Your child can start primary school at 4
Your child can start basisschool (primary school) at 4. Attendance becomes compulsory from the month after their fifth birthday. Apply from age 3, at least 10 weeks before the planned start. If your child speaks little Dutch, ask the school or gemeente (municipality) about language support or newcomer classes. Government-funded primary and secondary schools charge no tuition.
This guide is for parents choosing or changing a school in the Netherlands, including families whose residence procedure is still open. Before age 3, compare schools and local admission rules. From age 3, apply in writing and describe any extra support your child needs.
If your child already lives in the Netherlands and is of compulsory-school age, contact your gemeente and suitable schools now. Contact them even during the school holidays or while a residence procedure is still open. Limited Dutch is a reason to ask about language support.
When must your child attend school?
Leerplicht (compulsory attendance) applies to children living in the Netherlands, whatever their nationality or residence status. Rijksoverheid (the Dutch central government) (External site, opens in a new tab) sets out the age rules below. Parents must enrol their child and make sure they attend. The school year runs from 1 August to 31 July.
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| Age or stage | School rule | What you do |
|---|---|---|
| Age 4 | A child may attend primary school; most children start then. | Enrol before the start date and ask whether the school offers up to 5 wendagen (settling-in days) from age 3 years and 10 months. |
| From the first day of the month after age 5 | Leerplicht applies. | Make sure your child is registered and attends. |
| Through the school year in which the child turns 16 | Full compulsory attendance continues, unless the child has completed 12 full school years. A skipped primary-school year counts. | Ask the school before any planned absence. |
| Age 16 to 18 without a startkwalificatie (basic school qualification) | Kwalificatieplicht (qualification duty) applies until age 18 or a qualifying diploma: havo (senior general secondary education), vwo (pre-university education), or mbo (secondary vocational education) level 2 or higher. | Keep your child in qualifying education. Check the exemptions below with the school or gemeente. |
The qualification duty does not apply after your child has followed praktijkonderwijs (practical education). It also excludes pupils who followed the arbeidsmarktgericht (work-oriented) or dagbesteding (day-activity) route in voortgezet speciaal onderwijs (VSO, special secondary education). A formal exemption from school registration may also apply. Ask your gemeente about that separate procedure.
When can your child miss school?
Report illness to the school within 2 days. Notify the school beforehand about absence for a religious duty, such as a religious festival. For a wedding or funeral, ask the director for permission in advance. The director decides requests for 2 to 10 school days. The leerplichtambtenaar (school-attendance officer) decides requests for more than 10 days. Other special leave concerns events beyond your control that cannot take place at another time.
If a full school week is too tiring for your 5-year-old, you may keep them home for up to 5 hours a week. Notify the director first. If your child needs more rest, the director may approve up to 5 more hours. This reduced-hours rule ends at age 6.
If you disagree with a holiday-leave decision, submit a written objection to the director.
How do you choose and apply to a school?
Openbare scholen (public schools) and bijzondere scholen (schools based on religion, belief or a teaching approach) both receive government funding. Public schools accept children of any religion or belief. Capacity and local allocation rules can still apply. Bijzondere schools may set religion or belief admission conditions only when these are necessary and appropriate to put the school’s religious or belief basis into practice. The school’s belief basis must be in its founding rules. Its admission rules must be clear and applied consistently. The public-school distance exception below also applies.
Montessori, Dalton and Jenaplan (teaching approaches), and vrijeschool (Waldorf school) are teaching approaches. Both public and bijzondere schools can use them. A particuliere school (private school) receives no government funding and may charge tuition. Use all four checks before applying:
- Find nearby schools on Scholen op de kaart (Schools on the map) (External site, opens in a new tab) and check whether your gemeente uses a central application system.
- Visit the school and read its schoolgids (school guide) and admission rules. The schoolgids also contains the ondersteuningsaanbod (school support offer).
- Ask what support the school offers Dutch learners and children with disabilities or other learning needs. Ask how it keeps children safe.
- Check the school’s actual holiday calendar, daily hours, lunch arrangements and voluntary contribution.
Application timing depends on your child’s age, a move and any support needs. Follow every row that fits your child.
