The Hague, Netherlands
International schools in The Hague: what families need to know
The Hague has an unusual advantage: Dutch international schools are state-subsidised, so tuition is a fraction of what comparable schools charge elsewhere — but access depends on your family meeting the international eligibility rules. Private international schools sit alongside them without that restriction. The year runs late August to early July. This guide covers eligibility, admissions, curricula, fees and neighbourhoods.
US$499 per family · One-time fee · You review the service and the price before you pay.
What you tell us
- Where you are moving
- The Hague
- Children
- Sofia (age 8) · Luca (age 5)
- Curriculum
- British preferred
- Start
- August
You tell us once, for every child. Your adviser assesses the brief and contacts relevant admissions teams on your behalf.
Example only. School names in these examples are fictional.
The Hague in short
- Curricula available in The Hague: IB Primary Years, Middle Years and Diploma, IGCSE, and Dutch bilingual streams.
- The The Hague school year runs Late August to early July, with a regional summer break, with the main intake at the start of it.
- Schools are overseen by Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science; the Inspectorate of Education inspects schools.
- Tuition is published per year group by each school. Registration, deposit, transport, uniform, meals and examination entries are normally billed separately.
- Availability is decided per child, per year group and per campus, so two children in one family can get two different answers from the same The Hague school.
- You tell us what your family needs once, and see matched The Hague schools with places, fees and next steps.
Prepared by InternationalSchools.orgPublished September 2026Last reviewed September 2026
The Hague at a glance
The facts that shape a The Hague school search
- Oversight
- Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science; the Inspectorate of Education inspects schools
- Main curricula
- IB Primary Years, Middle Years and Diploma, IGCSE, and Dutch bilingual streams
- School year
- Late August to early July, with a regional summer break
- Ages served
- About age 4 through 18
- Language
- English at international schools; Dutch in the national system, with bilingual TTO streams
How admissions work in The Hague
Most The Hague schools follow the same stages, whatever the curriculum.
- 1
Enquire and check the year group
Confirm the year group each child would enter in The Hague. Age cut-offs differ between systems, so the same child can be placed a year apart in two schools.
- 2
Assessment
Most schools assess before offering a place. This can be a short online task, a classroom visit or a subject test, depending on age.
- 3
Offer, deposit and registration
An offer is usually held only after a registration fee or deposit is paid. Check whether either is refundable before you accept.
Documents to prepare
Some documents can take time to arrange from abroad. Start collecting them before you have chosen a school.
- Passport and, where required, visa or residence documents for each child
- Birth certificate
- School reports for the last two years
- Transfer or leaving certificate from the previous school
- Vaccination and health records
- Any learning support or assessment reports, shared early rather than late
More detail: how international-school admissions work.
Curricula families meet in The Hague
We explain each system once, in the curricula library, rather than repeating it city by city.
British curriculum
IGCSE and A Level, and how English year groups are set by age.
International Baccalaureate
PYP, MYP and the Diploma, and who the IB suits on a later move.
American curriculum
US grades, high-school credits and AP, with their own placement rules.
Changing curriculum mid-move
What transfers cleanly between systems and where a child may repeat or skip a year.
The The Hague school year and when to apply
Timing decides how much choice you have. These are the stages most families move through.
Six to nine months ahead
Start looking for the main intake
Popular year groups in The Hague fill first, and assessment slots become scarce close to the intake.
Three to six months ahead
Assessments and offers
Schools assess, then make offers within days or weeks. Registration fees and deposits usually follow immediately.
One to three months ahead
Places confirmed, waiting lists move
Waiting lists move as leaving families release places, so keep asking rather than assuming a school is closed.
Start of the school year
Term begins
The The Hague school year runs late August to early July, with a regional summer break.
Mid-year
In-year entry
Possible, but limited to whichever year groups have room. This is where asking schools directly saves the most time.
What school costs in The Hague
Published tuition is the starting figure, not the total. These are the charges to budget for.
What the The Hague market costs, in round numbers
Mid band- Primary, per year
- EUR 5,000 – 20,000
- Secondary, per year
- EUR 7,000 – 28,000
- Roughly, in US dollars
- US$5,000 – 30,000
Indicative annual tuition across mainstream international schools, for the stated academic year. Individual schools publish their own fees per year group, the top of each market runs above these ranges, and registration, deposits, transport, uniform, meals and examination entries are billed separately. Figures refer to the 2025/26 academic year. Compare fees across cities.
