"The biggest change compared to the previous academic year can be seen among students from Põlva and Võru counties. Last year, 22 young people from Põlva County came to study in Tartu, but this year 36 are coming from there. The increase in the number of young people from Võru County was similar: 16 last year and 30 this year," said Riho Raave, Head of Tartu City Government's education department.

Raave said that both Põlva and Võru have well-functioning state high schools and plenty of study opportunities, and was unable to comment on the exact reasons why people are choosing to come to Tartu instead.

"[Their reasons] are probably very different, ranging from a young basic school leaver's own desire to study further away from home or in a bigger city, to the opinion that Tartu's high schools provide a very good education, which makes it easier to go on to higher education," Raave said.

According to Raave, what makes this situation more difficult for Tartu's education network is the fact that for several consecutive years now, Tartu has had record numbers of new primary school pupils, and will continue to do so for some years to come.

"At the same time, we cannot impose restrictions on admissions to upper secondary schools based on place of residence, or create preferences for Tartu residents. The basis for applying to upper secondary schools has to be the same for everyone, regardless of where they live," said Raave.

In some Tartu high schools, where space and curricula allow, the number of students has already increased. Kristjan Jaak Peterson High School has been operating for several years with eight parallel classes for instance, and the Jaan Poska High School has also increased its intake.

"At the same time, a number of vocational training institutions in Tartu also offer considerable opportunities for further education. Given the large number of students coming from basic schools in particular, the IT Academy and the Engineering Academy, as well as the Tartu University of Applied Sciences (VOCO) and the Tartu Art School, have increased admissions to a number of attractive specializations," Raave said.

Young people have to find their own place to stay in Tartu

There are no dormitories in Tartu that specifically cater for high school students.

"Young people who decide to come to study in Tartu from elsewhere have to find their own accommodation. They can either use the dormitories of higher education and vocational schools, if there are places available, or find accommodation via the private sector," said Raave.

Raave also pointed out that creating dormitories for high school students from other counties is not the aim nor in the direct interest of the City of Tartu. "We still primarily have to offer high school opportunities to the people of Tartu themselves," he said.

Ain Tõnisson, director of Tartu Tamme High School, said he could neither confirm nor deny the claim that Tartu would be more crowded with students from other South-Estonian counties.

"Our school does not yet have statistics on exactly which basic schools our entrants have graduated from this year, but overall, a third of our school's high school students have been from outside Tartu over the past ten years," said Tõnisson.

"This number has remained stable," Tõnisson said.

Tamme High School does not have its own dormitory, but a student who travels more than one and a half hours a day by public transport between home and school can be reimbursed up to €70 per month for accommodation. In certain cases, the school will also reimburse students for the cost of transport to and from school if they live outside Tartu.

Tartu's high schools – five municipal and one state run – have accepted 1,114 students for the start of the upcoming academic year. Of these, 71 percent, or 790, have completed their basic school education in Tartu itself, whole and 29 percent, or 324, graduated from schools outside Tartu.

Several small high schools near Tartu

One of the reasons for deciding to study in Tartu may be the state's proposal that local authorities stop admitting pupils to high schools with fewer than 100 pupils. Young people do not want to start at a high school that may soon end up closing.

There are a number of small high schools in municipalities close to Tartu, as well as in Paide and Võru counties, where the state is likely to soon begin talks with the relevant municipalities about closures.

The number of small high schools has been gradually decreasing in previous years, as parents have instead opted to send their children to schools in larger towns.

"Children go to school in the main centers, in Võru and Parksepa high schools, and those whose parents work in Tartu also go to high schools in Tartu," Võru Deputy Mayor Piret Otsatalu told ERR.

In February, the Ministry of Education and Research announced that it would start negotiations with municipalities on ending enrolment in high schools with fewer than 100 pupils. The ministry will first target those upper secondary schools with fewer than 40 pupils.

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