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| When | Application step | Evidence or detail |
|---|---|---|
| From age 3 | Apply in writing to one or more primary schools. | Follow any municipal preference system. For enrolment, provide your child’s BSN (burgerservicenummer, citizen service number) and a birth certificate, passport or identity document. If your child has no BSN, ask the school to arrange an onderwijsnummer (education number). |
| At least 10 weeks before the fourth birthday | Complete the application if you want the child to start at 4. | Ask for written confirmation and the school’s decision timetable. |
| When changing schools | Tell the old school and apply to the new school. | The new school needs a bewijs van uitschrijving (deregistration certificate) from the old school that is no more than 6 months old. |
| If extra support may be needed | Describe the need in the written application. | Share relevant reports. The written application starts the school’s assessment for passend onderwijs (education matched to your child’s needs) and its zorgplicht (care duty). |
A school may refuse admission because it is full or because a local allocation rule applies. A bijzondere school may apply religion or belief conditions. If there is no public school within a reasonable distance, it must admit your child despite those conditions. It cannot require your child to follow religious or belief-based teaching.
A school cannot refuse your child just because you will not pay the vrijwillige ouderbijdrage (voluntary parental contribution). A primary or secondary school cannot refuse your child solely because your child needs extra support. If it cannot provide that support itself, it must offer a suitable place at another school, in consultation with you. Ask for a written refusal. Object by letter or email within 6 weeks of receiving it. The school must respond within 4 weeks. You can then take the refusal to court.
How does primary-school admission work in Amsterdam?
Amsterdam uses a local allocation system. It sends a preference form around your child’s third birthday. Your registered address gives priority at the 8 closest participating schools. The city advises listing at least 5 preferences.
A central round allocates places. An oversubscribed school may use a lottery. A late application can use only remaining vacancies. If you live in Amsterdam, check the Schoolwijzer Amsterdam (Amsterdam school finder) primary-school procedure (External site, opens in a new tab). Other municipalities use their own rules.
Which school can help if your child speaks little Dutch?
Ask the school and gemeente to discuss your child’s age, previous education, Dutch level, support needs and available places. Bring school records from the previous country. Match your child’s situation to the possible routes below.
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| Child’s situation | Possible route | Next action |
|---|---|---|
| Primary-school age | Regular primary school with extra Dutch lessons, or a nieuwkomersschool (newcomer school), taalschool (language school) or taalklas (language class). | Ask the gemeente and nearby schools which route serves your address and when the child can start. |
| Age 12 to 18 and new to Dutch | An internationale schakelklas (ISK, international transition class) prepares pupils for regular secondary school or mbo. Other options are regular secondary school with support or a route based on prior schooling. | Use the LOWAN (newcomer-education support organisation) school database (External site, opens in a new tab) and ask the gemeente or school about intake. |
| Older pupil preparing for work or vocational study | An ISK learning route may lead to praktijkonderwijs, regular secondary school or mbo. | Bring school records from the previous country and ask how the destination level will be assessed. |
An ISK route may also prepare a pupil for work or inburgering (civic integration). If the school suggests integration, check Who must integrate in the Netherlands? before choosing that route.
A tijdelijke nieuwkomersvoorziening (temporary newcomer provision) is an emergency measure when the region cannot provide a suitable school place. It is only for newcomers of compulsory-school age who speak too little Dutch and have never been enrolled in a Dutch school. A pupil may stay there for at most 2 years.
Every child living in the Netherlands has a right to education. Under the asylum rules in force from 12 June 2026, children who apply for asylum must have access to school within 2 months of applying. Contact the COA (Centraal Orgaan opvang asielzoekers, the asylum reception agency) (External site, opens in a new tab) location, gemeente and school as soon as possible. Ask who will arrange the school place.
For other arrival tasks, use the first 90 days in the Netherlands checklist. For child health checks, use the GGD (regional public-health service) and consultatiebureau (child health clinic) guide.
How does the school decide your child’s secondary level?
In groep 8 (the final year of primary school), the school gives a schooladvies (school advice) based on your child’s development over several years. Most pupils take the doorstroomtoets (progress test). It checks language and arithmetic. Pupils cannot pass or fail it.
After consulting parents, the school board may exempt a pupil if any one of these applies:
- Their ontwikkelingsperspectief (education and support plan) states that they are expected to enter the work or day-activity route in VSO.
