laiuse Jaan Poska Basic School in Jõgeva Municipality — currently undergoing major renovation — will start the year with no new first-graders at all. Jõgeva Mayor Karro Külanurm expects enrollment to grow again in coming years but acknowledged that municipalities with declining populations will eventually need to discuss reducing grade offerings, including at the upper basic school level.
Parents and grandparents interviewed defended the value of small local schools, citing smaller class sizes that allow teachers more individual attention, and concerns that young children should not face long daily bus commutes to more distant schools.
