International schools in The Hague

The highest concentration of international schools in the Netherlands can be found in The Hague. The city also offers a large variety of higher education at all different levels (vocational, professional, graduate and postgraduate) in English.

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 operate privately. So-called Dutch international schools are spread throughout the Netherlands. 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. 

The qualifications for admission to these schools are set by the Dutch Ministry of Education.

Primary international education

Primary education starts at the age of 4 (though not compulsory till age 5) and continues until the age of 11 or 12. Dutch international primary schools and the private regular international schools use either the International Primary Curriculum (IPC) or the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme (IBPYP).

In general, (private) international schools only have English-language education but the so-called 'Foreign National Schools', such as the French, German, Japanese and Korean schools, teach their national curricula in their native tongue as do the American and British schools.

Secondary international education

During the first four to five years of international secondary education, the Dutch international secondary schools prepare their students for the International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) or the International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme (IBMYP).

The IGCSE is a globally recognised diploma and is slightly superior to the British GCSE and the Dutch HAVO diploma.

Students who have successfully completed the IGCSE or IBMYP can be admitted to the two-year International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IB-DP). The IB diploma is widely recognised as providing a well-balanced pre-university education. It is an accepted entrance qualification for top universities around the world.

Private schools may have different curricula for both junior and senior secondary school, however both the American School of The Hague and the British School in the Netherlands give students the opportunity to follow either the national curriculum or the IB-DP in the final two years of high school.