International schools in Amsterdam and Amstelveen: what Indian parents ask us about each one

Indian families arriving in the Amsterdam area with a child who is not going into a Dutch school face a short list of international schools with very different prices, programmes and waiting lists, and a lot of conflicting advice on forums. We teach children at most of them, so we hear the questions parents ask about each. This is a fair guide to the main options, what they cost, who can get in, and what the academics look like from the inside. Fees are indicative for 2026 and change every year; check each school's own page before deciding.

The main schools at a glance

Alongside these there are Dutch bilingual (tto) secondary schools and international transition classes, which are Dutch schools with English in them rather than international schools, and a handful of smaller private primaries. We leave those aside here.

What parents ask about each school

ISA. The oldest IB school in the world, founded in 1964, and the most expensive. Parents ask whether it is worth the difference. Academically it is very strong, class sizes are small, and the Diploma results are consistently high. It is a full-IB house, so the child will do PYP inquiry all the way through primary; parents who want more traditional structure sometimes find that hard. Waiting lists for some year groups are long, and sibling priority is real.

AICS. The question is always eligibility. AICS is one of the government-subsidised international schools, which is why the fee is a fraction of the others, and the subsidy rule is that the family must be in the Netherlands temporarily or on an international posting. If you qualify, it is very good value, large, and well used to Indian families. Because it is large, the year groups fill, and the campus your child lands on depends on the year.

British School of Amsterdam. Chosen by families who want the structure Indian parents recognise: year groups, subject teachers from secondary, IGCSEs at 16 and A-Levels at 18, and a syllabus with a textbook. The maths and science are more content-driven than the IB in the early years, which suits many children from CBSE. Parents ask whether A-Levels or the IB Diploma are better for Indian and international universities; both are accepted everywhere, and A-Levels let a child specialise earlier. Our KS2 and KS3 guide sets out year by year what the British curriculum expects.

Amity. Popular with Indian families, partly because of the Amity name from India and partly because of the price point between AICS and ISA. It is an IB school, not a CBSE school, which surprises some parents who expected an Indian curriculum; there is no CBSE school in the Netherlands. Class sizes are smaller than the big schools. We have several MYP students at Amity and the academic questions are the same as at any IB school: why a child who is strong on tests sits on a 5, and how the criteria work. We explain that in MYP maths criteria A to D.

Optimist and the smaller primaries. Chosen for the size and the community, usually by families with children under 10 who are not yet sure how long they will stay. The question is always what happens at 11: the child moves to one of the larger schools for MYP, and the waiting list for that move should be started early.

The three things that decide it in practice

Eligibility for the subsidy. If your posting qualifies you for a subsidised school, the price gap is so large that most families choose it, and it is a good school. If not, the choice is among the private schools.

Who pays. If your employer pays school fees, ISA, Amity and the British School are all in reach and the decision is about programme. If you are paying, two children in a private school is a serious sum and the comparison with a Dutch school plus support becomes real; we set that out honestly in international school or Dutch school.

The waiting list for your child's year. In the Amsterdam area this is often what decides it. Apply early, to more than one, and have a plan for the gap. Children waiting for a place are a large part of who we teach in the Netherlands.

What the academics look like from the inside

Across the IB schools the pattern for children from India is the same. Primary: strong on number, weak on explaining, and a PYP report with no marks that parents cannot read; we wrote a guide to it in PYP maths explained. Secondary: MYP grades that sit a point below what the child's test scores suggest, because criteria B, C and D are new. At the British School the pattern is different: the content is familiar, the pace in Key Stage 3 is faster than parents expect, and the marks are in the working.

None of these are reasons to choose one school over another. They are reasons to know what the school will grade before the first report.

Our honest recommendation

Qualify for AICS and staying two to four years: AICS. Employer pays and you want the strongest IB house: ISA. Want structure, textbooks and exams you recognise: the British School. Want a smaller IB school with a strong Indian community and a middle price: Amity. Children under 10 and unsure how long you will stay: a smaller primary, with the MYP application started early.

Whichever you choose, the first term is when to find out where your child stands in the new programme, not the first report. The placement demo is free and takes 30 minutes, and we will tell you what the school is going to ask of your child.

Questions parents ask

See how we teach this, 1-on-1 online →