Det frie Gymnasium

What Det frie Gymnasium does

Det frie Gymnasium is a private, non-profit educational institution founded in 1970 in Copenhagen, Denmark, legally registered as a selvejende institution (self-governing institution) under CVR 29344310. It operates three interconnected academic programmes: a three-year STX (studentereksamen) upper-secondary programme with four study specialisations; a two-year HF (højere forberedelseseksamen) pre-university programme with five subject packages; and Dragen, a gymnasium-preparatory Grundskole covering grades 8 through 10 with three Grade 10 specialist tracks. The school is housed across two Copenhagen N campuses: Struenseegade 50 (STX/HF, acquired from the former Metropolitanskolen in October 2011) and Møllegade 26 (Grundskole). It is exempt from the regional student-distribution agreement (elevfordelingsaftalen) and operates independent admission authority.

The institution's distinguishing features are pedagogical and cultural rather than technological. A basisdemokratisk governance model makes the weekly Skolemøde (school meeting) the highest decision-making body, with one vote per student and staff and no separate student council. Teaching follows a "dialogbaseret undervisning" (dialogue-based) pedagogy using the "dialogue circle," in which the teacher acts as "spilfordeler" rather than sole expert. The school maintains a character-free daily evaluation model (karakterfri hverdag), self-directed "Frie fag" enrichment periods, and a vegan/organic canteen. Its technology stack comprises Lectio for scheduling and absence tracking, Google Workspace for Education (branded DAPPS) for email, Classroom, and a custom Landingsbanen portal, Microsoft 365 Education for productivity, plus Maple and WordMat for mathematics; all students must bring a laptop (PC or Mac, under 3 years old). No AI/ML capabilities are present in the stack.

Det frie Gymnasium generates revenue primarily through monthly tuition fees (Skolepenge) collected across 12 months (July–June) via PBS, and Danish per-student state taximeter subsidies that flow to accredited private gymnasiums and grundskoles. Tuition ranges from 1,920 kr to 2,470 kr per month depending on programme and cohort year, with a 100 kr annual increase on 1 July; SU friplads, fripladstilskud, and Støttekredsen subsidies of up to 500 kr/month further support access. Go-to-market is event-driven, concentrated around the February–March application window via the national optagelse.dk portal, supported by an annual informationsaften, efterskole-arrangement, besøgsdage, and Instagram/Facebook presence.

Name

Det frie Gymnasium

Legal name

Det frie Gymnasium

Website

https://detfri.dk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1970

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Det frie Gymnasium is a private, non-profit Danish upper-secondary and grundskole founded in 1970 in Copenhagen. It delivers STX, HF, and Grundskole (Dragen) programmes under a basisdemocratic governance model and dialogue-based pedagogy, funded by tuition and Danish state taximeter subsidies.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Copenhagen N

HQ country

Denmark

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Tuition fees (Skolepenge): The primary revenue stream is monthly tuition fees paid by families. Det frie Gymnasium is a private school (privat gymnasium) and therefore charges tuition. Tuition is distributed across 12 months (July to June). Fee levels differ by program: STX 1st-year students pay 1,985 kr/month (23,820 kr annually) from 1 July 2026; 2nd/3rd-year STX and all HF students pay 1,920 kr/month (23,040 kr annually). Grundskole (8–9. Klasse) costs 2,220 kr/month (26,640 kr annually); 10. Klasse costs 2,470 kr/month (29,640 kr annually). Prepayment of two months (July and August) is required at enrollment. Tuition increases by 100 kr annually on 1 July. For new STX/HF students starting August 2026, the study trip is included in tuition.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Det frie Gymnasium is a private self-governing Danish educational institution operating three interconnected programs: STX (a three-year upper-secondary programme leading to the studentereksamen with four study specialisations), HF (a two-year higher preparatory examination with five subject-package specialisations), and Dragen Grundskole (gymnasium-preparatory grades 8–10 with three specialist tracks). All programmes share a character-free daily evaluation system, dialog-based pedagogy, and a basis-democratic governance model centred on a weekly Skolemøde (school meeting).