- Their IQ (intelligence quotient) is below 75.
- They have lived in the Netherlands for no more than 4 years and do not yet know enough Dutch.
An exempt pupil may still take the test if the parent and pupil want this. The 2026–2027 transition follows these dates in order.
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| 2026–2027 date | What happens |
|---|---|
| 10–31 January 2027 | The school gives the voorlopig schooladvies (provisional school advice). |
| 25 January–12 February 2027 | The pupil takes the doorstroomtoets on 1 or 2 half-days, unless an exemption applies. |
| By 24 March 2027 | The school gives the definitief schooladvies (final school advice). |
| 25–31 March 2027 | The central application week runs. In some regions, you may apply earlier, but only after the final advice is available. All applications made before 1 April count as submitted together on 31 March. |
| After the application | The secondary school normally decides within 6 weeks. It must tell you if it postpones the decision and decide by 9 June 2027 at the latest. If special circumstances, such as a move, cause your child to apply after 31 March 2027, the school may offer a second application opportunity. |
When must the school raise its advice?
If the toetsadvies (test advice) is higher than the provisional school advice, the school must raise the provisional advice to the test level. The school may keep it lower only if it explains why the higher advice is not in your child’s interest. If the provisional advice and test advice differ by more than half a level, the school may choose an intermediate level. It must explain that decision. A lower test result never lowers the provisional advice.
For example, provisional havo advice and a vwo test result normally lead to vwo advice. The school may give havo or combined havo and vwo advice only with an explanation based on your child’s interest.
Praktijkonderwijs has a separate rule. Combined test advice of praktijkonderwijs and vmbo (pre-vocational secondary education)-bb (basic vocational pathway in pre-vocational secondary education) does not require the school to raise its provisional praktijkonderwijs advice. A combined vmbo-bb and vmbo-kb (middle-management vocational pathway) result, or higher, requires a raise unless the school explains why this is not in your child’s interest.
A secondary school must place your child at least at the level of the final advice. Praktijkonderwijs also requires a toelaatbaarheidsverklaring (admission eligibility declaration) from the samenwerkingsverband (regional school partnership). The school may not use extra admission tests to determine their level or refuse them because of low primary-school test results. A special programme, such as top sport or bilingual education, may test its specific required skill. Capacity, local allocation and religion or belief conditions can still affect admission. The public-school distance exception above also applies.
The Inspectie van het Onderwijs (Education Inspectorate) (External site, opens in a new tab) records concerns for its school checks. It does not decide individual complaints.
Where do the secondary-school routes lead?
The four routes differ in length and in the education or work they prepare your child for.
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| Track | Usual length | Main next route |
|---|---|---|
| Praktijkonderwijs | Usually 5 years | Work, or for some pupils mbo. |
| Vmbo | 4 years | Mbo. Vmbo has 4 pathways from more practical to theoretical. |
| Havo | 5 years | Hbo (higher professional education). |
| Vwo | 6 years | University. |
For praktijkonderwijs, ask the school how it arranges the toelaatbaarheidsverklaring with the samenwerkingsverband. School advice alone does not grant admission.
A vmbo-g/t (mixed or theoretical pathway) diploma with an additional general-education exam subject above the required subjects gives your child the right under the law to enter havo 4 without extra grade conditions. A vocational or school-specific subject does not count. Without a qualifying extra subject, the havo school may apply its own conditions. A havo diploma gives your child the right under the law to enter vwo 5 without extra admission conditions.
Ask the school your child will join about subject profiles, missing subjects and exemptions before the transfer.
How do you arrange extra support and school transport?
Tell the school about extra support when you apply in writing. Under its zorgplicht, the school must assess what it can provide. It has 6 weeks to decide and may extend that period once by at most 4 weeks.
If 10 weeks pass without a decision and your child is not enrolled elsewhere, the school you applied to must give a temporary place. If it cannot provide the needed support, it must work with you to arrange a suitable regular or special school.
Ask for the support offer and any ontwikkelingsperspectief in writing. Discuss disagreements about admission, placement or support with the school and samenwerkingsverband. An onderwijsconsulent (education consultant) (External site, opens in a new tab) can help. You can then contact the Geschillencommissie passend onderwijs (suitable-education disputes committee) (External site, opens in a new tab) about admission of a pupil needing extra support, removal from school, or the establishment or revision of their ontwikkelingsperspectief.
