IB Education
IB, or International Baccalaureate, is an international education program. It offers a unified, globally recognized educational pathway from early childhood to upper secondary education.
IB = International Baccalaureate
IB education, or International Baccalaureate, is a globally recognized program that provides students with a broad-based education emphasizing critical thinking and intercultural understanding. The IB program covers a unified educational pathway from early childhood to upper secondary, supporting students’ holistic development and preparing them for higher education worldwide. Key objectives include developing lifelong learning skills, diverse knowledge and abilities, and international cooperation.
More information about IB programs can be found on the IBO website.
Why are we expanding IB education?
The City of Vantaa is expanding IB education to serve its growing multilingual and international community. The goal is to offer international education, develop lifelong learning skills, and strengthen learners’ global understanding.
In Vantaa, IB education is already offered at the upper secondary level at Tikkurila Upper Secondary School and at Vocational College Varia in English. By expanding IB programs to early childhood and basic education, we create a unified IB continuum for children and youth of all ages.
What’s new with IB?
The IB program provides a globally recognized, unified educational pathway from early childhood to upper secondary, making Vantaa more attractive to international families. There are two IB programs in early childhood and basic education: the Primary Years Programme (PYP) for ages 3–12 and the Middle Years Programme (MYP) for ages 13–16.
The IB program will be implemented in selected daycare centers and schools through Vantaa’s local early childhood education and curriculum. This means special approaches to learning and teaching, emphasizing conceptual understanding, broad-based learning, and understanding phenomena.
The IB framework also offers education professionals opportunities to develop their expertise in an international environment.
Who is IB for?
The IB education program is intended for children and youth whose life situation suits an English-language international program. The IB program emphasizes learner autonomy, learning-to-learn skills, and community spirit. IB provides excellent preparation for higher education both in Finland and abroad. From the perspective of educational continuity, IB especially serves children and families who live in Finland temporarily due to work assignments and who already have an IB background from a previous country of residence. Participation in the IB program also requires sufficient English language skills from learners.
When does the activity start?
The implementation of the IB Primary Years Programme (PYP) in early childhood education, pre-primary education and basic education in Vantaa will begin gradually, one age group at a time.
Y.E.S. Day Care Centre in Pakkala was granted IB candidate status in summer 2026, and the piloting of the programme in early childhood education began there at the start of the 2026–2027 school year.
IB pre-primary education will begin in connection with Y.E.S. Day Care Centre in August 2027. Applications will be open from 7 to 29 January 2027. The IB pre-primary education group will operate at the Pakkala teaching site at Hagelstamintie 2.
An English-language Grade 1 class with an IB programme emphasis will also begin in August 2027. The class will be based at the Pakkala teaching site in connection with the International School of Vantaa. Applications for this class will be open from 1 December 2026 to 15 January 2027.
During the initial phase, Vantaa will have IB Candidate School status. Official IB World School status can only be obtained after a multi-year candidacy and authorization process.
The permanent location of the IB Primary Years Programme (PYP) will be decided at a later stage.
How is upper secondary education in the English language different from IB taught an upper secondary education school?
The upper secondary school education in English corresponds to the national upper secondary school education in Finland, while the IB upper secondary school education is an international IBDP degree, which follows the international IB-degree curriculum. Aviapolis upper secondary school will begin English-language upper secondary school education in Vantaa in August 2026. More information about English-language upper secondary education here (aviapoliksenlukio.fi).
IB upper secondary school and upper secondary school education in English also differ from the criteria for student selection: the new upper secondary school education in English is limited to those persons whose Finnish or Swedish language skills are insufficient for upper secondary school studies in Finnish or Swedish and who have completed comprehensive school studies in Finland for a maximum of three years. You can apply for an IB upper secondary school even if your Finnish or Swedish language skills are sufficient for Finnish or Swedish-speaking upper secondary school studies.
