Children are returning to school in Grindavík, marking one of the clearest steps yet in the town’s long recovery from the volcanic crisis that forced its evacuation in November 2023.
Preschool activity resumed this month and Grindavík’s combined primary and preschool administration says the primary school will reopen next week. Surtur, the fire giant of Icelandic mythology for whom the volcanic island Surtsey was named, appears to have granted Grindavík a reprieve.
What’s the Story?
- Preschool has resumed in Grindavík for the first time since the 2023 evacuation.
- The primary school is due to reopen next week.
- Grindavík children were previously dispersed among dozens of schools and preschools across southwest Iceland.
A marker of recovery
The return is significant because schooling was among the clearest measures of how far normal life had retreated from Grindavík after earthquakes, eruptions and ground fissures forced the town’s evacuation.
In March 2024, Iceland Review reported that Grindavík children had been divided among 73 schools in 27 municipalities. Immediately after the evacuation, authorities created temporary school arrangements around the capital area.
The town later reopened to broader access, but authorities initially stressed that reopening did not mean schools or children’s activities could immediately return.
Grindavík Municipality announced on August 13 that preschool activity had begun again that week. RÚV reported Thursday that the primary school is scheduled to open next week, with the head of the combined school describing the return of children as central to rebuilding the community.
The wider Reykjanes volcanic situation remains subject to official hazard assessments, and families returning to town continue to do so against the backdrop of infrastructure repairs and long-term uncertainty.
Source: Grindavík Municipality
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