The Dutch High School System

This article describes the Dutch High School system and how it differs from the High School system in the United States.

The Dutch High School system has existed for many centuries to evolve to the way it is now. Although it is similar to the German High School system, it has it's own characteristics.

First of all, the Dutch School system does not have a middle school. After elementary school, Dutch children go to high school immediately. The school they go to depends on their scholastic ability as well as preference. There are three levels of high school programs, being different in duration as well as difficulty. Students typically decide in their first year or earlier which level they wish to attend. This year is the so-called "brugklas" or the class that forms the "bridge" between elementary and high school.

The three levels of high school programs are as follows: The four-year programs, like for example the MAVO. The five-year programs, called HAVO. And the six-year programs, called VWO. This differs from the United States, because this way, students could graduate from high school four or five years after elementary school. Keep in mind that the four-year programs are the easiest, and the six-year program the hardest. In the Netherlands, a student must have graduated from VWO (the six-year program) in order to be admitted at the University.

The VWO consists of two kinds of schools: The Athenaeum, and the Gymnasium, both six-year programs. The difference between these two is that the Gymnasium devotes a significant amount of time to ancient cultures such as the ancient Greek and Romans. Students are required to learn Latin or Greek. After graduation, gymnasium graduates can translate original Greek or Latin manuscripts. The Atheneum does not have this requirement.

Besides being divided, Dutch High Schools differ from those in the United States in the fact that they are more like college.

Schedules are different for every day in the week. Some subjects may be taught four times a week, while other subjects perhaps twice or only even once a week. This way, subjects are taught in the amount of time that suits the subjects. This avoids such wastes of time such as five hours per week of Physical Education that occurs in high schools in the United States. This also allows a student's curricula to be more diverse. In the first years, students are required to take between nine and thirteen subjects all at once.

Also, the profession of high school teacher has a better reputation in the Netherlands than in the United States. Most high school teachers actually have Ph.D's in their specialized subjects. And their salary is very respectable. Better than the average United States high school teacher salary.

The grading system is different in the following way: Grades are typically between 0 and 10 where 0 is worst, 10 is best and 6 is passing. I think that this is a reasonable scale without grade inflation. It seems that the grading system in the United States' high school suffers from a tremendous grad inflation. An 70 or 80 is usually not a very good grade in an American high school. In the Netherlands however, a 7 or 8 are very respectable grades. This makes it difficult for dutch high school graduates when applying at a American University. Some admission offices take a dutch report card and just multiply the number by ten to get the American equivalent grade. This is obviously not right.

The role of private schools is very minimal in the Netherlands. Almost every teenager graduates from a free public high school.

I think that dividing high school this way is a good idea. It is better than the "one high school fits all" type that exists in the United States. Does it not make sense to put the brightest students in a program that won't slow them down and enables them to exercize their intellect? And does it not make sense to put the slower students in a program that keeps pace with the students without them falling behind? Granted, high schools in the United States do have AP level classes, but the scope of one class of even a series of classes cannot bring the same kind of impact that an entire program would have.

The key of a better high school system is funding. I am sure that the United States could have a better high school system if the proper organization and funding were available like in the Netherlands.

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