France vs Netherlands (Comparing Education Systems 2026)

Explore full profiles:🏫 France Education System 🏫 Netherlands Education System

Updated: September 12, 2026 View update notes

September 12, 2026 Netherlands – Country Data: The PISA 2000–2025 trend wording was corrected to reflect statistical differences accurately.

September 12, 2026 France – Country Data: Added France’s PISA 2025 results, complete participation history, and updated long-term trend analysis.

This page compares the education systems of France and Netherlands.

Education System Overview

France and Netherlands education system comparison: Education System Overview
Category	France	Netherlands
System Type	Public-private mix; Governance model: Centralized, with national rules for curricula, qualifications and teacher recruitment, while regions, departments and municipalities manage responsibilities such as buildings, equipment and local services. [French Ministry]	Mixed public-private provision; Governance model: Decentralized implementation under national rules, with extensive school autonomy. Public-authority and eligible privately run schools receive public funding under the same statutory conditions. [Government.nl]
Governing Body	Ministry of National Education for school education and the Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Space for tertiary education.	Ministry of Education, Culture and Science (OCW), supported by executive agencies and the Education Inspectorate. [Government.nl]
Government Expenditure on Education (% of GDP)	5.32% of GDP (2022, latest available value for general government expenditure on education). [World Bank]	5.0% of GDP for primary through tertiary educational institutions in 2022, compared with an OECD average of 4.7%. [OECD]

Education Structure & Compulsory Schooling

France and Netherlands education system comparison: Education Structure & Compulsory Schooling
Category	France	Netherlands
Compulsory Age Range	From age 3 to age 16. A separate training obligation applies from ages 16 to 18 and can be fulfilled through schooling, vocational training, employment, civic service or an approved support pathway. [Éduscol]	From age 5 to age 16 for full-time compulsory education. Young people without a basic qualification are generally subject to a qualification duty until age 18. [Government.nl]
Total Compulsory Duration (Years)	13 years of compulsory instruction (ages 3–16), followed by the separate training obligation through age 18.	11 years of full-time compulsory schooling, with the qualification duty potentially extending the education or training obligation to age 18.
Pre-primary Education (ECE) Access	Compulsory from age 3. In 2024, the schooling rate was 98.5% at age 3 and 100% at ages 4 and 5. [French Ministry]	Optional before age 5. Children may enter primary school from age 4; attendance becomes compulsory at age 5. [Government.nl]
Primary + Secondary Education Structure (Years)	5 + 4 + 3 (Primary + Lower Secondary/Collège + Upper Secondary/Lycée). Pre-primary education normally adds three years before primary school. [French Ministry]	8 + 4/5/6: eight years of primary education followed by VMBO (4 years), HAVO (5 years) or VWO (6 years). [Government.nl]
Vocational vs. General Upper Secondary Split (%)	Approximately 29.3% Vocational / 70.7% General & Technological among lycée students in 2025, based on 661,600 vocational and 1,599,400 general and technological students. [French Ministry]	69.6% Vocational / 30.4% General in 2023. [OECD]

Academic Calendar & Instruction Time

France and Netherlands education system comparison: Academic Calendar & Instruction Time
Category	France	Netherlands
Academic Year Start (Typical Month)	September. [French Ministry]	August/September, depending on the regional summer-holiday schedule. [Government.nl]
Academic Year End (Typical Month)	July. [French Ministry]	July, with exact dates varying by region. [Government.nl]
Instruction Weeks per Year	36 weeks. [Légifrance]	—
Instruction Days per Year	—	—

Grading System

France and Netherlands education system comparison: Grading System
Category	France	Netherlands
Primary/Secondary Grading Scale	The 0–20 scale is widely used in secondary education, while competency-based assessment is also used, particularly during compulsory schooling.	Commonly a 1–10 scale, where 10 is the highest mark; secondary schools commonly use around 5.5 as the minimum passing level.
Higher Education Grading Scale	Commonly 0–20, with 10/20 generally representing a passing mark; higher education programs use ECTS credits within the LMD degree structure. [Campus France]	Commonly a 1–10 scale, with 6 generally representing a passing grade; higher education programs use ECTS credits.

