The Japanese School of Amsterdam

In Brief

JSA is the only option for Japanese families who need full Japanese national curriculum continuity in Amsterdam - if that's your situation, there's no alternative. If your children are comfortable in an international or IB environment and Japanese curriculum continuity isn't required, the major international schools are worth comparing on pastoral fit and university pathways.

JSA has been in Overtoomse Veld, Amsterdam West, since 1979 - one of the longer-established specialist national schools in the city. It runs Grades 1-9 (elementary through junior high) following the Japanese Ministry of Education curriculum, with English and Dutch taught from Grade 1 and cultural exchange programmes with local Dutch schools. At around 200 students and roughly 20 per class, it has an intimate feel that Japanese families on shorter corporate assignments typically find reassuring.

The annual all-in cost is approximately EUR 7,020, covering tuition (EUR 4,680), facility charge (EUR 360), and the mandatory school bus service (EUR 1,980). The bus covers the Amsterdam area and is effectively built into the fee structure - you can't opt out of the bus cost. One-time fees at entry are EUR 300 (application) plus EUR 450 per person for the school building cooperation fund.

The school is primarily designed for Japanese nationals on temporary assignment, and almost the entire curriculum is in Japanese. For mixed-nationality families or those considering international university pathways from Amsterdam, JSA does not provide IB, A-Levels, or any internationally recognised qualification at secondary level - junior high graduates (Grade 9) leave at 15 and continue to Japanese high school, which in the Netherlands typically means returning to Japan or transferring to a mainstream international school.