The Hague at a Glance

Education in The Hague

Apart from the local sights, your kids can also enjoy many education options.

Living in The Hague, you’ll be right at the pulse of Europe! Its many international institutions make it a global city of peace and justice. But there’s a lot more to living in The Hague: Our expat guide on living in The Hague takes a detailed look at education, housing, and health care in the city.

Education System

The Netherlands offers a comprehensive education system with obligatory schooling for children aged 5 to 16. Obligatory schooling up to the age of 16 is free. After that, tuition fees are the same for all types of schools in the Netherlands. Children attend primary and secondary school before graduating and then choose between higher education and work.

After 8 years of attending school, students will receive a recommendation on further academic options from their teachers. Keep in mind that all schools in the Netherlands are publicly funded. For that reason, even private schools are bound by the rules of the Ministry of Education and need to meet minimum standards.

International Schools

As is the case with Dutch schools, many international schools are partly funded by the Dutch Ministry of Education. This means they too have to abide by the standards and rules of this ministry. International education is available for children from the age of 4 and mostly prepares children for the International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) or International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma.

There are a number of international schools and third-country schools in and around The Hague:

American School of The Hague
The British School in the Netherlands (BSN)
German School The Hague
European School in The Hague
International School of The Hague
Lighthouse Special Education
Lycée Français Vincent van Gogh
Indonesian Embassy School in the Netherlands
Poolse School Den Haag
De Haagsche Schoolvereniging

De Haagsche Schoolvereniging is an international primary school with three different locations throughout The Hague.

Bilingual Education

If you want your teenage kids to attend a Dutch school but are afraid that they will not pick up the language easily, you also have the option to enroll them at a secondary school which offers bilingual education.

There, your children are instructed both in English and Dutch. Subjects like math, biology, economics or IT are taught in English all throughout the six years of VWO (pre-university) level. The preparations for examinations as well as the exams themselves are usually taken in Dutch. However, schools may offer an alternative to students with a lower proficiency in Dutch. In some cases, for instance, your children will be able to take the exam for the International Baccalaureate English A2 Certificate, which qualifies them to study at English-speaking universities.

There are quite a few secondary schools in The Hague which offer bilingual education:

Dalton Den Haag
Hofstad Lyceum
Wateringse Veld College
Sint-Maartenscollege Voorburg
Rijnlands Lyceum Wassenaar

These schools also offer a variety of international activities and exchange programs. For more information on the schools’ bilingual program, please contact each school individually.