International Schools in Amsterdam

Amsterdam has a compact international school sector — ten schools on ESG, nine with published fees — but it has something most European cities do not: a government-subsidised international stream that cuts the cost of an English-medium education roughly in half. That single structural fact shapes almost every decision an arriving family makes here. Qualify for a subsidised place and your annual budget looks like €8,000 to €18,000; go private and it looks like €10,000 to €31,500. The catch is capacity. Subsidised schools are heavily oversubscribed, admission priority rules apply, and waiting lists in the busiest year groups run well beyond a year. This guide sets out how the two streams differ, what each group of schools actually offers, what the real costs are, whether the Dutch state system is a viable alternative, and how to approach admissions so you are not left without a place in August.

International School of Amsterdam, an international school in Amsterdam

Quick answer

Compare Amsterdam's international schools — subsidised Dutch international stream versus private IB and British schools, real fees, where families live, and how to beat the waiting lists.

At a glance

Subsidised or private: the decision that sets your budget

How to approach the two streams

Almost nowhere else in Europe does an arriving family face this choice, and it is worth understanding before you look at a single school website.

The Dutch government part-funds a network of Dutch International Schools, attached to the national system but teaching an international curriculum in English. In Amsterdam the most prominent is the Amsterdam International Community School, which runs IB programmes from age three to nineteen. Because the state carries part of the cost, published fees sit in the €8,000 to €18,000 band rather than the €20,000-plus that comparable provision costs in most European capitals.

Eligibility is the constraint. Subsidised places are intended for children whose family is in the Netherlands temporarily — typically because a parent is here for work or study, or because the family expects to move abroad again. Rules are applied by the school and can change, so confirm your position with admissions directly rather than assuming. Even when you qualify, you are joining a queue: these schools are consistently oversubscribed and operate formal waiting lists.

Fully private schools — the International School of Amsterdam, The British School of Amsterdam, Nord Anglia, Amity — receive no subsidy. In exchange you get smaller cohorts, more facilities, faster admission decisions and, in the case of ISA, one of the longest-established IB programmes anywhere. Whether that premium is worth roughly double the fee is a judgement call, and for many families it is answered by their employer's education allowance rather than by preference.

The pragmatic approach is to apply in both streams simultaneously. Nothing prevents it, and it converts a single point of failure into a real choice.

The schools, group by group

Matching group to situation

Amsterdam's ten schools sort into three recognisable groups.

The IB and international group is the largest. The International School of Amsterdam runs the full continuum — Primary Years, Middle Years and Diploma — from age two, and its longevity shows in university outcomes and in the depth of its alumni network. The Amsterdam International Community School delivers IB programmes within the subsidised stream and is the default answer for eligible families. Amity International School Amsterdam, in Amstelveen, is a newer IB school with smaller cohorts, and Nord Anglia International School Amsterdam combines English National Curriculum primary years with IB routes higher up, which suits families arriving from the UK system who want an IB exit.

The British and bilingual group answers a different question. The British School of Amsterdam is the city's established English National Curriculum school, running GCSE and A Level, and is the natural choice for families moving to or from the UK or another British-curriculum posting. Denise International Primary School offers genuinely bilingual Dutch-English education, and Europaschool Amsterdam teaches the Dutch primary curriculum with early foreign language education from age four — both worth serious consideration if you expect to stay. The International Montessori School Amsterdam serves families who want the Montessori method in English at primary level.

The national-system group is small and specific: the Lycée Français Vincent van Gogh for the French curriculum through to the Baccalauréat, and the Japanese School of Amsterdam for the Japanese national curriculum. Both are the right answer when your return destination is already fixed, and the wrong answer otherwise.

What it really costs

Budget checklist for Amsterdam

Amsterdam is mid-priced by international school standards, and considerably cheaper than London, Zurich or Geneva for comparable provision — but the spread within the city is wide.

At the lower end, the Japanese School of Amsterdam and the Lycée Français publish ranges starting around €5,000, and Europaschool and Denise sit in the €5,000 to €12,000 band. The subsidised international stream runs around €8,000 to €18,000. Private British and IB provision runs from roughly €10,000 at the entry years of The British School of Amsterdam to €31,495 at the top of the International School of Amsterdam's secondary range. Amity and Nord Anglia sit between those poles.

As everywhere, fees climb sharply with year group, so model each child individually. Then budget for the extras: application and registration fees, a deposit that may or may not be refundable, lunches where they are not included, residential and curriculum trips, examination fees for IGCSE, A Level or the IB Diploma, and the device or laptop programme. Uniform costs are modest at most Amsterdam schools and non-existent at several.

Transport is the item families most often forget to price. Amsterdam is a cycling city and many children cycle to school from around age eight or nine, which costs nothing — but if your school is in Amstelveen and you live in Oost, you are looking at a bus service or a daily car run. Check whether your chosen school runs a bus, on which routes, and at what annual cost, before you commit to an address.

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The Dutch state alternative, honestly assessed

State school suits families who

Dutch state schools are free, well regarded and used by plenty of long-term international families. They are also a bigger commitment than they first appear.

Instruction is in Dutch. Younger children — broadly under eight — usually acquire the language quickly, often after a period in a newcomer class designed exactly for this, and they end up genuinely bilingual in a way no international school can replicate. Primary schooling is relaxed, close to home and heavily community-based, and the cycling-to-school culture is real.