Product overview

Det frie Gymnasium is a private Danish educational institution offering three interconnected programmes: STX (a three-year gymnasium leading to the secondary school exam with four study specialisation tracks), HF (a two-year pre-university programme with five subject-package specialisations), and Dragen (an 8.–10. grade gymnasium-preparatory Grundskole with three specialist tracks). The institution is characterised by its 'dialogical Bildung' philosophy, 'character-free' daily evaluation system, and a unique basis-democratic governance model where the weekly Skolemøde (school meeting) is the highest decision-making authority. All three programmes share a common IT infrastructure (Lectio, DAPPS/Google Workspace, Microsoft 365), a vegan/organic canteen, and cross-departmental 'Free Subjects' enrichment.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• STX (Studentereksamen) A three-year upper-secondary general education programme (gymnasium) leading to the STX secondary school exam, covering four study specialisation tracks: Samfund, sprog og kulturforståelse (Social Science A, English A); Samfund, natur og handling (Social Science A, Mathematics A); Grænser for det naturlige liv (Biotechnology A, Mathematics A, Physics B); and Musik, kultur og sprog (Music A, English A). Features a character-free daily environment, interdisciplinary project work, and 'Free Subjects' enrichment. Designed for students aged 15–18 seeking high academic standards combined with democratic participation.
• HF (Højere Forberedelseseksamen) A two-year upper-secondary pre-university programme leading to the HF exam. Features a character-free daily evaluation environment, interdisciplinary project work (NF and KS groups), and five subject-package specialisations: Det politiske menneske (Social Science B, Philosophy C), Det sociale menneske (Social Science B, Psychology C), Det skabende menneske 1 (Media C, Music B), Det skabende menneske 2 (Media C, Design & Architecture B), and Det sundhedsbevidste menneske (Biology B, Psychology C). Designed for students seeking a condensed path to higher education in a democratic, dialogic environment.
• Dragen (Grundskolen — 8.–10. klasse) A gymnasium-preparatory secondary school for grades 8–10 (also called 'Dragen'). Grade 8–9 has two parallel classes averaging 25 students each; Grade 10 offers three specialist tracks (Samfund og Medborgerskab, Musik og Sammenspil, Kunst og Medier) with up to 28 students per class. Features character-free evaluation, mandatory project work culminating in the OSO independent assignment in Grade 10, optional exam packages in Danish, English, and mathematics, and serves as a feeder pipeline into the school's STX and HF programmes. Tuition includes intro trip, study trips, and meals.

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Copenhagen DoxminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCopenhagen Dox is a documentary film festival. Det frie Gymnasium has an annual collaboration where the entire school attends a documentary screening at Imperial cinema as part of the temadage (theme days) programme. This partnership enriches the cross-disciplinary cultural education.
• Google Workspace for Education (DAPPS)coreTechnology or IntegrationThe school uses Google Workspace for Education (branded as 'DAPPS' or 'DfG-apps') as its primary digital learning environment. Students access their school email, Google Classroom, Google Drive, and the school's internal portal 'Landingsbanen' through this platform. Google Chrome is the recommended browser. The school maintains its own Google domain (detfri.dk) for all student and staff accounts.
• Microsoft 365 EducationcoreTechnology or IntegrationThe school provides all students with a free Microsoft 365 Education licence, enabling access to Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote. This is required for coursework and assessments. The school's IT requirements specify these applications must be installed and kept up to date.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Nørre Gymnasium: Private gymnasium in Copenhagen offering STX and HF programs. Directly comparable as a Danish private upper-secondary institution serving similar student segments in the same metropolitan market with tuition-based funding.
• Københavns Åbne Gymnasium: Progressive Copenhagen gymnasium known for student influence and democratic values. Highly comparable given shared progressive educational philosophy and Copenhagen private gymnasium positioning targeting similar family segments.
• Christianshavns Gymnasium: Private gymnasium in Copenhagen with STX, HF and IB programs. Comparable as another Copenhagen-based private gymnasium competing for the same progressive, values-oriented family demographic.
• Ingrid Jespersens Gymnasieskole: Private gymnasium in central Copenhagen offering STX and HF. Direct peer in the Copenhagen private gymnasium market with similar tuition-based model and comparable student profile targeting middle-class progressive families.
• Rysensteen Gymnasium: Copenhagen gymnasium with progressive, internationally-oriented educational profile. Comparable as a Copenhagen-based progressive secondary school with similar pedagogical differentiation and target demographic.
• Ørestad Gymnasium: Copenhagen gymnasium with a distinctive identity. Comparable as another Copenhagen gymnasium competing for similar students in the metropolitan area with differentiated educational offerings.
• Borupgaard Gymnasium: Private gymnasium in the Copenhagen region offering STX and HF. Comparable as another Danish private gymnasium with similar tuition-based revenue model serving upper-secondary students.

Broad incumbents

• Niels Brock: Large Copenhagen-based private education institution offering multiple programs including gymnasium-level qualifications. Comparable as a broader Copenhagen private education incumbent with overlapping student segments and shared institutional model.

Emerging players

• Summerhill School: UK independent school founded on democratic self-governance principles. Conceptually comparable as a foundational reference for the basisdemokratisk model Det frie Gymnasium follows, though operates in a different regulatory and cultural context.
• Sudbury Valley School: US democratic school with student-led governance model. Conceptually comparable as an international reference for the democratic self-governance approach central to Det frie Gymnasium's identity.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/detfriegymnasium
• Instagraminstagram.com/detfriegymnasium

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 Det frie Gymnasium