Cities / Amsterdam / Amsterdam International Community School
Amsterdam International Community School
The original Dutch subsidised international school in Amsterdam, set up in 2003 by Esprit Scholengroep, offers two campuses with all four IB programmes at roughly half the cost of private alternatives.
In brief
The original Dutch-subsidised international school in Amsterdam, set up in 2003 by Esprit Scholengroep. Two campuses, all four IB programmes, and fees a fraction of the private alternatives at roughly 6,000 to 9,200 EUR.
Around 2,400 students across primary and secondary, drawn from a heavily expat intake. The price point is the headline reason families pick it, and for most of them the academic offer is good enough, especially in the IB Diploma years. PYP authorisation came in 2021, MYP and DP have been in place longer.
The flip side comes up consistently. Standards vary by teacher and by campus, the curriculum can feel undemanding for stronger students, and the school is large and at times disorganised. Things have moved in the right direction under newer leadership. The South and Southeast campuses have different feels.
Fees
Annual fees
| Year level | Age | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Primary Group 1-5 | 4 | €6,025 |
| Primary Group 6 | 9 | €6,309 |
| Primary Group 7 | 10 | €6,230 |
| MYP 1-4 | 11 | €7,178 |
| MYP 5 | 15 | €7,628 |
| DP1 / CP1 | 16 | €8,318 |
| DP2 / CP2 | 18 | €9,168 |
One-time fees
| Item | Age | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Registration Fee (non-refundable) | €200 | |
| Deposit (refundable) | €500 |
Reviews
AICS sits inside the Dutch subsidised international (DSO) system, which is the main story families tell about it. Annual parental contributions land roughly EUR 5,500 to 9,500, well under the unsubsidised Amsterdam range, and at least one parent has to hold a qualifying international contract to use the route. Two campuses, South and the Sandcastle in the south east (the school's larger site since the 2023 move), running the full IB primary, middle years and diploma. Parent talk is warmer about primary than secondary, where the picture is steadier than it was but not uniformly settled.
Positives
- Affordable IB in English. Parental contributions of roughly EUR 5,500 to 9,500 a year for full PYP, MYP and DP. The cheapest serious route into English-language IB in Amsterdam, conditional on holding a qualifying international employment contract.
- Diverse, down-to-earth community. Over fifty nationalities on roll and an active parent group. Families describe it as less polished and more grounded than the unsubsidised peers, with a primary phase that children settle into easily.
- IB Diploma outcomes. Diploma pass rate sat at 96 percent after the November 2024 retake session, above the global average for the year.
- Sandcastle south east campus. The 2023 move into the renovated Sandcastle building in Bijlmerplein gave the south east campus modern facilities including science labs, performance and gym space, with capacity to grow to around 1,400 students.
Considerations
- Secondary stability. Secondary has tightened under the current principal, in post since 2021, and parents who have been around a few years describe operations and stakeholder management as better than they were. Teacher absences and turnover still come up, and leadership is sometimes described as defensive when those issues are raised.
- Communication with families. Patchy responsiveness from administration is a recurring complaint, particularly when individual concerns escalate. The pattern reads more as a system under load than a hostile one, but it lands on families when it lands.
- DSO eligibility and waiting pool. Use of the subsidised route requires a qualifying international contract for at least one parent, and AICS is officially aimed at families on temporary postings. Demand routinely exceeds places, so a waiting pool is common rather than a guaranteed seat.
- Dutch as a subject. Parents who plan to stay long term flag Dutch language teaching as the weaker corner of the offer, with the curriculum geared to children who will likely leave the country.
Leadership
Rynette de Villiers
Rynette de Villiers has served as the Principal of the Amsterdam International Community School since 2021. Prior to this role, she held leadership positions within the Dutch international education sector, including serving as a Secretary for the Dutch International Schools (DIS) group and in leadership at other international schools in the Netherlands. She is committed to high-quality, accessible international learning and has guided the school through its combined CIS and IB accreditation processes.
Accreditations
- Council of International Schools 01
Academic results
- IB Diploma Pass Rate (2025) 93%
- IB CP Pass Rate (2025) 90%