- Tuition
- Published per year group by each school
- Registration fee
- Charged at application or offer stage, usually non-refundable
- Deposit
- Secures the place and is often deducted from the first term's tuition
- Transport
- School transport is charged separately and varies by distance and route
- Uniform, books, devices
- One-off costs at the start of the year, higher in the first year
- Meals and activities
- Optional at most schools, but a real part of the annual budget
- Examination entries
- IGCSE, A Level, IB and AP entries are billed in the exam years
See also understanding international school fees.
Places and waiting lists
Which The Hague schools have places for your children?
A place is not something a school has in general. It exists for one year group, at one campus, for one intake. Two children in the same family can get two different answers from the same school on the same day.
School websites cannot tell you this. Availability changes when a family leaves, when a contract ends, or when a new year group opens. That is why relevant schools answer directly instead of publishing a number that would be out of date by the time you read it.
For each child, a The Hague school can answer that a place is available, that there is a waiting list, that the intake is full, or that it cannot confirm yet. You see the answer, the fees and the next step, and you decide where to focus.
US$499 per family · One-time fee · You review the service and the price before you pay.
Your schools · 2 children · British curriculum · Starting August
Westbrook International School
From the school
North campus · British · Annual fees: Confirmed for your intake
Fees confirmed for the academic year you asked about
- Sofia · Year 4Place availablePlace available for August
- Luca · Year 1Place availablePlace available for August
Next step: Assessment, then offer
Harbour Ridge Academy
From the school
City campus · British · Annual fees: Confirmed for your intake
Fees confirmed for the academic year you asked about
- Sofia · Year 4Place availablePlace available for August
- Luca · Year 1Waiting listWaiting list, reviewed monthly
Next step: Campus visit, then assessment
Elmfield International College
From our team
Main campus · British · Annual fees: Earlier-year reference fee
Fees for your intake not yet confirmed
- Sofia · Year 4Not confirmedPlaces not yet confirmed
- Luca · Year 1Not confirmedPlaces not yet confirmed
Next step: We ask admissions to confirm
Every option says who provided the information and whether places are confirmed. Your adviser explains what each answer means for your children.
Example school options. School names in these examples are fictional.
Choosing where to live in The Hague
We do not rank areas. These are the questions that decide whether a school works day to day.
Benoordenhout and Van Stolkpark
Green, embassy-heavy and close to several international schools; the most common choice for arriving diplomatic families.
Statenkwartier and Scheveningen
Near the sea, walkable and well served by tram, with international schools and a strong expat community.
Wassenaar
Leafy and low-density just north of the city, with houses and gardens and a short drive to the main school cluster.
Voorburg, Rijswijk and Leidschendam
More affordable, well connected and family-friendly, with Dutch and bilingual schools and a manageable commute.
Moving to The Hague with children: a checklist
The school-related steps that decide how smooth the first term is.
- Confirm each child's year group under the curriculum you are moving to in The Hague.
- Collect and, where required, attest school reports and certificates before you leave.
- Ask schools about places for every child in the same request, not one at a time.
- Check whether registration fees and deposits are refundable if your move date changes.
- Check the visa or residency steps that enrolment can depend on.
- Ask about learning support early, since capacity is decided case by case.
- Line up housing only after you know which school can take all of your children.
See also the moving-abroad timeline.
Moving with more than one child
One school that works for every child, not one child
Most families moving to The Hague are moving with more than one child, and the hardest part is rarely finding a good school. It is finding one school that can take all of your children in the same year.
Checking each child separately, school by school, is where the search becomes slow. A school that has room in Year 1 may be full in Year 4, and you only learn that after two emails and a wait.
One request covers every child. Each school answers for each child, so you can see immediately where all of your children could start together, and where you would be splitting the family across two schools.
- Ask once for the whole family, not once per child.
- See sibling answers side by side before you contact anyone.
- Ask about sibling priority and start dates while places are still open.
Your schools, side by side
Westbrook International School
- Information
- From the school
- Curriculum
- British
- Area
- North campus
- Annual fees
- Confirmed for your intake
- Next step
- Assessment, then offer
Harbour Ridge Academy
- Information
- From the school
- Curriculum
- British
- Area
- City campus
- Annual fees
- Confirmed for your intake
- Next step
- Campus visit, then assessment
Elmfield International College
- Information
- From our team
- Curriculum
- British
- Area
- Main campus
- Annual fees
- Earlier-year reference fee
- Next step
- We ask admissions to confirm
Westbrook International School
Harbour Ridge Academy
Elmfield International College
Sofia · Year 4
Luca · Year 1
Information
From the school
From the school
From our team
Curriculum
British
British
British
Area
North campus
City campus
Main campus
Annual fees
Confirmed for your intake
Confirmed for your intake
Earlier-year reference fee
Next step
Assessment, then offer
Campus visit, then assessment
We ask admissions to confirm
Example comparison. School names in these examples are fictional.
