School Term Dates and Holidays in the Netherlands: A Parent's Guide
Dutch school holidays are set nationally but staggered across three regions, and international schools often follow their own calendars entirely. Here's how to plan around both systems.
Quick answer
How Dutch school holidays work, including the regional staggering system, the May holiday, and how international school calendars differ from the Dutch system.
At a glance
- Country: Netherlands
- Sections: 15
- Questions answered: 9
- Read time: 11 min read
Why Dutch term dates are more complicated than they first appear
Most parents arriving in the Netherlands expect a single national school calendar, similar to what they may have experienced elsewhere. In practice, the Dutch system is more layered than that. The government sets national guidance for the school year and the main holiday periods, but several of the longer breaks, most importantly the summer holiday, are staggered across three regions of the country rather than falling on identical dates everywhere.
On top of that regional staggering, international schools frequently set their own calendars, which may follow the Dutch regional system loosely, follow it closely, or largely ignore it in favour of dates that suit an international, often northern-hemisphere academic year pattern shared with sister schools elsewhere. For a family with children in different types of school, or friends and family visiting from schools on a different calendar, this can create real planning friction if you don't understand the structure early.
The three-region staggering system
The Netherlands is divided into three regions, generally referred to as north, middle and south, for the purposes of staggering certain school holidays. This is not about differences in curriculum or teaching content between regions; it exists mainly to spread travel and tourism demand across a few weeks rather than concentrating everyone's holiday into exactly the same dates at exactly the same time.
The summer holiday is the clearest example, with each region's schools starting and finishing at slightly different points within a several-week window. The autumn and spring breaks also often carry some regional staggering, while the Christmas holiday and the May holiday are generally set to be the same across all three regions. Because exact regional boundaries and dates are set and published annually by the Dutch government, always check the current official schedule and, more importantly, your specific school's published calendar, rather than relying on general regional expectations from a previous year.
Which region applies to you
Which of the three regions a Dutch school belongs to depends on where in the country it is located, and this grouping is published by the Dutch government each year alongside the holiday dates themselves. If you are enrolling a child in the mainstream Dutch system, the school itself, or your local municipality, can confirm which regional group applies and what the specific dates are for the year in question.
If your family lives near a regional boundary, or if you have children at schools in different regions for any reason, it's worth double-checking rather than assuming, since even a short distance can occasionally put schools in different regional groups.
The summer holiday
The summer holiday is the longest school break in the Dutch calendar and is the period most affected by regional staggering. Depending on your school's region, the exact start and end dates will shift by roughly one to two weeks compared with the other regions, all falling within a broader midsummer window. This staggering is set nationally each year, so always confirm current dates for your specific school rather than assuming they match a previous year or a friend's school in a different region.
For planning family travel, especially flights home or extended trips that need to be booked well in advance, knowing your school's exact regional dates as early as possible in the school year is genuinely useful, since prices and availability for the most popular midsummer weeks can shift noticeably even within the staggered window.
The May holiday
The May holiday is a distinctive feature of the Dutch school calendar, typically falling around the end of April and into May and often coinciding with King's Day and other public holidays that fall in the same period. It generally applies nationally rather than being staggered by region, though the exact length can occasionally vary depending on how public holidays land that year.
Because this holiday clusters around a period with several public holidays, it can feel longer than a typical one-week break in some years. Families sometimes use it for shorter European trips given the relatively mild spring weather, so if you're planning travel over this period, book early, since it is a popular travel window across much of Europe.
Christmas and New Year holiday
The Christmas holiday in the Dutch system generally runs for around two weeks spanning the end of December and the very start of January, and is typically set nationally rather than staggered by region. This tends to be one of the more predictable periods to plan around precisely because it isn't subject to the same regional variation as the summer break.
International schools generally schedule their own Christmas break around a broadly similar window, though exact start and end dates can differ by a few days from the Dutch national dates, so check your specific school's calendar if you are coordinating travel or childcare with family members at a different type of school.
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Autumn and spring breaks
The Dutch calendar also includes a shorter autumn break, generally in October, and a spring break, sometimes referred to as the voorjaarsvakantie, generally in February. Both are shorter than the summer or Christmas holidays, typically around a week, and both are among the periods where regional staggering can apply, meaning your region's exact week may differ from another region's by several days.
These shorter breaks often get less attention in family planning than the big summer and Christmas holidays, but they matter in practice for childcare arrangements, since a week off with only a few days' notice of the exact dates (if you haven't checked in advance) can be a real logistical headache for working parents.
Public holidays outside the main holiday periods
Beyond the structured holiday periods, the Netherlands observes a number of public holidays across the year, including King's Day, Liberation Day (observed as a public holiday for many but not universally as a day off work), Easter Monday, Ascension Day, Whit Monday, and Christmas Day and Boxing Day. Some of these fall within the May holiday period already discussed, while others occur on their own as single extra days off school.
Schools generally close on these days regardless of type, though the treatment of certain days, particularly Liberation Day when it isn't a five-yearly "lustrum" year, can vary by employer and occasionally by school, so it's worth checking your specific school's calendar for exact closure dates rather than assuming every public holiday automatically means no school.
How international school calendars differ
Many international schools in the Netherlands set their own academic calendars rather than adopting the Dutch regional system wholesale. Some schools, particularly those with a strong internationally mobile parent base or ties to a wider network of sister schools, follow a calendar closer to a standard northern-hemisphere international school year, with holiday timing that may only loosely track the Dutch regional dates.
