Parents, teachers, pupils and others connected with the Metsküla kool elementary school in Lääneranna Rural Municipality, between Haapsalu and Pärnu, had long called for it to be restored as a municipal institution.

The school, current enrollment 41 students, had been nominated school of the year at the end of the 2022–2023 academic year, only to promptly be threatened with closure.

Lääneranna municipal council decided on Thursday to reinstate the school as a public institution, by 12 votes in favor to four non-committal votes.

The school's fate had been in the public eye for several years, after the previous Lääneranna municipal government had decided to close some of the municipality's schools and to reduce classes at others. The Metsküla school's leadership opted to go private to avoid closure.

The case also highlighted the plight of many smaller schools in rural areas nationwide, some of which have faced closure.

At last fall's local elections, winning candidates on the electoral lists which got into office had pledged to revert the school to municipal control.

However, since there were ongoing disputes on the issue at various courts at the time, the municipality could not immediately make good on this pledge.

However, in November, the Supreme Court partly annulled the decision of the previous Lääneranna municipal council to close or downgrade schools in the area. The court found that the previous municipal government had made significant errors in preparing those changes.

Now, the path is clear for the Metsküla school to come back under municipal control.

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