A menntaskóli () is an Icelandic equivalent to a gymnasium (

high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

, or

college A college (Latin: ''collegium'') is an educational institution or a constituent part of one. A college may be a degree-awarding tertiary educational institution, a part of a collegiate or federal university, an institution offerin ...

), although it works differently from other countries. In

Iceland Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its s ...

grade school (grunnskóli) starts in 1st grade at the age of 6 and ends in 10th grade at the age of 16, which are the only

mandatory Mandate most often refers to: * League of Nations mandates, quasi-colonial territories established under Article 22 of the Covenant of the League of Nations, 28 June 1919 * Mandate (politics), the power granted by an electorate Mandate may also ...

school years in

. After graduation from grade school, students choose what High Schools/College they wish to go to (this is similar to choosing a

in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

). It is all based on what students wish to learn. It is a 3-year term; roughly the equivalent of the last three years of high school and the first year of university in the United States. A completion of menntaskóli usually provides the student with stúdentspróf (upper secondary certificate) which is required for entry to most university programs in Iceland. Stúdentspróf is somewhat equivalent to a JR college diploma in the US.

List of Icelandic Secondary Schools

* Borgarholtsskóli (Borgó) (

Reykjavík Reykjavík ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Iceland. It is located in southwestern Iceland, on the southern shore of Faxaflói bay. Its latitude is 64°08' N, making it the world's northernmost capital of a sovereign state. With a po ...

) * Fjölbrautaskóli Vesturlands á Akranesi (FVA) (

Akranes Akranes () is a port town and municipality on the west coast of Iceland, around north of the capital Reykjavík. The area where Akranes is located was settled in the 9th century; however, it did not receive a municipal charter until 1942. His ...

) * Fjölbrautaskóli Norðurlands Vestra (FNV) (

Sauðárkrókur Sauðárkrókur () is a Localities of Iceland, town on the Skagafjörður in northern Iceland. It is the seat of both the Skagafjörður (municipality), Sveitarfélagið Skagafjörður ('Municipality of Skagafjörður') and the Northwestern Re ...

) * Fjölbrautaskóli Snæfellinga (FSN) (

Grundarfjörður Grundarfjörður () is a town in the north of the Snæfellsnes peninsula in the west of Iceland. It is situated between a mountain range and the sea. The nearby mountain Kirkjufell forms a small peninsula. Overview The town received the right ...

) * Fjölbrautaskóli Suðurlands (FSu) ( Selfoss) * Fjölbrautaskóli Suðurnesja (FS) (

Reykjanesbær Reykjanesbær () is a municipality on the Southern Peninsula (''Suðurnes'') in Iceland, though the name is also used by locals to refer to the suburban region of Keflavík and Njarðvík which have grown together over the years. The municipalit ...

) * Fjölbrautaskólinn í Breiðholti (FB) (

) * Fjölbrautaskólinn í Garðabæ (FG) (

Garðabær Garðabær () is a municipality in the Capital Region of Iceland. History Garðabær is a growing town in the Capital Region. It is the sixth largest town in Iceland with a population of 13,872 (Sept 1, 2013). The site of Garðabær has been in ...

) * Fjölbrautaskólinn við Ármúla (FÁ) (Reykjavík) * Flensborgarskóli (

Hafnarfjörður Hafnarfjörður (), officially Hafnarfjarðarkaupstaður (), is a port town and municipality in Iceland, located about south of Reykjavík. The municipality consists of two non-contiguous areas in the Capital Region, on the southwest coast of t ...

) * Framhaldsskólinn á Húsavík (FSH) (

Húsavík Húsavík () is a town in Norðurþing municipality on the north coast of Iceland on the shores of Skjálfandi bay with 2,307 inhabitants. The most famous landmark of the town is the wooden church Húsavíkurkirkja, built in 1907. Húsavík i ...

) * Framhaldsskólinn á Laugum ( Laugar) * Framhaldsskólinn í Austur-Skaftafellssýslu (FAS) (

Höfn Höfn () or Höfn í Hornafirði () is an Icelandic fishing town in the southeastern part of the country. It lies near Hornafjörður fjord. The town, the second largest in the southeastern part of Iceland, offers scenic views of Vatnajökull (t ...

