Official 2025/26 provisional school and pupil counts.
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Education in the Netherlands
DATAEducation profile
Education profile 路 Reference periods shown
Statistics Netherlands reports 1,464,296 pupils in 6,506 primary schools and 919,813 pupils in 642 secondary general-education schools in 2025/26. Higher education enrolled 773,270 students. The Netherlands has current provisional 2025/26 counts across primary, secondary and higher education, so this page can rely on national statistics rather than proxy indicators.
Netherlands education snapshot
The Netherlands has current provisional 2025/26 counts across primary, secondary and higher education, so this page can rely on national statistics rather than proxy indicators.
Primary pupils
1,464,296
Primary schools
6,506
Secondary pupils
919,813
Higher-ed students
773,270
* Reference years and benchmark labels are shown with the figures.
How the education pathway works
The system view keeps the differentiated secondary and vocational pathways visible because they are central to how Dutch education progresses after primary school.
| Stage | When | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Primary education | Primary | Primary schooling precedes the differentiated secondary pathways. |
| VMBO, HAVO and VWO routes | Secondary | Secondary general education includes several programme routes with different progression options. |
| MBO | Vocational | Senior secondary vocational education provides a major professional route. |
| HBO and university | Higher education | Higher professional and university education form the tertiary sector. |
Key evidence
The first two cards describe primary education, while the third and fourth refer to separate secondary and higher-education populations.
| Indicator or rule | Value | Reference | Authority |
|---|---|---|---|
| Primary pupils | 1,464,296 | 2025/26 prov. | Primary |
| Primary schools | 6,506 | 2025/26 prov. | Primary schools |
| Secondary pupils | 919,813 | 2025/26 prov. | Secondary general |
| Higher-ed students | 773,270 | 2025/26 prov. | Higher education |
* Reference years and benchmark labels are shown with the figures.
How to read the Netherlands evidence
The 6,506 figure counts institutions, not students, and should not be combined with the three enrolment totals.
All four values are provisional 2025/26 figures and remain labelled that way.
Frequently asked questions
How many pupils were in Dutch primary schools in 2025/26?
Statistics Netherlands reports 1,464,296 pupils.
How many primary schools were reported?
The 2025/26 provisional count is 6,506 primary schools.
How many pupils were in secondary general education?
CBS reports 919,813 pupils in 2025/26.
How many higher-education students were enrolled?
CBS reports 773,270 students in higher education in 2025/26.
Sources and methodology
Both visible sources are Statistics Netherlands tables and directly support the headline values.
Official 2025/26 higher-education enrolment total.
Methodology: Netherlands figures retain their 2025/26 provisional status and sector definitions; no cross-sector total is inferred.