Helsingin Suomalainen Yhteiskoulu (SYK) is an independent coeducational day school founded in 1886. The IB-section was created in 1990.

The school prepares its students either for the national matriculation exam or the International Baccalaureate, both of which give a student general university entry qualifications. All staff are experienced and qualified teachers with university degrees and/or teaching certificates.

The school year runs from mid-August till the end of week 22. Instruction is given on 190 days.

Modern facilities include e.g. art and music rooms, computer rooms, rooms for textile work, science laboratories, a library, a language laboratory, a gymnasium and a swimming pool.

Founded in 1886, SYK is the oldest coeducational school in Finland. Proud of its traditions yet always seeking to be at the forefront of educational development the school offers its students a broad range of activities in which parents play an important part.

The International Baccalaureate (IB) programme is a comprehensive and rigorous two-year curriculum, leading to examinations, for students aged between sixteen and nineteen. Based on the pattern of no single country, it is a deliberate compromise between the specialisation required in some national systems and the breadth preferred in others. The general objectives of the IB are to provide students with a balanced education, to facilitate geographic and cultural mobility, and to promote international understanding through a shared academic experience.