← Back to the rankingRivers International School Arnhem
Arnhem, Netherlands · est. 1986 · State
Illustration · Arnhem
Rivers International School Arnhem is a government-funded international school in Arnhem and one of the Dutch International Schools. The primary school grew out of the Arnhem International School, founded in 1986 on the initiative of local businesses and the government so that children of international families could be taught in English. Today the preschool, primary and secondary school share one campus, with students of close to 45 nationalities. The language of instruction is English. The primary school (ages 4-12) follows the British National Curriculum, and the secondary offers the IB Middle Years Programme (ages 11-16) and the IB Diploma Programme (ages 16-19). Dutch is compulsory for all at an appropriate level; students whose first language is neither English nor Dutch take compulsory home language classes in the timetable. The secondary school is small and draws on the resources of its Dutch partner school, Lorentz Lyceum. Dutch students can join the Diploma Programme after havo or vwo year 4.
Key facts
Tuition
≈ $6 665–9 616 a year
5 900–8 512 EUR
Admits from
2.5 years · Pre-School
Languages of instruction
English
Languages taught
Dutch, Spanish
Class size
in primary on average 18 children per class, no more than 22 in Years 1-6 and Reception, no more than 24 in Year 7 pupils
Registration fee
≈ $226
200 EUR
About the fees Fees for 2026-2027 according to the terms published in February 2026: primary (ages 4-12) 5900 EUR per year, MYP (ages 12-16) 7804 EUR, DP (ages 16-18) 8512 EUR; payable in full by 31 October or in five instalments. The school is government-funded, the fee is compulsory and is not a voluntary parental contribution. There are no sibling discounts or bursaries. Fees are indexed annually to the consumer price index and may rise a further 3-5%. Secondary fees include iPads, schoolbooks, lockers, gym clothes, art supplies, a sports day and a yearbook.
Admissions The school is a Dutch International School and admission is regulated by law. Primary and the MYP admit a non-Dutch child if at least one parent is working in the Netherlands or a Dutch border region for a limited time (no more than 4 years); a Dutch child who has lived and studied abroad for at least two years because of a parent's work; a Dutch child whose parent will be stationed abroad within two years for at least two years. If the family is staying long-term or permanently, the school refers it to a regular Dutch school. The Diploma Programme admits students after the MYP, IGCSEs or equivalents, and Dutch students with a havo diploma or promotion to vwo year 5. Secondary applicants may sit CAT4 and Caliber tests: the MYP requires a CAT4 mean of at least 90, the DP at least 110. Fluent English is not required for primary or MYP 2-3; MYP 4 requires level A2, MYP 5 B1 and the DP B2, and beginners are not admitted to MYP 4-5. Applications are accepted all year; for primary all applicants for the start of the year go on a waiting list, with confirmations sent at the end of April or early May. The school may refuse admission if it cannot meet special educational needs.
Stages and year groups The preschool for ages 2-4 runs with the partner SKAR on a bilingual programme. Primary (ages 4-12, Reception and Years 1-7): the British National Curriculum for literacy, maths, science, geography, history and ICT, with the Early Years Foundation Stage for the youngest; Dutch is taught by native speakers. Secondary: the IB Middle Years Programme (ages 11-16) and the IB Diploma Programme (ages 16-19). DP subjects: English and Dutch Language A, a self-taught literature course in another language, English, Dutch and Spanish B, Spanish ab initio, Economics, Geography, History, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, two mathematics courses and Theatre.
Address Parnassusstraat 20, 6846 RB Arnhem
Accreditations and programmes verified against official registries
IB · MYP, DP · authorised programmeThe school is listed in the IB register and runs the Middle Years and Diploma programmes. The primary school follows the English National Curriculum.
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
IBInternational Baccalaureate
A Swiss non-profit, working since 1968. Its programmes are among the most widely recognised school programmes in the world. Authorisation is granted stage by stage, so a school with the final stage does not necessarily run the younger ones; which stages this school holds is set out in the line below.
What the badge means for this school. The school is allowed to run this programme and to award its certificate. This is a confirmation of the programme, not a judgement on the school as a whole. The entry stands in the organisation's public register - anyone can check it. At this school: MYP (ages 11-16), DP (ages 16-19). MYP is the middle stage, ages 11 to 16. There are no exams here either; at the end an optional electronic assessment of pupils' work is possible. DP is the final stage, ages 16 to 19: six subjects plus a compulsory core of theory of knowledge, an extended essay and CAS. The diploma is accepted by universities all over the world, and in a number of countries it counts for admission on the same footing as the local leaving certificate.
Register to check for yourself, and the full guide →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 hall
·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: Art studio · Playground
Clubs and activities: Model United Nations · Rivers Band · Rivers Vocal Group · Rivers Chronicles · Rivers Chess · Drama club · Orchestra
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 sizein the key facts above
What the listings show: all primary teachers are trained and qualified to university level in English
The primary school has specialist teachers for EAL, PE, Dutch, philosophy for children, art and music; Dutch is taught by two native-speaking teachers. Teachers take part in in-service training with other Dutch International Schools. The school does not publish staff numbers or secondary class sizes.
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
The primary school has a safety policy, a bullying policy, protocols on sexual intimidation, internet use and suspension, and complaints regulations; several staff are trained and certified in first aid; children are released only to the adults collecting them. The learning support coordinator manages individual plans; the secondary school has an inclusion officer.
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%)88 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 data78 "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