Moving a family to Netherlands

Every figure, with its source

Every child aged 5 to 16 who lives in the Netherlands must be enrolled at a school and must actually attend it. Compulsory education applies to children of any nationality, including foreign nationals and newcomers. Most children start at 4; compulsory schooling begins on the first day of the month after a child turns 5. Parents pay no tuition at a state funded primary school. Schools may ask a parental contribution, which is voluntary by law, and a school may not exclude a child from activities if it is not paid.

International schooling runs €20,461 to €32,755 per child per year.

Families who need free English-language state schooling as a right. Dutch state schools teach in Dutch, and the affordable international stream is a statutory carve-out with eligibility conditions and finite places, not an entitlement.

Moving to the Netherlands With Children