The educational system in Iceland is divided into four levels:

• Pre-school education (leikskóli) Governed by the the Pre-school Act, No. 78/ 1994.Pre-schools are defined by law as the first level of the educational system, providing education for children who have not reached six years of age, at which point compulsory education begins.
• Compulsory education (grunnskóli) Governed by the the Compulsory School Act, No. 66/1995. Compulsory education is organised in a single structure system, i.e. primary and lower secondary education form a part of the same school level, and generally take place in the same school. The law concerning compulsory education stipulates that education shall be mandatory for children and adolescents between the ages of six and sixteen.
• Upper secondary education (framhaldsskóli) Governed by the the Upper Secondary School Act, No. 80/1996. Upper secondary education is not compulsory, but anyone who has completed compulsory education has the right to enter a course of studies in an upper secondary school. Students are usually 16-20 years of age. General academic education is primarily organised as a four-year course leading to a matriculation examination. The length of the courses in vocational education varies, lasting from one semester to ten, but most prevalent are four-year courses.
• Higher education (háskóli). There are currently nine higher education institutions in Iceland. Most of the institutions are run by the state. Private parties with state support run three institutions. Institutions of higher education differ in the extent to which they engage in research and the number of programmes of study offered.

Information about the Icelandic Education System