The Dutch school system is free of tuition at primary level, flexible about which school you choose and surprisingly unfussy about where you live. It is also a system with its own vocabulary and some hard deadlines. If you are looking at schools in the Netherlands for your child, start with the rules and the order of steps.
How does the school system work in the Netherlands?
Children must attend school full time from age 5, but nearly all start primary school (basisschool) at 4, and primary lasts eight years. After primary comes secondary education, with different tracks. A young person without a basic qualification must keep learning until they obtain one or turn 18 (the kwalificatieplicht).
There is no nationwide catchment-area system. You choose a school, whether public, denominational or based on a particular teaching method. There are also international and European schools, which set their own conditions and fees. Some municipalities have allocation rules, for example priority for siblings or for children from the neighbourhood, so ask yours.
When and how do you register at a Dutch school?
You register your child directly with the school, from age 3. Every school has its own procedure. If the school is full, your child goes on a waiting list, and you can register elsewhere too. In big cities, popular schools fill up, so contact schools early, even before you arrive.
From the age of 3 years and 10 months, a child can attend up to five days of introduction before starting, at schools that offer it.
What you need: your child's BSN (or a birth certificate, passport or ID card), and, if you change schools, proof of deregistration from the previous one. To get a BSN you register with the municipality; see BSN number in the Netherlands.
If your child is joining mid-year, you are unsure how a foreign school record translates, or you want to know which school types suit your child's age, Moovy can explain the official rules in plain English and point you to the right municipality page. It cannot choose a school or register for you.
What does primary school cost?
There are no tuition fees in primary school. The school may ask for a parent contribution (ouderbijdrage) to pay for extras like Saint Nicholas, Easter, swimming or trips. It is always voluntary: the amount is approved by the school's participation council, and the school cannot exclude your child from the basic activities because you did not pay.
Out-of-school care (BSO) and lunchtime supervision (TSO) are paid directly to the provider. You can apply to the tax administration for the childcare allowance (kinderopvangtoeslag) with a DigiD. For 2026 the maximum hourly rates it takes into account are €11.23 for daycare, €9.98 for out-of-school care and €8.49 for a childminder at home, and it can cover up to 96% of costs for the first child depending on your income. See DigiD in the Netherlands.
What if your child does not speak Dutch?
Ask the municipality or the school about newcomer education (nieuwkomersonderwijs), a class or a school for children who are new to the language. At secondary level the equivalent is the ISK. The organisation depends on the municipality, so there is no single national answer.
What about school holidays and absences?
The government sets the summer holidays and gives indicative dates for spring and autumn. Summer dates are staggered across three regions. For 2026-2027, Christmas runs from 19 December 2026 to 3 January 2027 and the May break from 24 April to 2 May 2027 everywhere. Summer 2027 runs from 10 July to 22 August in the north, 17 July to 29 August in the centre and 24 July to 5 September in the south. Each school may deviate slightly.
Attendance is monitored by the municipality. A child aged 5 can be exempted for up to five hours a week on request. Holidays outside the school calendar are granted only if your job prevents you from going on holiday during any school holiday, for at most ten days a year, and you must ask eight weeks ahead.
What about foreign diplomas?
If you or a family member need a foreign diploma evaluated, the IDW (Informatiecentrum DiplomaWaardering) does it. The programme must have lasted at least 1,000 hours. An application costs €148.83 including VAT. According to the IDW, the initial check takes about 6 working weeks and the evaluation phase about 8 more.
How do you choose between the types of schools in the Netherlands?
The Dutch system lets you choose among public schools, denominational schools and schools built around a teaching method. Primary education is free of tuition in all of them. International and European schools set their own conditions and fees, so ask about them directly. Visit at least two schools, ask about the waiting list, the language of instruction, the support for children who do not speak Dutch and the amount and use of the voluntary parent contribution.
Ask your municipality whether it applies allocation rules, for example priority for siblings or for children from the neighbourhood. This is one reason to settle on an address before you finalise a school.
What happens at secondary level in the Netherlands?
After eight years of primary education, children go on to secondary education, which has several tracks. A young person without a basic qualification (havo, vwo or mbo level 2) must keep studying until they obtain it or turn 18, under the kwalificatieplicht. Children who are new to the language and arrive at secondary age may start in an ISK class, organised locally, so check with your municipality early.
Which practical details help in the first weeks?
- Register your child at the municipality first, so the BSN exists; see BSN number in the Netherlands.
- Bring a birth certificate or ID and, if changing school, proof of deregistration.
- Ask about introduction days from 3 years and 10 months.
- Find out how lunchtime supervision works and what it costs.
- Check the school calendar for your region, since summer dates are staggered across three regions.
- Apply for the childcare allowance if you use daycare or out-of-school care.
Your choice of home and your choice of school affect each other. Read renting in the Netherlands before you sign a lease.
What should you ask the schools in the Netherlands you visit?
Prepare a short list of questions. Is there space for my child now, or a waiting list, and how long? Do you offer introduction days from 3 years and 10 months? How do you support children who do not speak Dutch? What is the voluntary parent contribution this year and what does it pay for? What are the out-of-school care and lunchtime arrangements, and who provides them? Which holidays does your school follow in my region?
Ask the same questions at each school, and write down the answers. The best of the schools in the Netherlands for your child is often the one that answers these clearly.
What are the common mistakes?
- Registering too late. In the big cities, register at three and contact the schools you like early.
- Thinking the parent contribution is compulsory. It is voluntary.
- Taking children out for a cheap flight. Absence outside the holidays needs permission and is checked.
- Not claiming childcare help. The allowance is not automatic.
- Overlooking the school's distance from home. It matters for the daily bike ride, and for housing. See renting in the Netherlands and best places to live in the Netherlands.