← Back to the rankingNederlandstalige School Madrid
Madrid, Spain · est. 1964 · Private
Illustration · Madrid
Nederlandstalige School Madrid (Colegio Neerlandés Madrid, formerly Hof van Holland and Hof der Lage Landen) is a small full-time primary school in Madrid for children aged 3 to 12 from Dutch-speaking families; it was opened in November 1964 by parents with support from Dutch and Belgian companies and calls itself the only Dutch-language primary school in Spain. Teaching is bilingual: the Dutch primary curriculum (group A for three-year-olds and groep 1-8) and Spanish language and culture from the first year; in groups A and 1 about half the time is in Spanish, from the middle of group 3 children learn to read and write in Spanish, from group 6 Spanish geography and history are added, and in group 8 mathematics is also taught using the Spanish method. From group 5 there is English twice a week, and in groups 7-8 students can take Cambridge KET or PET. Each language is taught by native-speaker teachers. Classes combine two age groups, with elements of Montessori and Dalton; homework is limited. The school is recognised by the Dutch and Spanish ministries of education, inspected by the Dutch Inspectorate and affiliated with Stichting NOB. Most graduates move on to Spanish or international secondary schools, some to the Netherlands or Belgium.
Key facts
Tuition
≈ $6 050 a year
535.5 EUR a month
The year is counted as ten payments: the school does not say how many payments it takes.
Programmes
Dutch programme
Admits from
3 years · Pre-School
Languages of instruction
Dutch, Spanish
Registration fee
≈ $565
500 EUR
About the fees Fees for the 2025-2026 school year are paid monthly from September to June: the regular rate is 535.50 EUR per month for the first child, 481.95 EUR for the second and 428.40 EUR for the third; the expat rate, when the employer reimburses fees, is 1250 EUR per month per child. Fees can also be paid annually, without a discount (10 monthly payments). The rate is the same for everyone, including group A with a shorter week. All learning materials are included; lunches, after-school care, activities, excursions and trips are extra. The website gives no fees for 2026-2027.
Admissions The school admits children from age 3 (those turning 3 between 1 September and 31 December may start in September) who are toilet trained, and focuses on children with a Dutch-speaking background: children under 6 must have the chance to hear and speak Dutch at home, and children over 6 are tested on whether their Dutch is sufficient to follow lessons. Enrolment is by form; an application is final once the 500 EUR registration fee is paid, after which the child is placed in a group or on the waiting list. A place in groep 1 is guaranteed only to children already in group A; otherwise places go in order of enrolment with priority for siblings, without guarantee; if no place is available the fee is refunded. The school may decline children with additional needs if it cannot provide the support required. Transfers require records from the previous school. The school does not name citizenship as an admission condition; most students have at least one Dutch or Belgian parent and live in Madrid permanently or for several years.
Stages and year groups Grades A, groep 1-8, 5 classes. Dutch primary school: group A (from age 3, Spanish Infantil) and groep 1-8 (ages 4-12, equivalent to Infantil and Primaria 1-6), in five combined classes: A-1, 2-3, 4-5, 6, 7-8. The programme follows the core objectives of Dutch primary education (Dutch, English, mathematics, world orientation, arts, PE) with the Cito final test (Centrale Eindtoets) in group 8 and periodic Cito tests, plus a compulsory Spanish curriculum component. English from group 5, optional Cambridge KET and PET in groups 7-8 are language exams only; there are no Cambridge International programmes. Hours: group A 9:00-15:30, groep 1-8 8:30-15:30, Fridays until 14:00.
Accreditations and programmes verified against official registries
NOBThe school is affiliated to the Dutch NOB foundation, and the Dutch Education Inspectorate checks it as a Dutch full-day school abroad.
school is in an official registryconfirmed by a school document, by membership or by taking part in a networkclaimed by the school, no confirmation, not counted in the scoreGuide to all organisations → What stands behind each entry
NOBDutch Education Abroad Foundation (Stichting NOB) and the Dutch Education Inspectorate
A Dutch full-day school abroad: affiliated to the NOB foundation, subsidised by the Dutch education ministry and inspected by the Dutch Education Inspectorate.
What the badge means for this school. This is a Dutch full-day school abroad: it is affiliated to the NOB foundation, and the Dutch Education Inspectorate checks its teaching - this can be seen in the Inspectorate's documents. The entry is not a quality inspection against international standards. Whom the school admits and what it charges are on its own website. The entry stands in the organisation's public register - anyone can check it.
