Estonia’s approach to inclusive education is built on a straightforward premise: in a small country, every young person matters. Rather than treating inclusion as a standalone programme, Estonia has embedded it into the legislation, structures, and daily practices of its education system.
The aim is to ensure that schools adapt to the needs of each individual learner — not the other way around. Estonian law defines special educational needs broadly: as any need requiring adjustment to subject matter, teaching processes, study duration, workload, or the learning environment.
This means that inclusive education serves not only students with diagnosed disabilities, but also those with behavioural or emotional difficulties, language barriers, socio-economic disadvantage, long-term health conditions — and gifted students, who are also formally recognised as having special educational needs in Estonia. Under the Basic Schools and Upper Secondary Schools Act, schools have a legal duty to identify and support these students — free of charge — and must re-evaluate support measures at least once a year.
A notable feature of the Estonian approach is that students are not grouped by risk factors. They are grouped by the type of support they require — shifting the focus from labelling to action.
Estonia operates a structured, three-tiered system of support for students with special educational needs. This tiered model ensures that support is proportionate to need and that resources are allocated efficiently.
General support is organised by the school itself. Once a teacher identifies a student’s needs, the school’s SEN coordinator assembles a team that may include speech therapists, special educators, social pedagogues, and psychologists. Teachers have the autonomy to differentiate their methods — through small-group learning, simplified materials, or additional tasks for fast-progressing students. Support at this level is funded from the school’s own budget.
Enhanced support is provided when school-level measures prove insufficient. The school can apply to a state-funded counselling available in every county. An expert panel consults with the school and the parents and recommends further measures. A support specialist may accompany the student full-time, or several specialists may provide support over a defined period.
Special support is the highest tier, for students with severe conditions or multiple disabilities. It is financed by the state and delivered in coordination with social and health services.
The second and third tiers of support rely on a nationwide infrastructure of Rajaleidja counselling centres.
Rajaleidja (Pathfinder) is a nationwide network offering free educational counselling to parents, teachers, support specialists, and young people.
Rajaleidja centres help identify learning, behavioural, or emotional difficulties and advise the adults around the child on how to support development and organise learning. They often serve smaller schools that may not have their own specialists on staff.
When an official administrative decision is required — such as postponement of school entry, placement in a special group, or the implementation of a simplified curriculum — this is made by an external committee of three Rajaleidja specialists, upon application by the parent.
Support begins well before school age. Estonia places strong emphasis on early identification — and its high preschool participation rates make this possible.
Early childhood education is available to all children from the age of 18 months. Although not compulsory, participation is high: 94.9% of children attended early childhood education before starting school (2024).
Many kindergartens have specialists on-site. If a child needs special support, an individual learning plan is developed in cooperation with specialists and parents, and reviewed at least once a year. If needed, special groups can be created — for example, up to 12 children for physical disabilities or up to four for more complex developmental disorders.
Health screenings complement the educational approach: at age six or seven, a medical examination assesses each child’s development and readiness for school.
Estonia’s approach to inclusive education is not built on a single programme or initiative. It is a system-wide commitment — rooted in legislation, supported by a structured network of specialists, and designed to reach every learner from early childhood onward. The system continues to evolve: current priorities include reducing regional disparities in access to support and strengthening multidisciplinary collaboration in schools.