The pivot point is secondary. At around age twelve, Dutch children are advised into one of three tracks — VMBO, HAVO or VWO — based on a combination of teacher assessment and a national test, and Dutch-language performance weighs heavily. A capable child whose Dutch is still developing can be advised into a track that makes the direct route to research university harder, and while transfers upward exist, they cost time.

The practical implications are straightforward. A move to Amsterdam with a five-year-old and no fixed end date makes the state system a genuinely attractive option. The same move with a thirteen-year-old, or with a known relocation in three years, makes it a poor one. Some families split, with younger children in the local school and older children in an international one; it is more common here than elsewhere and it is a rational response to how the Dutch system is structured.

Amsterdam International Community School (AICS) — an international school in Amsterdam
Amsterdam International Community School (AICS), Amsterdam

Where families live, and how admissions actually work

Admissions sequence that works

Amstelveen is the single largest international cluster, driven by employer concentration and by school locations to the south of the city; it has the deepest support networks for Japanese and Indian families in particular. Amsterdam Zuid and Oud-Zuid are the classic in-city choices, expensive but central. IJburg and the Zuidas offer newer family housing, and a growing number of families choose Haarlem, Amstelveen's outskirts or Almere for space, accepting a longer commute.

Because the schools are dispersed, resolve the school before the lease. Ask each school whether it runs a bus and which routes it covers this academic year — routes change — and check the realistic cycling distance if you are hoping your children will ride.

On admissions, the sequence that works is: contact the schools as soon as the move is probable; ask the specific question 'what is your current position for entry into [year group] in August, and where would we sit on the list'; apply to both streams in parallel; and supply documentation promptly, because delays cost list positions. Have ready the last two years of school reports, any learning-support or educational psychologist reports, passports and residence permit details, and proof of your employment status if you are applying for a subsidised place.

Flag learning needs early. Amsterdam's schools vary widely in the support they can provide and are candid about it, but only when they have the full picture. Finally, if you land on a waiting list, keep in monthly contact — places in this city open up when other families' postings end, often at short notice, and schools call the families who are visibly still interested.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many international schools are there in Amsterdam?

ESG profiles ten international schools in and around Amsterdam, and nine of them publish fee data. The group covers the Dutch government-subsidised international stream, fully private British and IB schools, French and Japanese national schools, bilingual Dutch-English provision and a Montessori option. It is a compact sector, but an unusually well-differentiated one for a city of Amsterdam's size.

What is the difference between subsidised and private international schools in Amsterdam?

The Netherlands funds a stream of Dutch International Schools — in Amsterdam most visibly the Amsterdam International Community School — which receive government subsidy and therefore charge far lower fees, typically in the €8,000 to €18,000 range. Fully private schools such as the International School of Amsterdam, The British School of Amsterdam and Nord Anglia receive no subsidy and charge accordingly. Subsidised places usually require that at least one parent is in the Netherlands temporarily for work or study, and demand consistently exceeds supply.

How much do international schools in Amsterdam cost?

Published ranges run from roughly €5,000 a year at the Japanese School and the Lycée Français to about €31,500 at the top of the International School of Amsterdam's secondary range. Subsidised international provision sits around €8,000 to €18,000, private British and IB schools around €10,000 to €25,000. Add registration fees, lunches where they are not included, school trips and IB Diploma examination costs in the final two years.

Can my child attend a Dutch state school instead?

Yes, and many long-term families do. Dutch state schools are free and generally good, teaching is in Dutch, and children arriving under about age eight usually pick the language up quickly, often via a newcomer class first. The complication is the secondary system, which sorts children into VMBO, HAVO and VWO tracks at around age twelve largely on the basis of Dutch-language performance. For teenagers, or for families with a fixed onward move, an international school is normally the safer choice.

Which Amsterdam schools offer the IB?

The International School of Amsterdam runs the full IB continuum — PYP, MYP and Diploma — and was one of the earliest IB schools in the world. The Amsterdam International Community School offers IB programmes within the subsidised Dutch international stream, Amity International School Amsterdam is an IB school, and Nord Anglia International School Amsterdam combines English National Curriculum primary with IB routes higher up.

How early should I apply to schools in Amsterdam?

As early as your relocation is confirmed, and earlier for subsidised places. The Amsterdam International Community School and other subsidised providers operate waiting lists that regularly run a year or more in the busiest year groups, and admission priority rules apply. Private schools have more flexibility but still fill popular primary years. Apply to more than one school, and ask each one for its current position in your child's specific year group.

Where do international families live in Amsterdam?

Amstelveen has the largest concentration of international families, driven by employer clusters and by the international schools in the south, and it is where much of the Japanese and Indian community is based. Families also settle in Amsterdam Zuid and the Oud-Zuid area, in the newer IJburg and Zuidas developments, and increasingly in Haarlem and Almere where family housing is more affordable. Cycling distance to school shapes these choices more than in most cities.

Do children need Dutch at an international school in Amsterdam?

Not to enrol, but it helps enormously socially and most schools teach it. The subsidised international schools generally give Dutch a serious weekly allocation, the bilingual schools such as Denise use it as a language of instruction, and the private international schools teach it as a subject. If you expect to stay long-term or your child may transition into the Dutch system, choose a school where Dutch is taught properly rather than nominally.

International schools in IB and international programmes

International schools in British and bilingual schools

International schools in National-system schools

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