How schooling works in The Hague
Dutch international schools — DIS schools — are part of the publicly funded system and charge a subsidised parental contribution rather than a full fee, but admission requires that the family meets the international eligibility criteria, typically linked to a temporary posting or a foreign nationality with a limited stay. Private international schools have no such requirement and charge full fees.
Eligibility decides your real options
Subsidised DIS places are intended for children who need international education because the family is here temporarily, or is Dutch and returning from abroad, or is foreign and expects to move on. Each school checks documentation such as contracts and residence permits.
If you do not qualify, private international schools remain open and the Dutch system, including bilingual TTO secondary streams, is free and well regarded.
Waiting lists are the real constraint
Demand in The Hague regularly exceeds capacity at popular year groups, and schools maintain waiting lists that move as postings end.
Register as early as you have a contract, apply to more than one school, and ask each admissions office directly about your child's specific year group rather than the school overall.
The Dutch system alongside the international one
Dutch primary is free and starts at age 4. Secondary is streamed into vmbo, havo and vwo after primary, and bilingual TTO programmes teach part of the curriculum in English within a Dutch school.
For younger children a Dutch school is often a practical, well-supported option; the tracking decision at the end of primary is the point to think carefully about if you may leave again.
Fees and the real annual cost
Subsidised DIS contributions are far below international norms and are set per school and per phase. Private international tuition is charged at full commercial rates.
Registration fees, deposits, lunch, buses, trips, exam entries and after-school activities are separate at both. Ask for the full published schedule before comparing.
Cycling, buses and daily life
Children cycle to school from a young age here, and the infrastructure genuinely supports it. Many international schools run buses as well.
Regional summer break dates are set nationally by region, so holidays may not align with your home country or with a partner school elsewhere. Check the published calendar before booking travel.
What families get wrong in The Hague
The local details that cost families a term, a deposit or a long daily drive.
Assuming subsidised schools are open to everyone
DIS places require the family to meet international eligibility rules and provide documentation.
Registering only after arrival
Popular year groups keep waiting lists. Register as soon as you have a contract, at more than one school.
Comparing a subsidised contribution with a private fee
They are different funding models. Compare eligibility first, then cost.
Overlooking Dutch bilingual streams
TTO secondary programmes teach partly in English within the free national system and suit longer stays.
Booking travel before checking regional holidays
Dutch summer breaks are staggered by region and rarely align with other countries.
Official The Hague resources
Primary sources for regulation, inspection and enrolment. We link out rather than paraphrase.
How InternationalSchools.org works in The Hague
Tell us what your family needs once, and see matched schools in The Hague with places, fees and next steps.
- 1
Tell us about your family and The Hague
Your children's ages and year groups, the curriculum you prefer, your budget and when you want to start. One brief covers every child named in it.
- 2
Your adviser researches The Hague
A 30-minute consultation, then research of the schools in The Hague that suit each child, and contact with relevant admissions teams about your start date.
- 3
Receive your recommendations
Three recommended schools plus up to two alternatives where suitable, with written reasoning for each child, a review call and follow-up questions answered for 30 days.
We do not publish scores or predict availability. How we select schools.
Questions families ask about The Hague
Find international schools in The Hague for your children
One conversation, every child, answers from the schools themselves.
US$499 per family · One-time fee · You review the service and the price before you pay.
Go deeper on The Hague
How fees compare across cities
What is published, what is billed separately and how The Hague compares with the other markets we cover.
Compare the main curricula
British, IB and American side by side, and what a later move between countries changes.
How admissions work
The stages most international schools use, and where relocating families lose time.
Continue reading
Waiting lists and availability
How waiting lists really work, and what to ask before you join one.
School year and intake timing
When places open, and what a mid-year move changes.
How it works
From telling us what you need to answers from the schools themselves.
Other destinations
You can search any destination, published guide or not.
Last reviewed: September 2026
Guide version 3.1. The Hague information is compiled from official regulators, curriculum authorities and school-published material. Fees, intakes and requirements are set by individual schools and change, so confirm details directly with a school before you rely on them.
Sources
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