An American dad who moved to Sweden with his wife and young daughter has revealed the staggering differences in the school systems which ultimately forced the family back to the US.

Andy Kryza, from Los Angeles, said that he ‘felt like he had won the lottery’ after being offered the chance to relocate with his wife and young daughter.

The family had idealized Scandinavia, believing that Sweden was ‘a utopia with happy people, gorgeous nature, and world-class schools.’

But he has since candidly laid bare that ‘the grass wasn’t necessarily greener’ after making the move in 2021 – only to return two years later. 

Andy Kryza, from Los Angeles, said that he ‘felt like he had won the lottery’ after being offered the chance to relocate with his wife and young daughter

In a piece written for Insider, Andy explained how the family had been paying $1,000 a month for their five-year-old daughter’s education at a private preschool in LA.

Having moved to Gothenburg, where primary schools start at age six, the couple enrolled the youngster in a preschool program where they were told they ‘would be charged the maximum allowable fee.’ 

But this turned out to be just $100 a month for full-time care – including meals – which left Andy and his wife ‘elated.’

His daughter was later enrolled in a public school but he continued paying the $100 for afterschool clubs – which turned out to be their highest outgoing monthly payment.

Andy and his wife both had ‘steady corporate incomes’ but for parents in lower income brackets, the government offers childcare subsidies which can eliminate costs entirely. 

But the pace of learning turned out to be a shock.

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‘We soon learned that in the early years of school, teachers mostly prioritized socialization and play,’ Andy wrote. 

‘We worried that our daughter would regress and forget the core math and science she had excelled with but assumed things would progress in year two. They didn’t.’

Having moved to Gothenburg (seen), where primary schools start at age six, the couple enrolled their daughter in a preschool program where they were told they’d ‘be charged the maximum allowable fee’

He explained: ‘Unexpectedly, our daughter began complaining about a lack of challenges.’ 

Andy mused that the pace was likely due to the teachers’ policy of not letting kids fall behind as they ‘paused advancement to ensure everybody was on the same page.’

He branded it as ‘admirably progressive’ but by eight years old he said his daughter ‘couldn’t do simple division and once asked us what science was.’

‘When addressing our concerns with teachers, we were met with a cold: “This is how we do things here.”

‘Eventually, we had to decide whether to trust the Swedish system or move back to the US. We chose the latter to avoid letting her get too far behind.’

Andy concluded that the benefits of Sweden ‘come with the expectation that you’ll go with the grain and not raise concerns.’

He added: ‘We decided that the grass wasn’t necessarily greener and that the system we had left behind, while flawed, offered greater opportunities for our family.’