) * Framhaldsskólinn í Mosfellsbæ (FMOS) (

Mosfellsbær Mosfellsbær (, colloquially Mosó) is a town in south-west Iceland, east of the country's capital, Reykjavík. The town of Mosfellsbær is a 15-minute drive from midtown Reykjavík. The district includes the Leiruvogur cove, which forms part of ...

) * Framhaldsskólinn í Vestmannaeyjum (FÍV) (

Vestmannaeyjar Vestmannaeyjar (, sometimes anglicized as Westman Islands) is a municipality and archipelago off the south coast of Iceland. The largest island, Heimaey, has a population of 4,414, most of whom live in the archipelago's main town, Vestmannaeyj ...

) * Kvennaskóli Íslands (Kvennó) (Reykjavík) *

Menntaskólinn á Akureyri The Akureyri Junior College ( is, Menntaskólinn á Akureyri , regionally also ; la, Schola Akureyrensis) is an Icelandic gymnasium (academic secondary school). It is one of the oldest educational institutions in Iceland. The Menntaskólinn ...

(MA) (

Akureyri Akureyri (, locally ) is a town in northern Iceland. It is Iceland's fifth-largest municipality, after Reykjavík, Hafnarfjörður, Reykjanesbær and Kópavogur, and the largest town outside Iceland's more populated southwest corner. Nickn ...

) *

Menntaskólinn við Hamrahlíð Menntaskólinn við Hamrahlíð ( en, Hamrahlíð College, and usually referred to as MH) is a public gymnasium located in Hlíðahverfi, Reykjavík, Iceland. The school was founded in 1966 by the Icelandic Ministry of Education; with the first ...

(MH) (Reykjavík) * Menntaskólinn við Sund (MS) (Reykjavík) * Menntaskóli Borgarfjarðar (MB) ( Borgarnes) * Menntaskólinn á Ásbrú (MÁ) (

) * Menntaskólinn á Ísafirði (MÍ) (

Ísafjörður Ísafjörður (pronounced , meaning ''ice fjord'', literally ''fjord of ices'') is a town in the northwest of Iceland. The oldest part of Ísafjörður with the town centre is located on a spit of sand, or ''eyri'', in Skutulsfjörður, a fjord ...

) * Menntaskólinn á Egilsstöðum (ME) (

Egilsstaðir Egilsstaðir () is a town in east Iceland on the banks of the Lagarfljót river. It is part of the municipality of Múlaþing and the largest settlement of the Eastern Region with, as of 2020, a population of 2,522 inhabitants. Formerly Egilss ...

) * Menntaskólinn á Tröllaskaga (MTR) (

Ólafsfjörður Ólafsfjörður () is a town in the northeast of Iceland located at the mouth of the fjord Eyjafjörður. The town is connected to Dalvík on Eyjafjörður by the 3.5 km one-lane Múli tunnel (the '' Múlagöng'') and to Siglufjörður by t ...

) *

Menntaskólinn í Reykjavík Menntaskólinn í Reykjavík (MR; official name in English: Reykjavik Junior College) is a junior college in Iceland. It is located in Reykjavík. The school traces its origin to 1056, when a school was established in Skálholt, and it remains o ...

(MR) (Reykjavík) * Menntaskólinn að Laugarvatni (ML) (

Laugarvatn Laugarvatn () is the name of a lake and a small town in the south of Iceland. The lake is smaller than the neighbouring Apavatn. Tourism Laugarvatn lies within the Golden Circle, a popular tourist route, and acts as a staging post. The town has ...

) * Menntaskólinn í Kópavogi (MK) (

Kópavogur Kópavogur () is a town in Iceland that is the country's second largest municipality by population. It lies immediately south of Reykjavík and is part of the Capital Region. The name literally means ''seal pup inlet''. The town seal contains t ...

) * Tækniskólinn (Reykjavík) * Verkmenntaskóli Austurlands (VA) (

Neskaupstaður Neskaupstaður () is a town located on the fjord Norðfjörður on the eastern side of Iceland. It is part of the municipality of Fjarðabyggð and, as of 2016, it has a population of 1,481. Neskaupstaður is the third largest town in Eastern Re ...

) * Verkmenntaskólinn á Akureyri (VMA) (

) * Verzlunarskóli Íslands (Verzló), (Reykjavík) School types Education in Iceland {{Iceland-school-stub