Helsingør Ungdomsskole opened a new 11th- and 12th-year school offer on Tuesday, August 11, 2026. Eleven students make up the first intake, all of them young people who have struggled with school attendance or wellbeing.
DR reports that while most students continue into 10th grade after Danish public school, Helsingør has now opened its doors to an 11th and 12th school year. The offer is aimed at students affected by school refusal, known in Danish as skolevægring, and other forms of poor wellbeing. The idea is to give them time to catch up on learning they have missed.
According to DR, the school year will be organized individually for each student. Nadja Rahr, head of the Ungdomsskole’s X-classes, says some young people who have experienced school refusal or other difficulties need more time rather than a different type of program. As she puts it to DR, time is the decisive factor for this group.
Rahr adds that the program will look at what each student actually lacks. That may be more teaching in a single subject, or support in personal and social development. The 11 students starting on Tuesday will each have a plan built around those needs.
Funding and political context
DR reports that the city council in Helsingør set aside money for the new offer in this year’s budget. The figure is 830,000 kroner this year, followed by 2 million kroner annually. Helsingør Kommune’s budget agreement for 2025 to 2028 allocated resources for the municipality’s school-area master plan, which forms the wider funding context for new school initiatives in the city.
Andreas Rasch-Christensen, a school researcher at VIA University College, tells DR that nine years of schooling is not enough for everyone. He says extra measures are needed for some students if they are to move on to upper secondary education and later to the labor market. In his account, a growing number of students need additional support.
Rasch-Christensen also tells DR that the model could be tried in other parts of Denmark. He points to one complication. The municipal 10th grade is set to be abolished in 2030 and replaced by EPX, the new vocational and profession-oriented upper secondary program, under a political agreement made by the previous government.
If Helsingør’s experience proves positive, the researcher says, it should be noted nationally as well as locally. Helsingør’s most recent 2026 to 2029 budget materials set out the municipality’s school priorities and budget framework.
The city is also known for institutions such as Helsingør City Museum. Separately, Danish schools have seen changes to testing, including 14 mandatory school tests.