Leerlingenvervoer (pupil transport) is a separate municipal decision. It may apply if illness, disability or behavioural problems prevent independent travel. In some cases, distance from a suitable school also qualifies. For VSO, transport applies only if a disability prevents independent travel. Ask your gemeente for its conditions and apply again every school year.
Which school costs do you have to pay?
Government-funded primary and secondary schools charge no tuition and provide most learning materials free of charge. Families can still face costs for personal items, care and voluntary extras.
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| Cost | What the rule means |
|---|---|
| Tuition | Government-funded primary and secondary schools charge no tuition. Private schools can charge because they receive no government funding. |
| Secondary learning materials | The school provides most books, workbooks and digital licences free of charge. Parents normally buy items such as an atlas, dictionary, calculator and gym clothes. |
| Laptop or tablet | A school may ask you to buy one. If you cannot or do not want to pay, it must provide a full alternative, such as a loan laptop. |
| Vrijwillige ouderbijdrage | Payment is voluntary. You do not have to explain why you do not pay. Your child can join every school-organised extra activity. The school may not give them a replacement activity. The schoolgids states the amount, use, voluntary status and right to take part. The medezeggenschapsraad (participation council) approves the amount and use. |
| Lunch and buitenschoolse opvang (BSO, out-of-school care) | A primary school may charge for lunch supervision. BSO is paid childcare before or after school and on free days or holidays. Kinderopvangtoeslag (childcare benefit) may cover part of the cost. |
A planned extra activity can change for everyone or be cancelled if the school cannot fund it. For example, if you do not pay the voluntary contribution for a school trip, your child can still join if the trip goes ahead.
If school costs do not fit your budget, ask your gemeente about its kindpakket (child support package) or other child support. Local conditions differ. Stichting Leergeld (school-cost support foundation) (External site, opens in a new tab) may help with school supplies, a laptop, a bicycle, sport or lessons. The Sam& voor alle kinderen (Together for all children) application service (External site, opens in a new tab) brings several support foundations together.
Where do you check your child’s school holidays?
Check the schoolgids or school website for the actual calendar. The official 2026–2027 school-holiday overview (External site, opens in a new tab) uses three regions: Noord (North), Midden (Central) and Zuid (South). Autumn and spring dates are advisory, so schools can choose different dates. A school can extend the May break by a week.
From 1 August 2026, participating primary schools in the flexible-times experiment can schedule holidays outside the government periods. Confirm every date with your school before booking travel.
How do you challenge a school decision?
The person responsible and the deadline change with the problem. Match your written decision or complaint to the route below.
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| Problem | First route | Deadline or next route |
|---|---|---|
| Written admission refusal | Object to the school board by letter or email. | Submit within 6 weeks of receiving the refusal. The school must respond within 4 weeks. A court route can follow. |
| School advice | Speak to the teacher, then the director. | Use the complaints committee described in the schoolgids if the dispute remains. |
| Admission of a pupil needing extra support; removal from school; establishment or revision of their ontwikkelingsperspectief | Speak to the school and samenwerkingsverband; ask an education consultant for help. | Apply to the Geschillencommissie passend onderwijs within 6 weeks after the dispute starts or the proposed decision. |
| General complaint about school | Start with the person involved or school leadership, then follow the board’s complaint procedure. | The complaints committee must respond within 4 weeks. Its advice is not binding. |
| Psychological or physical violence, including severe bullying, sexual abuse or harassment, discrimination or radicalisation | Contact the vertrouwensinspecteur (confidential inspector). | The Inspectorate can receive a signal but does not decide an individual complaint. |
When you move schools, tell the old school. It deregisters your child and gives you proof for the new school. Check the new municipality’s allocation rules, the new school’s calendar and whether you must reapply for pupil transport.
For child health checks and other arrival tasks, use these guides:
Official Sources
- Rijksoverheid: compulsory attendance and qualification duty (External site, opens in a new tab) - Compulsory-attendance ages, the qualification duty, startkwalificatie, exemptions, the school year and the duty for every child living in the Netherlands.
- Rijksoverheid: authorised school absence (External site, opens in a new tab) - Authorized absence, illness reporting, special leave and reduced school hours for 5-year-olds.
