This guide covers the schools around Amsterdam, what separates them, and above all where to live depending on the school you are aiming for.
Four kinds of school, and what sets them apart
The Dutch education landscape is more varied than it first appears. International families have four routes.
1. Subsidised international education (internationaal georiënteerd onderwijs). Dutch state schools teaching in English, with tuition in the low thousands of euros a year, nothing like private fees. Access is in principle reserved for families whose stay in the Netherlands is tied to a professional move and limited in time, and admission criteria are checked. Best value on the market, and therefore the most contested.
2. Private international schools. International Baccalaureate or British curriculum, high tuition, often covered by the employer in a relocation package. Places are easier to find mid-year, and the community is genuinely international.
3. National schools. French, Japanese or European sections: the choice of families who want continuity with the home country's curriculum, typically when a return is planned.
4. The local Dutch school. Free, five minutes away by bike, and remarkably effective for integration: a child under seven usually becomes fluent in Dutch within one school year. It is the most underrated option for families settling for the long run. Note that school starts at four in the Netherlands, and attendance becomes compulsory at five.
The schools around Amsterdam and where they sit
| School | Curriculum | Where |
|---|---|---|
| International School of Amsterdam (ISA) | International Baccalaureate, ages 3-18, private | Amstelveen |
| Amsterdam International Community School (AICS) | Subsidised international, primary and secondary | Amsterdam Zuid and Zuidoost |
| British School of Amsterdam | English National Curriculum | Amsterdam Zuid |
| Lycée Français International Vincent van Gogh | French curriculum, nursery to baccalauréat | Amstelveen |
| Europese School Amsterdam | European sections | Amsterdam Zuid |
| Amity International School Amsterdam | International curriculum | Amstelveen |
| Japanese School of Amsterdam | Japanese curriculum | Amstelveen |
| DENISE | Subsidised international | Amsterdam Nieuw-West |
Fees, campus addresses and admission rules change from year to year: use this table to frame your housing search, not as a substitute for the school's own website.
Where to live, school by school
Amstelveen: the region's school cluster
This is where the schools concentrate: ISA, the French Lycée, Amity, the Japanese school. A family with children enrolled there is far better off living locally: the children walk or cycle to school, and the supply of houses with gardens is real, which is nearly impossible to find inside Amsterdam. Budget €2,600-3,600 for a two-bedroom, €3,000-4,500 for a three or four-bedroom house. Tram 25 reaches central Amsterdam in 25 minutes and Schiphol is a quarter of an hour away.
See our full Amstelveen guide.
Amsterdam Zuid and Oud-Zuid: city life without giving up the schools
AICS, the British School and the Europese School sit in the south of Amsterdam. Living in Oud-Zuid keeps you in the city (museums, Vondelpark, shops) with the schools within cycling distance and Amstelveen 15-20 minutes away by tram. It is also the most expensive part of town: large family flats comfortably exceed €3,500, and houses are rare.
The Zuidas business district next door adds an argument for parents working there: a commute measured in minutes.
Nieuw-West and Zuidoost: the budget-smart choice
DENISE is in Nieuw-West, and one AICS campus is in Zuidoost. Rents in these areas run markedly lower (often 25-35% below Oud-Zuid for the same floor area) in newer, larger homes. The trade-off is atmosphere: residential rather than picture-postcard. The metro still puts the centre 15-20 minutes away.
Other neighbourhoods: possible, if you measure the commute honestly
Oost, IJburg and Noord offer space at gentler prices and suit families enrolling in a local Dutch school very well. For an international school in the south, be honest about the journey: 35 to 45 minutes door to door, twice a day, with children, is a different life from a ten-minute cycle.
The timeline: enrol first, search second
The most common mistake is to sign a lease and then look for a school. The efficient order is the reverse:
- As soon as the move is confirmed, contact two or three schools and ask about actual availability for your children's year group, not the general policy, the real place.
- Get written confirmation, or at least a clear position on the waiting list.
- Then search for a home, within cycling distance of the school or on a direct line.
- Sign for an August move-in at the latest: the Dutch school year starts in late August or early September depending on the region.
The rental market follows the same calendar: family homes near the schools come free and get signed between April and June. Searching in July means arriving after the battle.
What it does to your housing budget
The school choice mechanically shifts your budget. For the same floor area, a family house in Amstelveen costs around 30% less than a large flat in Oud-Zuid, but moves you away from the centre. Conversely, aiming at Nieuw-West or Zuidoost cuts the bill by a quarter, in exchange for a less central address.
Remember to add utilities (€250-400 a month), the deposit (one to two months' rent) and, very often, agency fees of around 1.5 times the monthly rent. The details are in our housing budget guide and on our agency fees page.
Questions to ask the school before you start house-hunting
- What is the actual place available for my child's year group, and from when?
- What are the admission criteria: family status, length of stay, language spoken at home, entrance assessment?
- Is there a school bus, and from which neighbourhoods?
- What extra costs sit on top of tuition (meals, activities, transport, materials)?
- What happens if we arrive mid-year?
The rest of the search — budget, areas, school calendar — is covered in our guide to finding a family home in Amsterdam.
