Leading the way: Ringerike Folkehøgskole and the future of sustainable and responsible learning
By Celina Tran | Photos: Maria Saxegaard / Kevin Nûno Godtfredsen
What if education was about becoming, not just achieving? At Ringerike Folkehøgskole, students spend a transformative year discovering the world and their place in it. With strong values, urban energy, and global reach, the school combines creativity, sustainability, and community into an experience that lingers long after the year is over.
In Norway, folk high schools represent a distinct Nordic educational tradition. Born from 19th century ideals of enlightenment and civic participation, the schools offer a year of learning without exams or grades. Instead of competing for marks, students explore creativity, reflection, and community. For many young Norwegians, it is a year to grow, gain perspective, and prepare for what comes next.
One of these is Ringerike Folkehøgskole, located in the lively town of Hønefoss, just an hour northwest of Oslo. Approaching its 150th anniversary in 2026, Ringerike has evolved from its historic roots into a dynamic, forward-looking institution.
“There is this myth going around that a year in folk high school is simply a gap year, but that’s not the case at all,” says Morten Eikenes, principal at Ringerike Folkehøgskole. “Our students participate more actively here than they ever have before. We are a professional school with a high academic standard and dedicated staff. This is a place where students mature, find direction, and build what I like to call existential preparedness.”
Ringerike offers nine main study lines and more than thirty electives. Students can dive deep into subjects such as stand-up and comedy, dance, music performance, design and fashion, fine arts, global solidarity, multisport, musical theatre, and OUT-experience-change-care.
Each line combines practical learning with creative collaboration, giving students real projects, performances, and experiences. Many of the teachers are active professionals – actors, musicians, designers and artists – who bring the industry directly into the classroom.
The main subject, however, is personal development and formation, a concept rooted in the Nordic idea of holistic education, emphasising moral, cognitive, aesthetic, and social growth toward autonomy and critical reflection.
“For us, formation means the ability to be attentive to yourself, to others, and to the world. It’s about asking: Who am I? Who are the others? And who am I in meeting them?” says Eikenes. “Formation isn’t just about acquiring knowledge, but about developing a sense of judgment, empathy, and the ability to see oneself in relation to others and the world. This happens through open dialogue between different perspectives and experiences.”
Open arms and open doors
Ringerike offers the best of two worlds. From its modern buildings in the heart of Hønefoss, students can walk to cafés and concert venues in five minutes. Five minutes the other way, they are met by quiet woodland trails. The campus includes three performance stages, dance studios, music rooms, a large gym, workshops and a modern Mac lab, reflecting sustained investment in facilities. “We want to be a school where everyone feels welcome,” Eikenes says. “A place that’s safe, good to be in, and good to learn in.”
This focus on belonging and well-being is at the core of the school’s identity. This is a school rooted in humanist values such as tolerance, equality, and respect, as well as being independent of any religious affiliation. Here, students encounter people different from themselves and learn from those encounters.
“Meeting people who are not like you is a vital part of learning. We believe in the value of a diverse community, and we know that when everyone can contribute, people thrive,” says Eikenes. “A safe and warm community doesn’t appear by itself. Rather, it’s a conscious choice we make every day. We invest in people, in competence, and in facilities. When we invest in the community, we counteract exclusion. That’s part of our contribution to society’s existential preparedness.”
Learning is, however, not limited to classrooms and campus, as the school is also deeply integrated with the local community, sharing partnerships, facilities, and projects with the surrounding region. Ringerike collaborates with the local municipality on refugee resettlement and integration projects, and students regularly take part in voluntary and solidarity initiatives both locally and globally.
Sustainability, social responsibility, and learning through experience
For a long time, Ringerike Folkehøgskole has been a pioneering school within sustainability and social responsibility. This is an Eco-Lighthouse certified institution and Norway’s first Fairtrade folk high school, plus its kitchen operates with a commitment to sustainable food production and reduced waste.
Every year, around 15 students leave Ringerike with hands-on experience in sustainable and democratic practices, whether through reducing energy use on campus, tackling food waste, or engaging in global solidarity work.
Sustainability is woven into the fabric of school life, and in 2024, the school received the national Folkehøgskolene’s Sustainability Award, recognising its holistic and long-term efforts.
“We see sustainability as both environmental responsibility and social justice. It’s about small actions that make a big difference, and about inspiring both our students and our community to do the same,” says Eikenes. “Through conversations in the classroom, in the dorms, around the dinner table, and on study trips to Ghana, Porto, Dublin or elsewhere, we try to see the world from different perspectives. Similarly, classes and solidarity projects teach the students to use dialogue as a tool to create change.”
As it approaches its 150th anniversary, the school remains both proud of its heritage and restless for what comes next. Eikenes hopes that as it moves forward, it can continue to be “a school that never sleeps,” one where learning takes place all hours of the day.
Web: www.ringerike.fhs.no
Facebook: Ringerike Folkehøgskole
Instagram: @ringerikefhs
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