- Rijksoverheid: holidays outside school breaks (External site, opens in a new tab) - The narrow work-related holiday exception, its 10-day limit, timing, application deadline and objection route.
- Rijksoverheid: primary-school starting age (External site, opens in a new tab) - Starting primary school at 4 and optional settling-in days from 3 years and 10 months.
- Government.nl: registering a child with a primary school (External site, opens in a new tab) - Primary-school enrolment documents, local allocation rules, settling-in days and care duty when extra support is needed.
- Rijksoverheid: types of primary school (External site, opens in a new tab) - Public, special, religious and method schools, school visits and the national Scholen op de kaart comparison tool.
- Rijksoverheid: public and bijzondere schools (External site, opens in a new tab) - Government funding for public and special schools and the identity rules a special school may use.
- Rijksoverheid: private-school funding (External site, opens in a new tab) - The distinction between government-funded schools and private schools that receive no government funding.
- Rijksoverheid: primary-school admission refusals (External site, opens in a new tab) - Primary-school refusal grounds, written decisions, care duty and the six-week objection deadline.
- Rijksoverheid: deregistering from primary school (External site, opens in a new tab) - Deregistration when changing schools and the transfer certificate, which may be no more than six months old.
- Schoolwijzer Amsterdam: primary-school application procedure (External site, opens in a new tab) - Amsterdam’s preference form, closest-school priority, preference list, central allocation and late applications.
- Rijksoverheid: newcomer education (External site, opens in a new tab) - Regular-school support, newcomer schools and classes, ISK routes and temporary emergency newcomer provision.
- Rijksoverheid: European asylum rules from June 2026 (External site, opens in a new tab) - The education-access deadline for children whose asylum applications fall under the rules in force from 12 June 2026.
- Rijksoverheid: the primary-school progress test (External site, opens in a new tab) - The purpose of the groep-8 progress test and how it relates to the school advice.
- Rijksoverheid: progress-test exemptions (External site, opens in a new tab) - The three test-exemption categories, parent consultation and the option for an exempt pupil to take the test.
- Rijksoverheid: secondary admission and final school advice (External site, opens in a new tab) - Advice revision, the praktijkonderwijs exception, placement at the final-advice level, prohibited extra level tests and the complaint route.
- Rijksoverheid: school-advice timeline for 2027 (External site, opens in a new tab) - The 2026–2027 provisional-advice, test, final-advice, application and secondary-school decision dates.
- Rijksoverheid: secondary-school admission refusals (External site, opens in a new tab) - Secondary-school admission grounds, written refusal, six-week objection and four-week response periods.
- Rijksoverheid: vmbo pathways (External site, opens in a new tab) - The four-year vmbo pathways, route to mbo and the statutory vmbo-g/t transfer right with an extra exam subject.
- Rijksoverheid: equal transfer opportunities (External site, opens in a new tab) - Statutory transfer rights from vmbo-g/t to havo 4 and from a havo diploma to vwo 5.
- Rijksoverheid: arranging passend onderwijs (External site, opens in a new tab) - Written application, disclosure of support needs, decision periods, temporary placement and suitable-placement duty.
- Rijksoverheid: care duty and regional school partnerships (External site, opens in a new tab) - School care duty, regional partnerships and dispute routes for admission, support and the development perspective.
- Rijksoverheid: pupil transport (External site, opens in a new tab) - Municipal pupil-transport decisions, disability and distance conditions, and yearly applications.
- Rijksoverheid: primary-school costs (External site, opens in a new tab) - No tuition at government-funded primary schools, lunch-supervision costs and paid after-school care.
- Rijksoverheid: secondary-school costs (External site, opens in a new tab) - No tuition at government-funded secondary schools, free learning materials, parent-paid items and laptop alternatives.
- Rijksoverheid: voluntary parental contributions (External site, opens in a new tab) - The voluntary contribution, full participation in activities, school-guide disclosure and participation-council approval.
- Rijksoverheid: child support for low-income families (External site, opens in a new tab) - Municipal child-support packages for low-income households and the joint Sam& application route.
- Rijksoverheid: school holidays in 2026–2027 (External site, opens in a new tab) - Holiday regions, fixed and advisory dates, and the possible extension of the May holiday.