Language of Instruction

France and Netherlands education system comparison: Language of Instruction
Category	France	Netherlands
Primary Instruction Languages (K–12)	French	Dutch
Other Official / Minority Instruction Languages (K–12)	Regional languages can be taught through bilingual or specialized programs, including Breton, Basque, Catalan, Corsican, Occitan and regional Germanic languages.	Frisian is a compulsory subject in primary schools in Friesland, subject to permitted exemptions. Bilingual Dutch-English secondary programs are also available. [Government.nl]

School Provision & Access (K–12)

France and Netherlands education system comparison: School Provision & Access (K–12)
Category	France	Netherlands
Public School Enrollment Share (K–12, % of Students)	86.4% in primary education and 78.8% in secondary education in 2025. [French Ministry]	Approximately 30% in primary, 26% in lower secondary and 8% in upper secondary education in 2023. Most privately managed schools are government-dependent and publicly funded rather than fee-charging independent schools. [OECD]
Public School Tuition Fee (Annual, Local Currency)	$0 tuition. Public primary and secondary education is tuition-free. [French Ministry]	$0 tuition at publicly funded primary and secondary schools.
Public Schools Nationwide Availability	Yes, with public primary and secondary education provided nationwide.	Yes. Municipalities must ensure access to sufficient public-authority schooling, while both public-authority and eligible privately run schools receive government funding. [Government.nl]
Private School Enrollment Share (K–12, % of Students)	Approximately 13.6% in primary education and 21.2% in secondary education in 2025. [French Ministry]	70% in primary, 74% in lower secondary and 92% in upper secondary education in 2023. Nearly all private enrollment at primary and lower secondary level is in government-dependent schools funded on the same basis as public schools. [OECD]
Private Schools (Geographic Concentration)	—	Nationwide; government-dependent private schools form a large part of mainstream provision across the country.

International Schools (K–12)

France and Netherlands education system comparison: International Schools (K–12)
Category	France	Netherlands
Number of International Schools (Total)	—	—
Number of IB World Schools	—	41 IB World Schools. [IB]
Main International Programmes Offered	International Baccalaureate, International Sections, Cambridge programs and American-style curricula, depending on the school. The IB currently lists French schools offering PYP, MYP, DP and CP programs. [IB]	International Baccalaureate, British/Cambridge, American and other international or European curricula, depending on the school.

Resources & Learning Environment (K–12)

France and Netherlands education system comparison: Resources & Learning Environment (K–12)
Category	France	Netherlands
Minimum Teacher Qualification (Public Schools)	From the 2026 recruitment session, the main external teacher recruitment competitions opened at Bachelor’s level (bac+3), followed by two years of paid initial training. Transitional bac+5 competitions continue through 2027 for candidates already following the previous route. [French Ministry]	A recognized teaching qualification is required. Primary teachers normally qualify through higher professional teacher education, while secondary qualifications depend on subject and teaching level; recognized lateral-entry routes are also available. [Government.nl]
Average Class Size (Primary)	21.1 students in elementary classes (2025). [French Ministry]	22 students per class in 2023. [OECD]
Average Class Size (Lower Secondary)	25.7 students in collège classes (2025). [French Ministry]	—
Average Class Size (Upper Secondary)	30.2 students in general and technological lycée classes / 18.4 students in vocational lycée classes (2025). [French Ministry]	—

System Performance & Learning Outcomes (OECD/PISA)

France and Netherlands education system comparison: System Performance & Learning Outcomes (OECD/PISA)
Category	France	Netherlands
PISA Participation Years	2000, 2003, 2006, 2009, 2012, 2015, 2018, 2022, 2025. [OECD]	2000, 2003, 2006, 2009, 2012, 2015, 2018, 2022, 2025. [OECD]
PISA 2018 Scores (Mathematics / Reading / Science)	495 / 493 / 493. [OECD]	519 / 485 / 503. [OECD]
PISA 2022 Scores (Mathematics / Reading / Science)	474 / 474 / 487. [OECD]	493 / 459 / 488. [OECD]
PISA 2025 Scores (Mathematics / Reading / Science)	458 / 456 / 483. France performed close to the OECD averages of 463 in mathematics, 461 in reading and 482 in science. [OECD]	483 / 441 / 485. Mathematics was above the OECD average, reading was below it, and science was close to the OECD average. [OECD]
PISA Performance Trend 2000–2025	France’s 2025 results were lower than in 2022 in mathematics and reading and about the same in science. The 2025 results were among France’s lowest PISA results across all three domains and were below the levels recorded in 2015. [OECD]	Between 2022 and 2025, Dutch performance was not statistically different in mathematics and science and was lower in reading. Results in all three subjects were among the lowest observed for the Netherlands in PISA and were significantly below their 2018 levels. OECD data show a negative trajectory across all three subjects over the period since 2015. [OECD]
Strongest Subject Area (PISA 2025)	Science (Score: 483), followed by mathematics at 458 and reading at 456. [OECD]	Science (Score: 485), followed by mathematics at 483 and reading at 441. [OECD]

