The Norwegian School of Brussels

What The Norwegian School of Brussels does

The Norwegian School of Brussels (Den Norske Skolen i Brussel, DNSB) is a Norwegian state-supported private school (friskole) located in Waterloo, Belgium, approximately 20 minutes south of central Brussels. Founded in 2013 and approved for state support under Norway's friskoleloven (Private Schools Act), DNSB delivers the Norwegian national curriculum (Læreplanen) to grades 1-10 in a multi-grade (fådelt) structure of four combined classes (grades 1-2, 3-4, 5-7, and 8-10). The school serves approximately 40-50 students, primarily children of Norwegian expatriate families in Belgium, and is the only officially approved Norwegian school in the country. It shares an international campus with École Européenne de Bruxelles-Argenteuil (EEBA) and also accepts Swedish students.

DNSB's core product is Norwegian curriculum education with the right to issue Norwegian vitnemål (diplomas) and prepare students for the Norwegian national exam in grade 10. The school layers differentiated programs on top of the standard curriculum: Dragon Wisdom (a proprietary interdisciplinary thematic framework aligned with Norway's 2020 fagfornyelse reform), Stasjonsundervisning (a three-week rotational station-teaching methodology in mixed-age groups), Uteskole (weekly outdoor education), the student enterprise program The Norwegian Dragons (TND), and extended trilingual instruction (Norwegian, English, French — French from grade 1, double English instruction relative to Norwegian domestic schools). The technology stack is Norwegian-vendor-dependent: Gyldendal's Multi Smartøving and Maximum Smartøving for mathematics, Salaby for grades 1-7, Clio for educational content, iSkole for admissions, plus classroom hardware (interactive whiteboards, iPads for primary, MacBooks for upper secondary) and a 15,000-volume multilingual library.

DNSB operates as a non-profit funded primarily by per-pupil grants from the Norwegian government under friskoleloven, supplemented by parent fees for meals, uniforms, and special activities, and by parent-association (FAU) fundraising. The school sells no digital products and offers no online or distance learning — all instruction is delivered in person at the Waterloo campus. Distribution is community-led: word-of-mouth within the Norwegian expatriate network, referrals from the Norwegian Seamen's Church (Sjømannskirken) and other Norwegian institutions in Brussels, and the school's own website and social media. The implied economic model is essentially a cost-recovery public service funded by a foreign government for a narrow expatriate demographic, with periodic regulatory approval requirements acting as the binding constraint on operations.

Name

The Norwegian School of Brussels

Legal name

Den Norske Skolen i Brussel

Website

https://dnsb.be

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

DNSB is a Norwegian state-supported private school in Waterloo, Belgium, serving roughly 40-50 Norwegian and Swedish expatriate students in grades 1-10 with the Norwegian national curriculum, issuing Norwegian diplomas, and operating as the only such approved school in Belgium.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Overseas Private K-12 Education

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (611110)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Student Welfare, Pastoral Care & Safeguarding Services (EDAIAHAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Test Prep & Exam Readiness (K–12) (EDAJALAC)

Keywords

• K-12 education
• Norwegian curriculum
• Private schooling
• Multilingual instruction
• Outdoor learning

Headquarters

HQ city

Waterloo

HQ country

Belgium

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. State Funding (Friskoleloven): DNSB is approved for government state support under Norway's friskoleloven (private school act). The school issues Norwegian vitnemål (diplomas) and operates as a publicly funded Norwegian school abroad.
2. Parent Fees / Tuition: School operates with state funding as primary revenue but also collects fees from parents for supplementary services such as school meals, school uniforms, and special activities. Revenue is supplemented by parent association (FAU) fundraising activities.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Den Norske Skolen i Brussel (DNSB) is a Norwegian state-supported private school (friskole) located in Waterloo, Belgium, delivering K-10 education following the Norwegian national curriculum (Læreplanen) to Norwegian and Swedish expatriate families. The school issues Norwegian vitnemål (diplomas) and combines core Norwegian curriculum delivery with extended French and English language instruction, proprietary programmes such as Dragon Wisdom and Stasjonsundervisning, and a dedicated uteskole (outdoor school) programme. Revenue is primarily Norwegian government state support under friskoleloven, supplemented by parent fees for supplementary services.

