Dutch schools in Amsterdam: free local schools, the school advice at 12 and the international streams

Dutch state schools are free, good and full of children who cycle there on their own. The big differences from home are that school starts at four, and that at about twelve your child's primary school recommends which stream of secondary school they should go to.

The short version

• Children usually start primary school (basisschool) at 4 and must attend from 5. Neither primary nor secondary schools charge fees, though most ask a voluntary parental contribution [1][2][3].
• In the last year of primary (groep 8) every child gets a school advice and sits the doorstroomtoets, which together steer them into vmbo, havo or vwo [3][4][5].
• Children aged 12 to 18 who speak little or no Dutch can start in a newcomer class (Internationale Schakelklas) to learn the language first [6].
• Subsidised international schools such as AICS teach in English for about EUR 6,000 to 9,200 a year (about £5,020 to £7,640), mainly for families here temporarily [8][9].
• Children must stay in education until 16, then until 18 or a basic qualification [3].

Pound conversions use the Bank of England spot rate of 5 November 2026 (£1 = EUR 1.2002).

How the Dutch system fits together

The City of Amsterdam describes the three main secondary levels as vmbo, havo and vwo, preparing pupils for mbo, hbo or university, with practical education (praktijkonderwijs) for those heading straight into work [3]. The labels can sound like a judgement, but plenty of Dutch pupils move between levels, and an havo diploma followed by a year of vwo is a well-trodden path.

GOV.UK's Living in the Netherlands guide puts the legal side simply: all children aged 5 to 16 must attend school unless they're exempt [1]. Amsterdam adds that 16- and 17-year-olds must carry on learning until they have a basic qualification (startkwalificatie) or turn 18 [3].

Primary school: starting at four

In Amsterdam, children usually go to primary school from 4 to 12, and must go from 5 [2]. Groep 1 and 2 are a gentle, play-based start, much like Reception.

Getting a place works differently from a council admissions round back home:

1. Around your child's third birthday, the City sends you a registration form. You list schools in order of preference and hand the form to your first-choice school [2].
2. If a school is oversubscribed, it holds a lottery, and children have priority at some schools near home [2].
3. If your child is already 4 or more when you arrive, you use the City's School Finder and contact schools directly [2]. Ring around early, because popular schools in Oud-Zuid, De Pijp and Oost can be full mid-year.

Amsterdam has public schools (openbare scholen) and schools based on a religion or belief (bijzondere scholen), and some follow a method such as Montessori, Dalton or Jenaplan. All must meet the same quality standards [2]. Schools don't charge fees, but may ask for a voluntary contribution (ouderbijdrage) for trips and celebrations, and some charge for supervision at lunchtime (overblijven or tussenschoolse opvang) [2].

For younger children, total immersion usually works: most under-eights who start in a Dutch class are chatting away within a year. Ask the school what extra Dutch support it offers before you enrol.

The school advice at 12

This is the bit that surprises British parents most. There's no 11-plus and no open choice of secondary school regardless of ability. Instead, in groep 8, the final year of primary:

• January: the school gives a provisional school advice (voorlopig schooladvies), between 10 and 31 January [4].
• Late January to mid-February: pupils sit the doorstroomtoets, a national test. For the 2026/27 school year the window runs from 25 January to 12 February [5].
• By 24 March: the school gives its final advice (definitief schooladvies) [4][5].
• 25 to 31 March: the central registration week for secondary schools, with places confirmed by 12 May [5].

The advice is based mostly on the teacher's view of your child over several years, not on a single test. If the test result comes out higher than the advice, the school has to look at the advice again and may raise it. Secondary schools admit pupils on the basis of the final advice.

In Amsterdam, your child lists secondary schools in order of preference on a form from their primary school, and places are allocated through a central system [3]. Most secondary schools hold open days in January and February [3]. Secondary schools don't charge fees and provide most books, though you may pay for a laptop, a calculator and trips [3].

If your child arrives at 10 or 11 with no Dutch, talk to the school about how the advice will be made. Recently arrived pupils who don't yet speak enough Dutch can sometimes be exempted from the test, and the advice should take their language progress into account.

Arriving at secondary age with no Dutch

For children aged 12 to 18 who speak little or no Dutch, the City says to register for a newcomer class (Internationale Schakelklas, ISK) as soon as possible [6]. Pupils learn Dutch alongside subjects such as maths and English before moving on to a regular school. In Amsterdam the ISK classes are run by Montessori Lyceum Oostpoort in Oost, with the Luca practical school, and Mundus College in West, with DENISE [6].

It's a solid route, but a teenager will usually lose a year or two while the language catches up, and the move into havo or vwo depends on how fast that happens. If you're here for only a few years, an English-language school is often kinder.

The international streams in between

Bilingual secondary education (tto)

Some Dutch secondary schools teach part of the timetable in English (tweetalig onderwijs, or tto), usually at havo and vwo level. Nuffic keeps the list of bilingual schools [7]. Your child still follows the Dutch curriculum and sits Dutch exams, but with far more English along the way. It's a good fit for British children who already speak some Dutch.

Subsidised international schools

The Netherlands part-funds a network of Dutch international schools that teach in English for internationally mobile families. In Amsterdam the main one is the Amsterdam International Community School (AICS), which teaches the International Primary Curriculum and then the IB Middle Years Programme and IB Diploma [8].

These totals include tuition, trips and exam fees, with a EUR 200 registration fee (about £170) and a EUR 500 deposit (about £420) on top [8]. Non-Dutch pupils qualify when a parent is temporarily employed in the Netherlands, backed by a written statement that the family intends to move on [9]. If you've come to stay, ask before you apply.

The City also lists DENISE, a public bilingual school for ages 4 to 18 that teaches in Dutch and English and offers the IB Diploma, and ALASCA, which offers the IB Diploma within its secondary school [10].

Private schools

If neither route suits, private schools such as the British School of Amsterdam and the International School of Amsterdam charge roughly EUR 20,000 to 33,000 a year. Our guide to schools in Amsterdam compares their fees.

Which route for your family?

• Under 8 and staying a while: a local Dutch school. It's free, it's on your doorstep, and your child will be fluent.
• 8 to 11, staying for good: a Dutch school with extra language support, or a bilingual school.
• 12 or over, little Dutch: the ISK if you're staying, an international school if you're not.
• Heading back to the UK for A levels or university: an English-language school, so the move home is smooth. See our guide to moving back to the UK.

Whatever you choose, other parents are the best guide. Ask in our community group for Brits in the Netherlands which local schools have welcomed British children.

Sources

1. GOV.UK (FCDO): Living in the Netherlands (last updated 23 December 2025)
2. City of Amsterdam: Primary school
3. City of Amsterdam: Secondary school
4. DUO: Schooladvies en doorstroomtoets
5. Rijksoverheid: Tijdlijn schooladvies 2027
6. City of Amsterdam: Language help for children who are new to the Netherlands
7. City of Amsterdam: Bilingual education
8. AICS: Tuition and financial matters (school fees 2026/27)
9. AICS: How to apply
10. City of Amsterdam: International schools

Keep reading

• Schools in Amsterdam: British and international schools
• Dutch directness and making friends
• Cycling in Amsterdam: rules, theft and the right bike
• Moving back to the UK: NHS, benefits, school places and home fees