The school was founded in 1940, when Kulosaari was still a separate municipality within the Greater Helsinki area. It was the first Finnish-language oppikoulu in the capital's eastern suburbs. The school was incorporated as a private limited company, and remains privately owned. When secondary education in Finland was reformed in the 1970s and 1980s, as part of which many private schools were nationalised, Kulosaari managed to retain its independence despite facing strong political pressure and many attempts to either close it down or take it under local authority control.
Facilities
The school operated originally from a residential building called 'Domus' near the present site, until 1955 when its own purpose-built facilities, designed by architect :fi:Jorma Järvi|Jorma Järvi, were completed. The original school building is based around a central auditorium. Over the years the school has been extended several times, most notably and extensively in 1966 and 2000. A new library wing was added in 2015, and the 'School of Rock' music facility in 2017. Additional facilities now include gym, library and cafeteria.
Principals
The current principal is Mr Lauri Halla. Previous principals were:
Kyllikki Kovero
Erkki Kansanaho
Kauko Joustela
Matti Karstikko
Kyllikki Laakso
Kyllikki Vilkuna
Academic activities
Since the 1990s Kulosaari has had an international focus, and now operates as an international school, teaching in both Finnish and English; pupils can choose to study in either language, or bilingually. The teaching staff consists of a mix of native Finnish and English speakers. In addition to the Finnish matriculation exam or ylioppilastutkinto, the Finnish secondary school leaving qualification, pupils can choose to study for the CambridgeA Levels. Admission to the lower secondary school's Finnish intake is primarily, although not exclusively, reserved for local Kulosaari residents. Admission to the English and bilingual stream is based on entrance exams. Admission to the gymnasium stage is based on the applicant's lower secondary schoolgrades. KSYK was ranked the 3rd best gymnasium in the country, based on the 2018 matriculation exam results.
Extracurricular activities
Kulosaari Secondary School hosts an annual model United Nations event, called the Helsinki InternationalModel United Nations or HELIMUN, where 9th grade pupils from Kulosaari as well as several other Finnish and some overseas schools take part in simulating the operation of the UN, to discuss and debate international issues. The May 2018 HELIMUN was the 18th edition of the event. An autumn ball as well as a sports day are organised annually. Throughout the academic year there are also initiatives themed around topics such as languages, arts and sciences.