Higher Education System

France and Netherlands education system comparison: Higher Education System
Category	France	Netherlands
Number of Higher Education Institutions (Total)	More than 3,500 public and private higher education institutions. [Campus France]	51 publicly funded institutions: 14 research universities including the Open University and 37 universities of applied sciences. Recognized private higher education institutions also operate in the Netherlands. [NVAO]
Number of Universities (Research Universities)	78 universities and communities of institutions. [Campus France]	14, comprising 13 research universities and the Open University. [NVAO]
Number of Universities of Applied Sciences / Colleges	—	37 publicly funded universities of applied sciences. [NVAO]
Main Institution Types	Universities; Grandes Écoles; engineering schools; business and management schools; art and architecture schools; specialized institutions; IUT and STS programs.	Research universities; Universities of Applied Sciences (hogescholen); recognized private higher education institutions.
Tertiary Enrollment Share by Ownership	—	—
English-Taught Degree Programmes (Bachelor + Master, Total)	More than 1,600 programs taught in English. [Campus France]	—
Share of Tertiary Programmes Taught in National Languages (%)	—	At research universities in 2025/26, 53% of bachelor’s programs and 20% of master’s programs were taught exclusively in Dutch. At universities of applied sciences, 80% of bachelor’s programs were exclusively Dutch-taught in 2023/24. [Nuffic]
Share of Tertiary Programmes Taught in English (%)	—	At research universities in 2025/26, 32% of bachelor’s programs and 71% of master’s programs were taught exclusively in English. [Nuffic]
Main Global Ranking Used	Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU) 2026. [Campus France]	QS World University Rankings 2027. [QS]
Universities in Top 100 (Selected Ranking)	4 in ARWU 2026: Paris-Saclay University, PSL University, Sorbonne University and Université Paris Cité. [Campus France]	2 in the QS World University Rankings 2027: Delft University of Technology (#48) and the University of Amsterdam (#60). [QS]
Universities in Top 500 (Selected Ranking)	17 in ARWU 2026, including the four institutions in the Top 100 and 13 additional institutions ranked from 101 to 500. [Campus France]	13 in the QS World University Rankings 2027. [QS]
Universities in Top 1000 (Selected Ranking)	27 in ARWU 2026. [Campus France]	13 in the QS World University Rankings 2027. [QS]
National Accreditation / QA Agency (Higher Education)	Hcéres (High Council for Evaluation of Research and Higher Education), which evaluates higher education institutions, programs and research units. [Hcéres]	Accreditation Organisation of the Netherlands and Flanders (NVAO), which accredits programs and assesses quality assurance in Dutch higher education. [NVAO]
International Students (Total)	443,500 foreign students were enrolled in French higher education in 2024/25. [Campus France]	129,764 international degree students were enrolled in bachelor’s or master’s programs at publicly funded research universities and universities of applied sciences in 2025/26. [Nuffic]
International Students Share of Total Tertiary Enrollment (%)	Approximately 15% in 2024/25. [Campus France]	17% of bachelor’s and master’s students at publicly funded higher education institutions in 2025/26. The share was 27% at research universities and 9% at universities of applied sciences. [Nuffic]

Education Costs (Indicative)

France and Netherlands education system comparison: Education Costs (Indicative)
Category	France	Netherlands
Public University Tuition Fees – Domestic / Regional (Annual, Local Currency)	Approximately $210–$740 per year for standard public Bachelor’s, Master’s and engineering registration fees in 2026/27; some institutions and programs charge different amounts. [Campus France]	Approximately $3,126 per year for students eligible for the statutory tuition fee in 2026/27, based on the official fee of €2,694. [Study in NL]
Public University Tuition Fees – International / Non-EU (Annual, Local Currency)	Approximately $3,400–$4,700 per year for differentiated Bachelor’s and Master’s fees in 2026/27 at institutions applying the national fee schedule; exemptions and lower fees apply in some cases. [Campus France]	Approximately $10,442–$23,204 annually for bachelor’s programs and $13,922–$34,806 for master’s programs, based on average institutional fees of €9,000–€20,000 and €12,000–€30,000 respectively for non-EEA students. [Study in NL]
Typical Tuition Fees for English-Taught Programmes (Annual, Local Currency)	—	—
Language School Costs (Monthly, Local Currency)	—	—

