Wellbeing and assessment

How Finland monitors student wellbeing: the School Health Survey

Since 1996, Finland has run a national School Health Survey (kouluterveyskysely) that tracks how children and young people feel about their health, wellbeing and school life, giving schools and municipalities data to act on rather than guesswork.

In brief

The School Health Survey has been carried out since 1996 and is run by the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL).
It collects data on health, lifestyle, ability to study, social relationships, living conditions and use of student healthcare services.
A related study, the Finnish Student Health and Wellbeing Survey (KOTT), separately tracks students in upper secondary and higher education.
Finland also takes part in the international HBSC (Health Behaviour in School-aged Children) survey.
Results feed into school and municipal planning rather than being used to rank or compare individual schools publicly.

What the survey actually asks

The School Health Survey (kouluterveyskysely), run by the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) since 1996, collects data on pupils' health, lifestyle, ability to study, social relationships, living conditions and use of student healthcare services. A separate study, the Finnish Student Health and Wellbeing Survey (KOTT), tracks the same kinds of questions for students in upper secondary and higher education.

Data for planning, not for ranking

Results are not published as school-by-school league tables. Instead, schools, municipalities and student welfare teams use the findings to target support where it is needed, whether that is mental health services, anti-bullying work, or changes to how a school manages workload. It fits the same logic as Finland's approach to assessment more broadly: measure carefully, then use the results to support pupils rather than to rank them.

What recent rounds have shown

Finland also takes part in the international HBSC (Health Behaviour in School-aged Children) survey. Recent rounds found that most pupils report good health and wellbeing, but also flagged rising concerns: loneliness, problematic social media use, and for girls in particular, lower life satisfaction alongside a growing felt burden from schoolwork since 2014. Finland does not treat these findings as a reason to stop measuring; if anything they are the reason the measurement continues.

Why continuous measurement matters

A school considering Finnish pedagogy is often drawn to the idea of wellbeing as a stated priority. The School Health Survey is one of the concrete mechanisms behind that priority: it turns wellbeing from an aspiration into something tracked, reported and acted on every few years, at national scale.

Frequently asked questions

Is the survey compulsory?

It is offered nationally and used very widely by municipalities and schools, though participation for an individual pupil is voluntary and anonymous.

Does Finland use this data to rank schools?

No. The results are used by schools, municipalities and student welfare teams to identify where extra support is needed, not to create public school league tables.

What has the survey shown about young people's wellbeing recently?

Recent rounds, alongside the related international HBSC survey, show most pupils report good health, but also flag rising concerns such as loneliness, social media use and, for girls in particular, a heavier felt burden from schoolwork.

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