Description: Private schools, particularly within the compulsory school system, have been one of the most controversial issues in Norwegian educational policy lately. Since October 2005 the Labour Party (Ap), the Socialist Left Party (SV) and the Centre Party (Sp) formed a new centre-left government in Norway. In the new political platform the government want to strengthen the public school system and at the same time make restriction for and increasing number of private schools. Approximately 2 % per cent of children at primary and lower secondary levels and 4 % per cent of upper secondary school pupils attend schools run by religious denominations or by organizations representing specific views of life or alternative educational approaches. Authorized private schools receive financial support from the State.Normally private schools have been a supplement to the public school system and not a threat. However, the increase of private schools in the last years has lead to new political tension and more public interest and concern. Even though privatization in the field of education is a hot topic in many countries, there is no common understanding of what private schools and privatization really means. The focus in this presentation is on the process where private enterprises completely or partly take over public services and ownership. The presentation will go further into these questions in a historical context.Current data for the situation in Norway with regards to the level of private schools will be presented. Central questions will be: Why has privatization of schools been politically controversial in Norway? What is the current situation in Norway compared with the situation in the neighbouring countries, Denmark and Sweden? What can explain the increase in Norway of private school the last twenty years and in particular the last two and three years? Methodology: The methodology is mainly historical using as sources official documents and statistics. Conclusions: The paper distinguishes between two main motives for privatization, in a broad sense described as ideological privatization or economic privatization. The driving force behind ideological privatization is normally a pedagogical idea or a religious conviction. Often will this school be closely connected to broad movements and organizations in the society. Private schools will in this perspective appear as a suitable way for influence of individuals and thereby shaping the society in a desired direction. In the period when a new school is planned, there will be a lot of enthusiasm and optimism. The driving force behind economic privatization will normally be economical profit. Therefore, economical privatization will be closely connected to marketization. Private schools based on ideological motives, will normally have local ownership, while school based on economic motives will often be owned by multinational international companies