Major Education Updates & Policy Changes

France and Netherlands education system comparison: Major Education Updates & Policy Changes
Category	France	Netherlands
2000–2010: Key Updates & Reforms	Higher education adopted the LMD structure (Licence–Master–Doctorate) and ECTS credits as part of European degree alignment. [Campus France] The common base of knowledge and skills became part of compulsory education, later developing into the current common base of knowledge, skills and culture. University governance and institutional autonomy changed during the decade, alongside continued implementation of the European Bachelor’s-Master’s-Doctorate degree structure.	The Bachelor’s-Master’s degree structure expanded across Dutch higher education as part of European degree alignment. NVAO became the independent accreditation body for Dutch and Flemish higher education in 2005. [NVAO] The national accreditation system developed periodic external assessment of higher education programs and institutions.
2010–2020: Key Updates & Reforms	The common base of knowledge, skills and culture was established by the 2015 decree, with revised elementary and collège programs taking effect from 2016. [French Ministry] Compulsory instruction was lowered from age 6 to age 3 from the 2019 school year. Reform of the general and technological baccalauréat was adopted, with a new structure combining terminal examinations and continuous assessment for implementation from the 2021 session. [French Ministry]	The Appropriate Education law introduced a duty of care in August 2014, requiring schools to help secure a suitable educational placement for pupils needing additional support. [Government.nl] The higher education accreditation system introduced institutional audits alongside program accreditation. Alternative routes into teaching expanded opportunities for qualified career changers to enter the profession.
2020–2024: Key Updates & Reforms	The training obligation for ages 16–18 took effect in September 2020 for young people no longer covered by compulsory schooling. [Éduscol] The revised general and technological baccalauréat was implemented, with 40% of the final result based on continuous assessment and 60% on terminal examinations. [French Ministry] The national Mon Master platform became the common application system for first-year Master’s programs in 2023. [Higher Education Ministry]	The primary-school transition process moved to the doorstroomtoets, with results used alongside school advice when determining secondary-school pathways. [Government.nl] A nationwide central registration week was introduced for pupils applying to secondary schools. [Government.nl] A 2024 legislative amendment allowed universities to introduce program-component enrollment caps for English-taught parts of degree programs from the 2025/26 academic year. [Nuffic]
2025–2026: Key Updates & Reforms	The 2026 teacher recruitment reform introduced external recruitment competitions at bac+3, followed by two years of paid initial training, while transitional bac+5 competitions continue through 2027. [French Ministry] A new early mathematics examination for students in première générale and technologique was held for the first time in June 2026 and counts toward the 2027 baccalauréat. [French Ministry] New mathematics programs entered into force in seconde and première for the 2026/27 school year, with terminale scheduled to follow in 2027/28. [Éduscol]	From the 2025/26 academic year, universities could use program-component enrollment caps for English-taught parts of degree programs under the 2024 amendment; several bachelor’s programs planned to apply such caps in 2026/27. [Nuffic] In July 2026, the education ministry and higher education associations formalized administrative agreements on managing international student intake, including limits on places in non-Dutch-taught programs where needed. [VH] The statutory higher education tuition fee for eligible students was set at €2,694 for 2026/27. [Study in NL]

General Overview (Narrative)

France and Netherlands education system comparison: General Overview (Narrative)
Category	France	Netherlands
Overview	France operates a centralized education system with national curricula, qualifications and teacher recruitment alongside local responsibility for school facilities and services. Compulsory instruction runs from age 3 to 16, followed by a training obligation through age 18. Primary and secondary education follow a 5+4+3 structure, with upper secondary students choosing general, technological or vocational pathways. Most students attend public schools, which are tuition-free. In PISA 2025, France scored 458 in mathematics, 456 in reading and 483 in science; mathematics and reading were lower than in 2022, while science was about the same. Higher education includes more than 3,500 institutions, including universities, Grandes Écoles, engineering schools, business schools and specialized institutions. France had 443,500 foreign students in higher education in 2024/25. Current changes include bac+3 teacher recruitment from the 2026 session, the first early mathematics examination for the baccalauréat in June 2026, and new mathematics programs introduced for seconde and première in the 2026/27 school year.	The Netherlands operates a mixed-provider education system in which public-authority and government-dependent private schools receive public funding while schools retain broad operational autonomy. Full-time compulsory schooling runs from age 5 to 16, followed by a qualification duty for many young people without a basic qualification until age 18. Primary education lasts eight years and feeds into the differentiated VMBO, HAVO and VWO secondary pathways. Vocational programs account for 69.6% of upper-secondary enrollment. In PISA 2025, the Netherlands scored 483 in mathematics, 441 in reading and 485 in science. Mathematics and science results were not statistically different from 2022, while reading performance was lower. Higher education includes research universities, universities of applied sciences and recognized private institutions. In 2025/26, publicly funded bachelor’s and master’s programs enrolled 129,764 international students, representing 17% of students in those programs. Recent changes include new options to cap enrollment in English-taught program components and 2026 administrative agreements on international student intake.