Ensuring access to good schools and courses of education is a core assignment for the welfare state. Together with those in the other Nordic countries, the Danish welfare state is categorised as belonging to the group of “universal welfare states”, which provide equal access to public sector services for all citizens. A key aspect in this context is free and equal access to schools and education. Such free and equal access goes a long way to explaining the success of the Danish welfare state in generating prosperity and a relatively low degree of inequality.

On account of the high significance accorded to schools and education, the area attracts a great deal of political attention regarding the structure of the schooling and education system, as well as resource consumption within the system. Some of the core issues with regard to schools include whether the pupils obtain a satisfactory level of academic skills, and the level of well-being they enjoy in their everyday lives. Another important question is whether the school is sufficiently successful in breaking the cycle of social inheritance.