Pajala coat of arms

Schools in Pajala municipality

School profileData and statisticsMunicipal report (PDF)

18 school unitsSkolkoll's statistics include school units that are open/active in Skolverket's register. Dormant units (Vilande — temporarily without students) and discontinued units (Upphörd — permanently closed) are excluded. in Pajala, Norrbotten County. The three most common school forms: 7 preschool, 6 after-school care, 6 compulsory school (+5 more) (a school can have multiple forms).

Data updated: 5 July 2026. School data covers 2024/25; Kolada data may cover different periods.

The school landscape in Pajala

Start here to understand the local offer. The main list on this page shows compulsory and upper-secondary schools with comparable metrics, while preschools and deeper statistics open in separate views where data exists.

Compulsory
6
Upper secondary
1
Preschools
7
Municipal
17
Independent
1

School-form counts come from Skolverket's school-unit register for 2024/25. Kolada municipal metrics usually cover compulsory school and may use different periods.

Pajala has 18 schools with a merit value of 230 (Compulsory school, Kolada 2025), which is near the national average. Teacher qualification: 61.5% (Compulsory school, Kolada 2025) (below the national average of 73.3%).

18 schools797 pupils61.5% qualified teachers (Compulsory school, Kolada 2025)Declining municipality (-2.6%)

Apply for a place in Pajala

Short guide to how to apply by school form in Pajala.

Practical info

Municipal report (PDF)

Summary — Pajala

Five key insights about the municipality's education system.

Key metrics — Pajala municipality

Overview of the municipality's education system.

18Active schools17 municipal, 1 independent
797Total pupils6 compulsory, 1 upper secondary
230Average year-9 meritCompulsory school, Kolada 2025 (national avg 2025: 228.5)
61.5%Qualified teachersCompulsory school, Kolada 2025 (national avg 2025: 73.3 %)
202,192 SEK/yearCost per pupilCompulsory school, Kolada 2025 (national avg 2025: 144,179 SEK)
8Pupils per teacherCompulsory/upper sec. in this municipality

Pajala municipality has 18 schools. The municipality year-9 merit value is 230 points (Compulsory school, Kolada 2025) compared with national avg 228.5. Teacher qualification (61.5%, Compulsory school, Kolada 2025) is below the national average of 73.3%.

Common questions about schools in Pajala

How many schools are there in Pajala?
Pajala municipality has 18 school units (open; dormant excluded). A unit can offer more than one school form; 6 of the units offer compulsory education, 1 offers upper-secondary education and 7 offer preschool. 17 of the units are municipal and 1 are independent. A total of 797 pupils attend schools in Pajala.
What are the merit values in Pajala?
The municipality year-9 merit value in Pajala is 230 points (Compulsory school, Kolada 2025). The highest school-unit merit value belongs to Pajala Centralskola with 233.4 points.
Which school in Pajala has the highest teacher qualification rate?
Pajala Centralskola has the highest school-unit share of qualified teachers in Pajala at 72.6%. The municipality value is 61.5% (Compulsory school, Kolada 2025).
How much does a school place cost in Pajala?
The cost per pupil in compulsory school in Pajala is 202,192 SEK per year (2025). In municipal schools the cost is 179,155 SEK per pupil.

Municipal support functions for schools

Practical information about how Pajala organises school choice, mother-tongue teaching, student health and school transport.

School choice and placement

The municipality has its own e-service for compulsory-school choice.

School choice window: usually 15 Jan–15 Feb. Check the municipality's own calendar.

School choice in Pajala
Mother-tongue tuition

34.4% of compulsory-school pupils have a mother tongue other than Swedish. The municipality must offer mother-tongue tuition where at least five pupils request the same language (Education Act 10:7).

Student health

Cost per pupil in municipal compulsory schools: 6,147 SEK/year (2025).

B
Source
kolada
Period
2025
Quality
B: Direct from source

Nurse, counsellor, psychologist and special-needs teacher per Education Act 2:25.

Supplementary funding for independent schools

Independent schools that admit pupils with special needs can apply for supplementary funding ("tilläggsbelopp") on top of the basic grant. The municipality of residence decides on each application from the provider.