Other international schools, especially subsidised international schools that sit within the Dutch funding system, may follow the Dutch national and regional holiday structure much more closely, since they operate partly within that system. There is no single rule that applies to every international school, so the only reliable approach is to check each specific school's published calendar directly, every year, rather than assuming continuity with either the Dutch system or another international school you may be familiar with.
When families have children at different types of school
A common and genuinely tricky situation for expat families in the Netherlands is having one child at an international school and another at a Dutch mainstream school, or children at schools in different regions, or an international school following its own separate calendar entirely. In these cases, it is entirely possible for one child's half-term break to fall in a completely different week from a sibling's.
If this applies to your family, it's worth building a single household calendar early in the school year that pulls together every relevant school's specific dates, rather than relying on memory or assuming alignment. This becomes especially important when arranging childcare cover, family visits, or travel that needs to work for the whole family at once.
Planning travel around staggered holidays
Because the regional staggering system exists partly to spread holiday travel demand, it can occasionally work in your favour: booking flights or accommodation for a period just before or after the most popular staggered week within the summer window can sometimes mean slightly better availability or pricing, though this is not guaranteed and popular destinations across Europe are in high demand throughout the whole staggered period regardless.
For families who split time between the Netherlands and a home country with a different school calendar entirely, coordinating a visit that works for both sets of school dates can be one of the more complex parts of the year to plan, so starting early and checking both calendars side by side well in advance is worthwhile.
Confirming dates directly with your school
What to check with any school
- Which of the three Dutch regions the school's dates follow, if it follows the Dutch regional system at all
- Exact start and end dates for the summer holiday for the current or upcoming school year
- Whether autumn and spring break dates match or diverge from the Dutch regional schedule
- Which public holidays the school treats as full closures versus normal school days
- Whether the calendar is published in advance for the full year, or released in stages
Because holiday dates vary by region, by school type, and sometimes year to year even within the same school, the single most reliable habit for any family in the Netherlands is to obtain your specific school's official calendar directly at the start of each school year, and to check it again periodically rather than relying on memory, informal conversations with other parents, or general articles like this one for exact current dates.
Most schools publish their calendar on their own website or parent portal well before the school year begins, and many share updates by newsletter if any adjustments are made. If you can't find a clear calendar for a school you're considering or have applied to, ask the admissions or front office directly, ideally in writing, so you have a clear record to refer back to.
How term dates interact with your choice of school type
The calendar question is one more factor worth weighing when deciding between a subsidised international school, a fully private international school, or the Dutch mainstream system, alongside the bigger questions of cost, curriculum and length of stay covered in our other guides. A family that travels frequently to see relatives elsewhere, for example, may find it easier to plan around a school that follows a calendar closer to what they're used to internationally, while a family settling long-term may simply adapt to the Dutch regional rhythm without much difficulty.
Neither approach is right or wrong, but it's worth factoring calendar practicalities into your broader school choice conversation rather than treating it as an afterthought once you've already enrolled.
Where to find official Dutch holiday dates
The Dutch government publishes official school holiday dates, including the regional groupings for the coming years, well in advance, and these are the most reliable general reference point for the mainstream Dutch system. For international schools, treat the government's published dates as background context rather than a direct source for your specific school's calendar, and always go back to the school itself for anything you need to rely on for travel or childcare planning.
Bringing it together when relocating mid-year
Families relocating to the Netherlands partway through a school year face an added layer of calendar complexity, since they need to understand not just the ongoing holiday structure but also how a new school's calendar interacts with moving logistics, temporary accommodation, and settling-in time for children. Our dedicated guide to moving with children in the Netherlands covers this broader relocation planning in more depth, including how term timing interacts with registration and settling-in considerations.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are Dutch school holidays the same across the whole country?
Not entirely. The Christmas and May holidays are generally set nationally, but the summer holiday, and often the autumn and spring breaks too, are staggered across three regions (north, middle and south), so exact dates can differ by school location.
Do international schools follow the same regional staggering as Dutch state schools?
It varies by school. Some, particularly subsidised international schools, follow the Dutch regional system closely. Others set their own calendar independent of the Dutch regional structure. Always check your specific school's published calendar.
How long is the Dutch summer holiday?
It runs for several weeks in mid-summer, with exact start and end dates depending on your school's region. Check current official dates for the relevant year and region, as they are set and published annually.
What is the May holiday?
It's a school break generally falling around late April into May, often coinciding with King's Day and other public holidays in the same period, and it is generally set nationally rather than staggered by region.
How do I find out which region my school belongs to?
Your school or local municipality can confirm this directly. The Dutch government also publishes the regional groupings alongside the official holiday dates each year.
What happens if my children are in different types of school with different calendars?
This is common for expat families. The practical approach is to build a combined household calendar early in the year using each school's specific published dates, since alignment isn't guaranteed.
Are public holidays the same as school holidays?
No, they're separate. Public holidays are individual days off (such as King's Day or Ascension Day), some of which fall within a holiday period like the May holiday, while others occur as standalone days when schools close.
Should I book travel before confirming my school's exact dates?
It's risky. Because regional staggering and individual international school calendars can differ from general expectations, confirm exact dates directly with your school before booking travel that depends on term timing.
Does the school year in the Netherlands start and end at the same time as international schools?
Broadly similar, since most follow a northern-hemisphere academic year, but exact start and end dates can differ by school, so check individually rather than assuming alignment.
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