Copenhagen School Library Boosts Reading Rates

Copenhagen school libraries are upgrading book collections to boost children's reading habits. A local pilot project drastically increased book borrowing among primary school students.

Denmark recently recorded its lowest score in the international Pisa reading survey. The country dropped 29 points in reading between 2022 and 2025. To combat this crisis, Amager Fælled School joined a special library project. The school worked directly with Copenhagen's public libraries to refresh its collection. They removed outdated books and bought popular new titles for students.

Book borrowing at the school library subsequently jumped by 127 percent. In the fourth grade, frequent readers increased from 40 to 67 percent. Regular book borrowing in fourth grade rose from 18 to 63 percent. Weekly leisure reading across all grades also grew by eight percent.

The project shows that updated collections encourage kids to read more. The Children and Youth Committee has allocated funds for new books in 2026. Other Copenhagen schools can now use this experience to improve their libraries. This project offers parents valuable insight into local Danish primary education tools. The report was originally published by The Local.