The neighbourhood school for Länsiniitty and Koskisuo will change in autumn 2027

The change will affect Year 1 pupils living in Länsiniitty and Koskisuo who start school in autumn 2027.

Pupils who started school at Mustasaari Central School before 2027 may choose to complete their schooling there.

Mustasaari can no longer accommodate pupils from Vaasa

Under the agreement between the City of Vaasa and the Municipality of Mustasaari, Mustasaari Central School has served as the neighbourhood school for Year 1 pupils living in Länsiniitty and Koskisuo. The City of Vaasa and the Municipality of Mustasaari have agreed to terminate the agreement.

– Mustasaari Central School can no longer accommodate all Year 1 pupils from Koskisuo and Länsiniitty. In addition, as pupil numbers in Vaasa are declining, schools in Vaasa are now better able to accommodate children from the Länsiniitty and Koskisuo area, says Johanna Olsson, Director of Basic Education at the City of Vaasa.

New bus line to serve the youngest pupils

To make the journey to and from school easier for Year 1 pupils, a new bus service has been introduced. Bus line 7K will follow the same route as line 7, but will start and terminate on Vuorikatu, next to Building A of Onkilahti Comprehensive School. In the afternoons, the bus will start its route from the school, ensuring plenty of room for pupils.

– A similar arrangement – a dedicated bus service for schoolchildren – has been in place for several years for children from Länsiniitty and Koskisuo who attend language immersion classes at Länsimetsä School. It has worked very well, and we’ve received a lot of positive feedback from families, says Olsson.

Pupils living in Länsiniitty and Koskisuo are also entitled to free school transport if the distance between home and school is more than 3 km for pupils in Years 1–2 and more than 5 km for pupils in Years 3–9. In practice, this means that the pupil receives a free bus pass for school journeys.

Onkilahti Comprehensive School: focus on music and sports and close contacts with pre-primary education

Alongside mainstream education, Onkilahti Comprehensive School offers specialised music classes for pupils in Years 1–9 and specialised sports classes for pupils in Years 7–9.

– We also work closely with the pre-primary education groups at Metsäkallio Daycare. Pupils from the school visit the daycare centre, and children in the pre-primary education groups visit the school. We have also organised joint excursions for pupils from the school and children from the daycare centre, says Jari Jaskari, Principal of Onkilahti Comprehensive School.

In Vaasa, registration for school for children born in 2020 will begin in January 2027.