ABSTRACT
The Swedish school system is almost completely uniform and state controlled. Formerly church and state were intimately united, and therefore state schools were then also church schools. But since 1958 the schools have been completely outside church authority. This secularization of the schools is the result of a long development, reflecting the general disintegration of Swedish religious life. The great majority of Swedes, about 99 per cent, belong to the Church of Sweden. But nominal membership includes very varying attitudes. Even many members of the free churches keep their membership of the national church. The secularization of the schools is in some church circles creating a desire to start private Christian schools. At the moment very few private schools exist. As they have, as a rule, to be state supported in order to exist, their freedom is very restricted and they are bound to follow the general centralized pattern.
