põhikoolis

Põhikoolis is the Estonian inessive form of põhikool, literally meaning "in the basic school." In Estonian usage it denotes location or participation within the basic education institution and is commonly used in phrases describing activities, attendance or conditions that occur at that level of schooling.

Põhikool (basic school) in Estonia provides general compulsory education, typically covering nine grades and serving pupils approximately between ages seven and sixteen. The stage aims to give a broad foundation across subjects such as Estonian language, mathematics, sciences, social studies, arts, physical education and foreign languages, guided by a national curriculum framework. Instruction is usually in Estonian, though schools for linguistic minorities and bilingual programs exist.

After completing põhikool pupils receive a leaving certificate and commonly continue to upper secondary school (gümnaasium) or vocational education, depending on their interests and qualifications. Basic schools operate at municipal or private level and are subject to national regulations on curricula, assessment and teacher qualifications.

As a grammatical form, põhikoolis exemplifies Estonian locative case usage to express "in" or "at" a place and is part of everyday language when referring to events, schedules, teaching or conditions occurring within a basic school setting.