Mäntynummi Comprehensive School is located in Lohja. Lohja is a town in Southern Finland, located in the region of Uusimaa, about 60 km from the capital of Finland, Helsinki. There are about 45,500 inhabitants in Lohja. 

Mäntynummi Comprehensive School has grades from preschool to the 9th grade. The students are aged between 6-16 years. There are about 500 students in the whole school and about 60 staff members in total. 

At the moment, the school operates at two different locations. The primary school grades (preschool-6th) are located at Mäntynummi and the middle school grades (7th-9th) are located in the centre of Lohja, in Rantapuisto. In both locations there are temporary school buildings while a new school building is being built in Mäntynummi. 

The school year is 190 days, from mid-August to the end of May. We have a week’s Autumn break in October, a two-week Christmas holiday, a week's winter break, and a long summer holiday in June-mid-August. 

The schooldays last from three to seven hours, depending on which grade one is in. We have school 21-30 h/week. The day starts at 8.10-10.00 and ends at 12.00-15.35 depending on the timetable of the student. The length of the lessons is 45 minutes. The breaks last for 5-15 minutes and the lunch breaks are thirty minutes long. 

We study many subjects. The core subjects are Finnish and literature, Swedish, English, mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, geography, health education, religious studies or ethics, history, social studies, crafts, physical education, home economics and student counselling. Optional courses are created by our teachers. We offer optional courses in, for example, Spanish, German, Italian, mathematics, art, crafts, home economics, and PE.

In Finland, everything related to attending school is free, including school books and other supplies, computers and a daily lunch. Free transportation is offered if a pupil lives more than 3 kilometers (younger students) or more than 5 kilometers (older students) away from the school. We don't have school uniforms. There are no standardized tests at the national level for students until the end of high school. Instead of focusing on memorizing information for tests, students are taught how to learn information efficiently. Teachers in Finland are well educated. 

The values of our school are respect for others, good manners, entrepreneurial mindset, sustainable development, positivity, caring for others, and responsibility. We concentrate on creating our school a place where you can learn in a safe environment with friends and educated staff. We care a great deal about our community’s overall well-being. 

What our 9th graders think of our school: 

It’s very fun and easy to study at our school and the teachers always help if needed. Everybody here is nice to everyone and they respect others. We are a good community that helps others. Also the school building itself is useful because it has sofas everywhere and it’s overall big and fun. There's also a basketball hoop outside and some outdoor chairs.

Our school is very respectful and all the people are nice to each other. We have a good team spirit and get along well. The teachers and other staff care about students and their health and they are also very helpful. Also the most important value of our school is that we all need to respect each other no matter what.

Studying here is surprisingly good. You can mostly focus on your assignments that the teacher gives you. Almost every student here is helpful and all the teachers help you if needed.

Good things in our school are the friendly community, helpful teachers and mostly good food.

The good thing about Finnish schools in general is that the lunch here is free, bullying is taken seriously and the most important of all: it's free.

Why Mäntynummi is the best: Equal education for everyone, regardless of your parents’ job. Our old school library and modern sports hall (built in 2011) are the heart of our school and where we all go to stay physically fit. In Finland, we give kids independence to bike to school by themselves and manage their own time. And, no uniforms!

There are many good things in Mäntynummi Comprehensive School. A great fact is that everything here - from the school lunch to the books - is free. Our school grounds are nice and clean - thanks to the cleaners. The teachers are competent and there are many options when it comes to optional subjects.