Government funded Dutch schools
If you are planning to stay for a longer period in the Netherlands, you may want to send your child to a well-regarded Dutch school. Dutch education is free, but schools may charge a small fee for additional costs and services.
Local Dutch schools offer different options for international pupils who do not speak Dutch yet.
- An Internationale schakelklas (ISK) is a special programme in secondary education in which pupils get additional lessons in Dutch for one or two years before moving on to regular (Dutch) classes.
- Tweetalig onderwijs, TTO (bilingual education) is available on several secondary schools and some primary schools. Part of the classes will be taught in English, the final exams will be in Dutch.
Some schools offer a Kopklas. This is a class for primary school pupils whose Dutch is not yet sufficient to express their full potential. They can follow a kopklas after the 7th or 8th grade (of primary school) at a secondary education facility. Here they will get lessons in Dutch, English, debating, presenting, study skills and physical education.
Finding a Dutch School
If you'd like to look into sending your children to a Dutch school, there are several places that offer help. The Municipality of The Hague has created a Scholenwijzer (school picker) that lists available schools by type of education, language, etc.
You may also be interested in our information on International Schools, or the Dutch School System.