How supplementary funding works
How does Pajala compare to neighbouring municipalities?See the full table ↓
1/7Merit value 2025
2/7Qualified teachers 2025
7/7Cost/pupil 2025

Skolkoll score in Pajala

Where schools sit on the national 0-100 scale. Compulsory schools and upper secondary are shown separately because scores are calibrated by school stage.

Compulsory schools in Pajala
Skolkoll score · compared with all compulsory schools in Sweden

Compulsory schools in Pajala: 6 schools on the 0–100 national scale. Highest: Pajala Centralskola with Skolkoll score 63 out of 100. Lowest: Smedskolan with Skolkoll score 43 out of 100.

Pajala Centralskola
Skolkoll score 63 out of 100
Sattajärvi skola
Skolkoll score 50 out of 100
Kangos Kultur- o ekologiskola
Skolkoll score 48 out of 100
Gårdbyskolan
Skolkoll score 47 out of 100
Tärendö Centralskola
Skolkoll score 45 out of 100
Smedskolan
Skolkoll score 43 out of 100
6 compulsory schools with Skolkoll score
Upper secondary schools in Pajala
Skolkoll score · compared with all upper secondary schools in Sweden

Upper secondary schools in Pajala: 1 schools on the 0–100 national scale. Highest: Lapplands Gymnasium Pajala with Skolkoll score 48 out of 100. Lowest: Lapplands Gymnasium Pajala with Skolkoll score 48 out of 100.

Lapplands Gymnasium Pajala
Skolkoll score 48 out of 100
1 upper secondary schools with Skolkoll score

Compulsory schools and upper secondary in Pajala

Compare schools
Compulsory schools and upper secondary in Pajala with school form, provider, pupil count, qualified teachers and Skolkoll score
SchoolFormsProviderPupilsQual. teachersSkolkoll score
Anpassad GrundskolaAdapted compulsory schoolPAJALA KOMMUN———
GårdbyskolanAdapted compulsory school, After-school care, Compulsory school, Preschool classPAJALA KOMMUN7055.6%Skolkoll score 47 out of 100. Below average.
Kangos Kultur- o ekologiskolaAfter-school care, Compulsory school, Preschool classKANGOS KULTUR OCH EKOLOGISKOLA5045.4%Skolkoll score 48 out of 100. Below average.
Lapplands Gymnasium PajalaAdapted upper secondary school, Upper secondary schoolLAPPLANDS KOMMUNALFÖRBUND14048.8%Skolkoll score 48 out of 100. Below average.
Pajala CentralskolaAfter-school care, Compulsory schoolPAJALA KOMMUN23072.6%Skolkoll score 63 out of 100. Near average.
Sattajärvi skolaAfter-school care, Compulsory school, Preschool classPAJALA KOMMUN5064.6%Skolkoll score 50 out of 100. Near average.
SmedskolanAfter-school care, Compulsory school, Preschool classPAJALA KOMMUN9056%Skolkoll score 43 out of 100. Below average.
Tärendö CentralskolaAfter-school care, Compulsory school, Preschool classPAJALA KOMMUN2035.5%Skolkoll score 45 out of 100. Below average. Limited confidence.
Preschools in PajalaPajala has 7 preschools. Group sizes, staff and after-school care are listed separately.
See preschools

Neighbouring municipalities

The 6 closest municipalities by geographic distance. Colour coding: better / average / worse than neighbour average (±3 %).

Neighbouring municipalities to Pajala with distance, merit value, qualified teachers and cost per pupil
MunicipalityDistanceMerit value (2025)Qual. teachers (2025)Cost/pupil (2025)
Pajala you—23061.5%202,192 SEK
Övertorneå84.8 km197.948.1%165,357 SEK
Överkalix97.2 km215.345.7%179,095 SEK
Gällivare106.8 km218.445.4%171,982 SEK
Kiruna141.4 km213.753.2%189,849 SEK
Kalix147.1 km204.472.8%163,115 SEK
Haparanda152.5 km196.261.1%149,277 SEK
Neighbour avg207.754.4%169,779 SEK

Merit value, qualified teachers and cost/pupil in the neighbour comparison come from Kolada, compulsory school. Only neighbour values from the same Kolada year as the selected municipality are compared (merit value 2025, qualified teachers 2025, cost/pupil 2025).For statistical peers (KNN) and SCB peer-group benchmark, see municipal data.

