International French School, Amsterdam

In Brief

IFS Amsterdam is worth serious consideration if your family is francophone or committed to a French-track education - it's the only AEFE-approved school in the city and the bilingual model is genuinely well structured. Being a 2021 school, it lacks the track record of older options, so ask directly about teacher continuity and secondary university outcomes.

IFS Amsterdam sits in Oud-Zuid, one of the most convenient neighbourhoods for international families, with primary premises on Anthonie van Dijckstraat and secondary on Veerstraat - both within walking distance of each other and well served by tram. It's the only AEFE-approved school in Amsterdam, which matters for French families on diplomatic or corporate postings who need curriculum continuity with France, or for families moving on to another French-system country.

The school teaches in French and English, with Dutch introduced as a third language. It covers preschool through to baccalaureat via the French national curriculum, supplemented by a British international track (BFI) for families who want Cambridge qualifications alongside the French programme. At around 350 students, classes are small and the atmosphere is family-oriented; families consistently describe attentive staff and strong individual support. Part of the Globeducate network, which provides curriculum resources and administration support.

The limitation is simply age: IFS Amsterdam opened in 2021 and has not yet put significant cohorts through secondary and university applications. Published exam results for the Amsterdam campus are not yet available. If your child is joining at preschool or early primary, that matters less; if you're joining at secondary and care about outcomes data, you're taking the school partly on faith. The preschool fee structure is also inverted - TPS preschool at EUR 15,730 is higher than Nursery/Elementary at EUR 11,470 - worth checking the exact fee for your child's year group before applying.