Online School in the Netherlands: Alongside the Enrolment, Never Instead of It

By Alfred Ouko, Founder · October 2026 · 8 min read

The Netherlands is one of the easiest countries in Europe to explain, because the law leaves little room for interpretation. Children are leerplichtig from five through the school year in which they turn sixteen, the duty is met by enrolment at a recognised school, and an unrecognised online school does not satisfy it. So I will say at the start what we are here: a supplementary school, working alongside a Dutch or international enrolment. Within that, there is a great deal of useful work to do, and this guide explains where it is.

Where the international families are

Amsterdam and Amstelveen hold the European headquarters and one of the continent’s most established expatriate communities. The Hague is the city of international justice, with the International Court of Justice, the International Criminal Court, Europol and many other organisations whose staff rotate on their own calendars. Rotterdam is Europe’s largest port, with shipping, commodity trading and offshore energy. Eindhoven’s Brainport region, with ASML in Veldhoven, NXP and the High Tech Campus, has hired internationally faster than local capacity could keep up. Utrecht is the national rail hub and a university city, and Groningen is the capital of the north, with a university founded in 1614 and an energy economy moving from gas toward hydrogen and offshore wind.

What families already have

The Netherlands has an unusual and generous model. The subsidised Dutch International Schools offer strong education at modest fees to eligible internationally mobile families, and the private international schools offer more at a much higher price. Dutch schools themselves are good, and younger children usually settle and learn Dutch quickly. The constraints are timing and fit. Subsidised places have waiting lists, private schools run admission cycles, and Brainport employers can move a family in weeks. The international tier is mostly IB, so a family on a Cambridge track from the UK or elsewhere may find no school that continues it. And a child in a Dutch school can lose their English-medium academic record simply through lack of time.

What supplementary means here

It means a real timetable rather than tutoring. A child enrolled at a Dutch or international school studies two to four Cambridge or Pearson Edexcel subjects with us, taught live in small groups by qualified teachers, toward IGCSE and then A-Level, with assessment and examinations. The Netherlands is two hours behind Nairobi in winter and one hour behind in summer, so classes land after the Dutch school day without late nights. Lessons are recorded for the weeks when school runs long. For families waiting for a school place, the same classes keep a child’s learning structured during the wait and continue once the place arrives. What we do not offer is an alternative to enrolment; we work around it.

The subjects families ask for

Eindhoven’s engineering families ask for Mathematics, Further Mathematics, Physics and Computer Science, often for children who may apply to UK universities. The Hague’s institutional families want continuity: an English-medium record in English, History and the sciences that survives a move to Geneva, New York or Nairobi. Rotterdam’s shipping and trading families ask for Economics and Business beside Mathematics. Families on a Cambridge track at an IB school use us for the IGCSE or A-Level subject the school does not offer. A student in a Dutch havo or vwo stream who wants an English-taught degree abroad uses A-Levels to strengthen the application. These are subjects a busy Dutch timetable cannot add for one or two students.

The legal edges, and when the local school is enough

There is one narrow exemption in Dutch law, Article 5 under b of the Leerplichtwet, for parents with overriding objections to the religious or philosophical direction of every school within reasonable distance. The Hoge Raad tightened it in April 2026, enforcement is resuming, and it is essentially unavailable once a child has been enrolled at a school of that direction. We do not advise on it; families considering it need a Dutch education lawyer. For families who already lawfully hold that exemption, we provide structured curriculum without claims attached. And for a child thriving in a Dutch school with a Dutch university in mind, the school is the right answer on its own.

The Netherlands gives families good schools and a strict law, and a live online school should respect both. Alongside a Dutch or international enrolment, in Amsterdam, The Hague, Rotterdam or Eindhoven, it adds a Cambridge or Edexcel trajectory, the subjects a timetable cannot hold, and continuity for families who move. Book an assessment and we will build a supplementary timetable that fits your child’s school week.

Frequently asked questions

Does enrolling with you satisfy leerplicht?

No. Leerplicht is met by enrolment at a recognised school, and an online school does not satisfy it. We work alongside the enrolment.

Is there more freedom after sixteen?

No. Kwalificatieplicht continues to eighteen until a startkwalificatie is achieved. How it applies to an internationally educated teenager is a question for your leerplichtambtenaar or a lawyer.

When are classes?

The Netherlands is two hours behind Nairobi in winter and one hour behind in summer, so live classes land after the Dutch school day. Every session is recorded.

Can you help while we wait for a school place?

Yes. Supplementary live classes keep a child’s learning structured during the wait and continue around the school once the place arrives.

What does it cost?

From USD 423/month for Primary, roughly EUR 389; the fee varies by curriculum and level.

Next steps

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