Statistics: school year 2024/25. Source: Skolverket, SCB, Kolada.Glossary · About the data.
— = data not available from source.

National comparison

See how Pajala municipality compares in a national perspective.

Municipality map — colour by merit value, teacher certification, etc.Municipality ranking — where does Pajala place?SALSA map — does the municipality perform above or below expectations?Cost-effectiveness — cost per pupil vs. school results

Timeline — school events in Pajala

  1. JÄGARENS FÖRSKOLA: Status changed from UPPHORT to AKTIV

  2. Anpassad Grundskola: Head changed

  3. Pajala Centralskola: Head changed

  4. Smedskolan: Head changed

  5. Tärendö Centralskola: Head changed

  6. Anpassad Grundskola: Head changed

  7. Pajala Centralskola: Head changed

  8. Smedskolan: Head changed

  9. Tärendö Centralskola: Head changed

  10. JÄGARENS FÖRSKOLA: Status changed from UPPHORT to AKTIV

  11. JÄGARENS FÖRSKOLA: Status changed from AKTIV to UPPHORT

  12. JÄGARENS FÖRSKOLA: Status changed from AKTIV to UPPHORT

  13. Pajala Lärcentra anpassad utbildning: Renamed from Pajala Lärcentra särvux to Pajala Lärcentra anpassad utbildning

  14. Tärendö Centralskola: Head changed

  15. Gårdbyskolan: Head changed

  16. Sattajärvi skola: Head changed

  17. Tärendö Centralskola: Head changed

  18. Gårdbyskolan: Head changed

  19. Sattajärvi skola: Head changed

  20. Tärendö Centralskola: Head changed

  21. Kangos Kultur- o ekologiskola: Head changed

  22. Lapplands Gymnasium Pajala: Contact details changed from url: http://www.lapplands.se, email: lgpajala@lapplands.se, phone: 0978-12153 to url: http://www.lapplands.se, email: lgpajala@lapplands.se, phone: 010-1437024

  23. Pajala Lärcentra: Head changed

  24. Pajala Lärcentra anpassad utbildning: Head changed

  25. Pajala Lärcentra SFI: Head changed

  26. Gårdbyskolan: School types changed from FKLASS, FTH, GR to FKLASS, FTH, GR, GRAN

  27. Pajala Centralskola: Contact details changed from url: http://www.pajala.se, email: pajala.centralskola@edu.pajala.se, phone: 0978-12145 to url: http://www.pajala.se, email: pajala.centralskola@edu.pajala.se, phone: 0978-12147

  28. Smedskolan: Contact details changed from url: http://www.pajala.se, email: smedskolan@edu.pajala.se, phone: 0978-12145 to url: http://www.pajala.se, email: smedskolan@edu.pajala.se, phone: 0978-12147

  29. Smedskolan: Contact details changed from url: http://www.pajala.se, email: smedskolan@edu.pajala.se, phone: 0978-12364 to url: http://www.pajala.se, email: smedskolan@edu.pajala.se, phone: 0978-12145

  30. Kangos Kultur- o ekologiskola: Address changed from skolvägen 4, 98063 Kangos to Skolvägen 10, 98497 Kangos

… and 84 older events.

Related

Move from the municipality page to the county, nearby municipalities, and the statistics views that help explain the local pattern.

Norrbotten CountyOpen the county page for a broader regional view around Pajala.Merit value year 9Compare Pajala with other municipalities on merit values.Upper secondary schoolsSee how upper-secondary provision and outcomes vary between municipalities.Teacher certification by countyFollow teacher qualification and regional differences.Municipality profileCompare municipality profiles across multiple dimensions at once.Upper secondary schoolsAll upper secondary schools in the municipality.PreschoolsAll preschools in the municipality.Best preschoolsTop preschools ranked by staffing density.ÄlvsbynCompare nearby schools and municipality-level results.ArjeplogCompare nearby schools and municipality-level results.ArvidsjaurCompare nearby schools and municipality-level results.BodenCompare nearby schools and municipality-level results.GällivareCompare nearby schools and municipality-level results.

Explore further

StoryThe teacher's impactWhat remains when we control for pupil background?Deep analysisCost-effectivenessWhich municipalities deliver the most for their money?ThemeResults & gradesAll visualisations about school results

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