Product overview

The Norwegian School of Brussels (DNSB) is a state-supported Norwegian overseas school offering a single unified educational service based on the Norwegian national curriculum for grades 1-10. The school operates as a multi-grade (fådelt) institution with approximately 40-50 students, combining core Norwegian curriculum education with specialized programs. The main offerings include extended language instruction in French and English, the proprietary Dragon Wisdom interdisciplinary program covering ten monthly themes aligned with the Norwegian curriculum's cross-disciplinary requirements, weekly station-based teaching in mixed-age groups, and outdoor education. Technology integration includes iPads for primary grades and MacBooks for upper secondary, supported by interactive whiteboards. The school shares a campus with the European School of Brussels-Argenteuil (EEBA), enabling international interaction and multilingual exposure.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Dragon Wisdom: A cross-disciplinary thematic approach developed by DNSB to address the Norwegian curriculum's three interdisciplinary themes: public health and life skills, democracy and citizenship, and sustainable development. The program includes ten different monthly themes including technology, nature, identity, conflict, and democracy.

Quantifiable outcome

• Student enrollment: 40-50 students across grades 1-10
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• École Européenne de Bruxelles-Argenteuil (EEBA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDNSB shares its campus with EEBA, a European school attended by students from Sweden, Denmark, Finland, and many other countries. Schedules are coordinated so that students of similar ages across the schools have recess and lunch at the same time. The schools collaborate on joint projects, activities, and events including Halloween celebrations, carnival, coffee mornings, and cheese-and-wine evenings. Parent associations (FAU and PTA) also work together closely.
• PPT Utland (Pedagogisk Psykologisk Tjeneste Utland)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDNSB has access to Norway's Educational Psychological Service for Norwegian schools abroad. PPT Utland provides guidance and support for students with special needs. The school has regular Skype meetings with PPT Utland and receives school visits up to twice a year. DNSB's special needs coordinator serves as liaison between parents, school, and PPT Utland.
• The Norwegian Seamen's Church (Sjømannskirken)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Norwegian Seamen's Church in Brussels provides social activities for DNSB students outside school hours, including confirmation classes for students at the upper secondary level. The Seamen's Church also organises activities such as pizza evenings and bowling for the school community.
• FAU (Foreldreutvalget) and PTA (Parent-Teacher Association)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDNSB has an active FAU (parent council) that organises practical matters (end-of-year gifts, school sweatshirts), represents parent interests in meetings with the principal and board, and collaborates with the PTA from EEBA on joint events including Halloween celebrations and carnival. Both parent groups work to bring parents across the campus schools together through regular coffee mornings and social evenings.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• Lycée Français Jean Monnet (Brussels): French international school in Brussels offering French curriculum for expat families. Comparable international education provider in the same Brussels/Waterloo region serving overlapping expat-family customers, but with French-medium instruction rather than Norwegian.
• British School of Brussels (BSB): Long-established English-medium international school in Brussels serving English-speaking expat families. Comparable international/expat education setting with overlapping customer pool, but with English focus rather than DNSB's Norwegian-medium curriculum and broader scope.
• St. John's International School: International Catholic school in Waterloo (same community as DNSB) serving international and expat families. Operates in the same geographic market and addresses a similar demographic of internationally-mobile families with K-12 English-medium instruction.
• International School of Brussels (ISB): Established IB World School serving a broad international student body in Brussels with English-medium instruction. Operates in the same Brussels region as DNSB with overlapping expat-family customers, but with much broader curriculum, larger scale, and wider nationality mix.

Direct peers

• Den Norske Skolen i Berlin (Norwegian School in Berlin): Norwegian school abroad in Berlin serving Norwegian families, also funded under friskoleloven. Operates with a similar small-school multi-grade model and Norwegian curriculum focus as DNSB. Direct peer in the global Norwegian schools abroad network.
• Den Norske Skolen i Paris (Norwegian School in Paris): Norwegian school abroad in Paris providing Norwegian curriculum and state-funded education under friskoleloven. Sibling institution to DNSB within the overseas Norwegian schools network, serving the Paris-based Norwegian expat community.
• Den Norske Skolen i London (Norwegian School in London): Norwegian state-funded private school in London serving Norwegian expatriate families under friskoleloven. Operates the same friskole model, Norwegian curriculum, and vitnemål credentialing as DNSB but serving the London/Northern European expat market. Direct institutional sibling.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-norwegian-school-of-brussels

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Norwegian School of Brussels