- Rijksoverheid: the flexible school-times experiment (External site, opens in a new tab) - The flexible-times experiment for participating primary schools from 1 August 2026.
- Rijksoverheid: making a school complaint (External site, opens in a new tab) - The teacher, school leadership, board and complaints-committee route and the four-week advice period.
- Inspectie van het Onderwijs: complaints about schools (External site, opens in a new tab) - The inspectorate’s signal role, limits on individual complaint handling and the confidential-inspector route for serious safety matters.
- Ministerial letter: primary-school application rules (External site, opens in a new tab) - Written applications from age 3, at least 10 weeks before the requested admission date.
- DUO (Dienst Uitvoering Onderwijs, the Dutch education service): newcomer enrolment (External site, opens in a new tab) - Enrolling newcomers without a BSN using an education number and COA-school registration contact.
- Inspectie van het Onderwijs: school support information (External site, opens in a new tab) - The school support offer in the schoolgids since 1 August 2025, replacing schoolondersteuningsprofiel (school support profile).
- Rijksoverheid: practical education (External site, opens in a new tab) - Usual five-year practical-education course and routes to work or mbo.
- Government.nl: havo and vwo (External site, opens in a new tab) - Havo lasts five years and prepares for hbo; vwo lasts six years and prepares for university.
- Ministerie van Onderwijs, Cultuur en Wetenschap (Ministry of Education, Culture and Science): transfer rights (External site, opens in a new tab) - The extra-subject condition for vmbo-g/t transfer and unconditional access to vwo after a havo diploma.
- Staatsblad (government gazette): equal transfer rights to havo and vwo (External site, opens in a new tab) - Statutory transfer to havo 4 or vwo 5 without school-specific knowledge, skills or study-attitude conditions, subject to nationally prescribed conditions.
- Rijksoverheid: free schoolbooks and learning materials (External site, opens in a new tab) - Free secondary textbooks, workbooks and digital teaching licences; device alternatives for parents who cannot or do not want to pay.
- Rijksoverheid: school-advice handbook (December 2025) (External site, opens in a new tab) - School advice based on development over time, revision rules, the praktijkonderwijs exception and the protection against lowering advice after a lower test result.
- Stichting Leergeld: support for school costs (External site, opens in a new tab) - Local support for school supplies, laptops, bicycles, sport and lessons; packages vary locally.
- Sam& voor alle kinderen: applying for support (External site, opens in a new tab) - The joint application service for foundations supporting children in families with limited money.
- LOWAN: secondary newcomer schools (External site, opens in a new tab) - School database and contact details for international transition classes.
- Scholen op de kaart: find and compare schools (External site, opens in a new tab) - Nearby-school profiles and comparison information.
- COA: education for children (External site, opens in a new tab) - COA school-registration support and coordination with municipalities; ISK education for newcomers aged 12 to 18.
- LOWAN: ISK learning routes (External site, opens in a new tab) - ISK routes to practical education, regular secondary education, mbo and work, based on intake and prior schooling.
- Onderwijsconsulenten: contact and advice (External site, opens in a new tab) - Independent help for parents, schools and regional partnerships when a child cannot find suitable education.
- Geschillencommissie passend onderwijs: disputes and deadlines (External site, opens in a new tab) - Admission of pupils needing extra support, school removal, and establishment or revision of their ontwikkelingsperspectief; requests within six weeks of the dispute or proposed decision.
- Onderwijsraad (Education Council): religion and school admission (External site, opens in a new tab) - Conditions for belief-based admission rules: necessity and appropriateness for the school’s founding basis, clear and consistent policy, and the nearby-public-school exception.
- College voor de Rechten van de Mens (Netherlands Institute for Human Rights): school admission ruling (External site, opens in a new tab) - A religious school could not rely on unclear and inconsistently applied admission rules to refuse a pupil.
- Ministerial letter: practical-education school advice (17 April 2026) (External site, opens in a new tab) - A combined praktijkonderwijs and vmbo-bb test result does not require upward revision of provisional practical-education advice; upward revision remains possible.
- Rijksoverheid: managing school costs in primary and secondary education (External site, opens in a new tab) - The school-cost guidance explains that required learning materials are supplied free from government funding, with separate rules for personal and additional items.