We successfully represented the parents of children attending Virtsu Kool, a school in western Estonia, in a dispute with Lääneranna municipality. The case concluded favourably for our client and is set to influence the Estonian educational landscape.

In 2023, the Lääneranna municipal council decided to convert Virtsu Kool from a basic school into a four-year primary school. The parents challenged this decision in court. While both the Administrative Court and the Court of Appeal dismissed the parents’ claim, in November 2025 the Supreme Court agreed with the parents that the municipality had made significant errors in its decision-making process. As a result, the Court partially annulled the decision of Lääneranna municipal council to close certain schools, including Virtsu Kool.

“The Supreme Court’s decision regarding the closure of schools in Lääneranna marks the triumphant conclusion of a long journey in my career,” comments Allar Jõks, the partner leading the client team.

The best interests of the child must come first

The Supreme Court reminded the municipal council that, when making decisions, the school operator must primarily consider the children’s best interests. A decision must not result in a situation where education becomes inaccessible to the children or where it is available only on unreasonable terms.

This means that every child must be ensured access to a school within a reasonable distance of their home, as well as a suitable learning environment, so that the child does not, for example, have to interrupt their schooling due to special educational needs.

The Supreme Court provided clear guidance if similar situations arise in the future

The Supreme Court’s decision can be seen as a victory not only for Lääneranna but for Estonia as a whole, as it reaffirms that children living in remote areas also have the right to education, which must not be made excessively burdensome to obtain.

In future, when closing a school, the guidance provided by the Supreme Court must be followed: all affected parents must be heard; the associated costs and other resulting changes must be taken into account; and the decision must be based primarily on the best interests of the children.

In addition, the Supreme Court emphasised that parents have a legitimate expectation – that their children will be able to continue attending the same school at least until the end of the current stage of their schooling, i.e., until completing primary or lower secondary education – which cannot be disregarded.

Our services and client team

We advised our clients throughout the entire court process, from the court of first instance to the Supreme Court, developing a comprehensive action plan both for the litigation and related out‑of‑court activities. We designed the legal strategy and also supported the development of the communications strategy.

Our client team was led by partner Allar Jõks, who was supported by partner Karin Madisson, and assistant lawyers Moon Lokk and Iris Rebane.