Compulsory education under Dutch law applies to children of all nationalities from five to eighteen years who are resident in the Netherlands.

International schools can be a good choice for the children of foreign parents who are staying temporarily in the Netherlands.

In the Netherlands, the majority of international schools are partly subsidised by the Dutch Ministry of Education and are thus bound by ministry rules, while others are privately operated. The subsidy provided by the Dutch Ministry of Education makes it possible for these schools to offer English language education to the global standard of international schools for a reasonable fee.

According to the Dutch Ministry of Education, students from the following backgrounds are eligible:

• A non-Dutch family staying in the Netherlands for a limited period of time with an expatriate status.
• An internationally mobile Dutch family, whose children have been largely educated abroad, and for whom an international education will be more advisable to ensure continuity.
• A Dutch family bound for an international assignment, whose children will be switching from education in Dutch to English.  This transition is limited to a period of one year.

In general, private international schools only have English language education, but the French, German, Japanese and Korean schools teach their national curricula in their native tongue.                                                                   

Primary education

Primary education starts at the age of four and continues up until the age of 11 or 12. Dutch International Primary Schools and the private regular international schools follow the International Primary Curriculum (IPC) or the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme (IBPYP). Private schools, such as the American School and the British School, use their national curricula.

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