Summary
Sweden's 289 municipalities spend between 119,529 kr and 237,961 kr per compulsory school student. But a high price does not guarantee good results. By cross-referencing the cost with the SALSA score — a measure that adjusts for students' socioeconomic background — a picture emerges of which municipalities get the most value for their education spending.
Effective
83
Low cost + good results
Expensive but working
65
High cost + good results
Underfunded
62
Low cost + weak results
Ineffective
79
High cost + weak results
Median cost: 149,864 kr per student. Median SALSA score: -5.0 merit value points.
Quadrant map
Each dot is a municipality. The X-axis shows cost per student, the Y-axis shows SALSA score (positive = better than expected, negative = worse than expected). Hover over a dot for details, or click to go to the municipality page.
How to read the chart
The chart is divided into four quadrants at the median values. The lines show median cost (149,864 kr) and median SALSA (-5.0 points):
- Effective (upper left): Lower cost than the median and better SALSA results. These municipalities get the most school results per krona.
- Expensive but working (upper right): Higher cost but also good results. Often rural municipalities where structural factors drive costs.
- Underfunded (lower left): Lower cost but weaker results. May indicate that resources are insufficient.
- Ineffective (lower right): Higher cost yet weak results. This is where the greatest potential for improvement lies.
Most and least cost-effective municipalities
Top 10 — Effective
Low cost + positive SALSA score
| Municipality | Cost | SALSA |
|---|---|---|
| Danderyd | 135,411 kr | +18.7 |
| Sollentuna | 140,494 kr | +18.4 |
| Botkyrka | 146,747 kr | +18.9 |
| Gnosjö | 146,135 kr | +18.0 |
| Nacka | 119,529 kr | +14.9 |
| Upplands Väsby | 141,118 kr | +16.4 |
| Surahammar | 138,580 kr | +16.0 |
| Lidingö | 129,633 kr | +14.4 |
| Landskrona | 124,989 kr | +13.3 |
| Upplands-Bro | 137,621 kr | +13.6 |
Why SALSA score?
Raw merit value data is misleading for cost comparisons. A municipality with many highly educated parents will have higher merit values regardless of school effort. The SALSA model (the National Agency for Education's tool for local correlation analyses) controls for:
- Parents' education level
- Proportion of recently immigrated students
- Gender distribution
The SALSA score shows how much better or worse a municipality performscompared to what can be expected based on the students' background. A positive value means the municipality's schools outperform their predicted level.
Methodology
The analysis combines two data sources:
- Cost per student: The home municipality's total cost for compulsory school grades 1–9 (Kolada, KPI N15006, year 2025). Includes both municipal and independent schools.
- SALSA score: Average SALSA score for the municipality's schools (National Agency for Education's SALSA 2024/25). Calculated as the mean of individual schools' SALSA scores.
The quadrant lines are set at the median (not the mean), to provide a robust division that is not affected by extreme values.
Important caveats
The map shows correlation, not causation. Several factors can explain a municipality's position:
- Rural factor: Municipalities with few students and large distances have higher structural costs (school transport, small classes) without it reflecting inefficiency.
- Student composition: SALSA controls for three variables but misses other factors such as special education needs or newly arrived students outside the SALSA cohort.
- Time difference: Cost data (year 2025) and SALSA data (2024/25) may cover partly different periods.
- Municipality size: Municipalities with few SALSA schools get more volatile averages.
- Cost classification: The Kolada measure includes all costs including premises, meals and student health — not just teaching.
Data: Kolada 2025, SALSA 2024/25. Processed by Skolkoll.Glossary · About the data.