The Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), coordinated by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), ranks the education in the Netherlands as the 16th best in the world as of 2018.

Public, special (religious), and general-special (neutral) schools[1] are government-financed, receiving equal financial support from the government if certain criteria are met.

In elementary and high schools, pupils are assessed annually by a team of teachers who determine whether they advanced enough to move on to the next grade.

In recent years, this test has gained authority, but the recommendation of the group 8 teacher along with the opinion of the pupil and his/her parents remains the crucial factor in choosing the right form of secondary education.

During this year, pupils will gradually learn to cope with the differences between school systems, such as dealing with increased personal responsibility.

Most schools do require a particular grade average to ensure the pupil is capable of handling the increased study load and higher difficulty level.

All pupils follow the same subjects: Dutch, mathematics, English, history, arts, at least two other foreign languages (mostly German and French), biology, physical education, geography, at least some form of arithmetic which since the school year of 2022/2023 can be given in combination with math and some form of physics and chemistry, usually combined into a single subject (natuur- en scheikunde or NaSk).

This part of the educational programme allows for differentiation by means of subject clusters that are called "profiles" (profielen).

The HAVO (hoger algemeen voortgezet onderwijs; literally "higher general continued education") has five grades and is attended from age twelve to seventeen.

The VWO (voorbereidend wetenschappelijk onderwijs; literally "preparatory scientific education") has six grades and is typically attended from age twelve to eighteen.

A VWO diploma provides access to WO training, although universities may set their own admission criteria (e.g. based on profile or on certain subjects).

VWO-plus, also known as atheneum-plus, VWO+, Masterclass or lyceum, offers extra subjects like philosophy, additional foreign languages and courses to introduce students to scholarly research.

Many different MBO studies are typically offered at a regionaal opleidingen centrum (ROC; literally "regional education center").

A quota (numerus fixus) applies to admission to certain programmes, primarily in the medical sciences, and places are allocated using a weighted lottery.

Applicants older than 21 years who do not possess one of these qualifications can qualify for admission to higher education on the basis of an entrance examination and assessment.

A guaranteed standard of higher education is maintained through a national system of legal regulation and quality assurance.

The HBO is taught in vocational universities (hogescholen), of which there are over 40 in the Netherlands, each of which offers a broad variety of programs, with the exception of some that specialize in arts or agriculture.

The Maatschappij tot Nut van 't Algemeen ("Society for the Common Good") took advantage of the revolutionary tide in the Batavian Republic to propose a number of educational reforms.

All newly established schools needed consent from the authorities or would be disbanded as freedom of education was not proclaimed until the Constitutional Reform of 1848.

Modern languages, mathematics, agronomy, gymnastics, drawing and needlework for girls were included as elective subjects.

In 1878, the liberal government introduced a bill that significantly increased the quality of education school were required to offer.

This led the confessionals to start a campaign for the equal funding of special religious education that would become known as the school struggle.

[30] The introduction of the so-called Kinderwetje (literally "little children's act") by legislator Samuel van Houten in 1874 forbade child labour under the age of 12.

Reforms in the late 1990s aimed at introducing information management skills, increasing the pupils' autonomy and personal responsibility, and promoting integration between different subjects.

[33] By 2004, the municipalities of the Netherlands were obliged to activate a regional care structure for individual students dealing with health and social problems.

Universities have longer holidays (about two months, but this may include re-examinations) and usually start the year in late August or early September.

[35] In the last year of primary school, a test, most commonly the "Cito Eindtoets Basisonderwijs", is taken to help choose the appropriate level of secondary education/school type.

However, moving up a level later on may require a lot of extra effort, motivation and time resulting in some students not reaching their full potential.

[citation needed] Research has shown that 30% of gifted children[38] are (mistakenly) advised to attend the VMBO, the lower level to which 60% of twelve-year-olds are initially sent.

[41] The Programme for International Student Assessment has found that the Netherlands' educational standing compared to other nations has been declining since 2006, and is now only slightly above average.