Register to check for yourself, and the full guide →Dutch programme
The Dutch school curriculum taught in Dutch: the basisschool primary school, groep 1-8 (ages 4 to 12).
What this means for this school. The curriculum is set by the Dutch state: the school is affiliated to the NOB foundation, receives a Dutch education ministry subsidy through it and is inspected by the Dutch Education Inspectorate as a whole, not only for its Dutch lessons. A child who returns to the Netherlands carries on without switching from another system.
Exams and destinations from the school's official website
The school publishes nothing about where its leavers go: no share going on to university, no exam results, no list of universities.
Facilities from the school's official website
·Swimming poolnot stated on the website
·Sports hallnot stated on the website
·Laboratoriesnot stated on the website
·Theatre or assembly hallnot stated on the website
✓Library
✓Catering
·School transportnot stated on the website
·Boardingnot stated on the website
Also on site: Playground
Campus: The school is in the quiet, green residential district of El Bosque (Arturo Soria) in north-east Madrid. The main building houses groups A-5, the office, the head's office, the staff room and the remedial teaching room, a walled playground and a multipurpose dining hall also used for whole-school gatherings. Groups 6-8 are in the La Academia building a few minutes' walk away. There is a school library with books in Dutch, Spanish and English, lent on Fridays for a week. All classrooms have interactive whiteboards, and from group 4 every student has a tablet. Groups 2-8 have PE twice a week in the gym of the nearby Colegio Madrid, younger children in the playground or the public sports ground behind the school. Hot lunches are provided by a caterer, or children can bring their own. An external organisation runs after-school care until 18:00, on Fridays 14:00 to 17:00. It is a day school with no boarding.
Clubs and activities: Voetbal (football) · Karate · Theater in het Nederlands (theatre in Dutch)
Teaching staff from the school's official website
·Teachers listed by namenot published
✓Teacher qualifications
·Number of teachersthe school does not say
·Students per teacher or class sizenot stated
What the listings show: According to the inspection report, all five group teachers are experienced teachers with a Dutch primary teaching qualification (pabo); Spanish and English are taught by native speakers; there is a remedial teacher; the head specialises in Montessori and primary school management.
A team of 14: the head, five group teachers, four subject teachers (Spanish, English, PE), a remedial teacher, an office manager and support staff. Many teachers have been at the school for 10-20 years or longer; the English teacher since 1993.
Safety and wellbeing from the school's official website
·CCTVnot stated on the website
·Security staffnot stated on the website
·Access controlnot stated on the website
·Nurse or medical roomnot stated on the website
·Counsellornot stated on the website
✓Child protection policy
·Staff trainingnot stated on the website
✓Anti-bullying policy
There is an anti-bullying protocol, a code of conduct, and class, school and playground rules; teachers supervise the playground at breaks. There is a confidential counsellor for students and parents. Children are not handed over to anyone the school or after-school care has not been told about. From group 6 students study internet rules in depth, and annual parent evenings are held on the topic.
Reviews
No reviews yet. The community rating counts towards the score once a school has five verified reviews - until then we do not show a zero, so as not to mislead.
Criteria breakdown criterion weight in brackets
Academics and programmes (16%)72 Community rating (16%)no dataparent reviews are needed: the criterion switches on at the fifth verified one Exams and destinations (12%) scored on disclosed data55 Safety and wellbeing (12%) scored on disclosed data65 Accreditation and verifiability (10%)85 Teaching staff (10%) scored on disclosed data55 Facilities (10%) scored on disclosed data70 Clubs and activities (8%) scored on disclosed data67 "Scored on disclosed data" stands where we count only what the school has written about itself on its own site: exams and destinations, safety and wellbeing, teaching staff, facilities, clubs and activities. A low score here means the school does not write about this, not that the school does not have it: a school with good security and a sparse site will score low. A school can fill in its profile, and the score will be counted again.
The score is counted from 8 of the 9 criteria.Only those with checkable data count: programmes and accreditations from official registers, the fee from a published price list. Where it says "scored on the median", the school has no data and the middle of the list is put in its place, so that a gap gives no advantage. Admissions, teaching staff and reviews come in as their data arrives.
The full methodology → Similar schools in the country