Amsterdam, The Netherlands Report of what it's like to live there - 02/02/26
Personal Experiences from Amsterdam, The Netherlands
School Name:
International School of Amsterdam
Background Information:
1. Are you the parent of a child(ren) attending this school? A teacher at the school? Or both?
Parent
2. What grade or grades do/did your children attend at the school? During what year(s) did they attend the school?
Middle and high school. 2022-present (2026)
3. What years did you live here?
2022-2026
4. What was your reason for living in the city where the school is located (e.g., government, military, corporate, NGO, retired)?
Corporate position
5. Are other schools available to expatriates in this city? Why did you choose this particular school?
Yes. We chose the school for its facilities, recommendations and ease of my kids getting to and back from it.
Admissions & Welcome:
1. Are the admissions and placement procedures clearly stated to prospective families, either on the school website or through other means of communication?
Pretty good. The written information was good. I was disappointed with phone and email contact. The information was brief and we got the impression that they felt they didn't need to provide much information. I personally found some of the staff almost rude.
2. How would you rate the school's support and welcome/integration of new students and their families, and why?
Not great. There was an ambassador program with the students but it really varied in quality. One of my kids had a very positive experience, the other one felt left to fend for themselves.
Administration & School Procedures:
1. How is the overall communication between teachers and parents, and the administration and parents? How is communication facilitated?
There is a fair amount of communication but so much of it tries to paint a lovely picture of the school that doesn't really exist in my opinion. There is portal we can use. Faculty communication really varied depending on the teacher. I felt that administration communication was either ignored or late.
2. Aside from school fees, are there required expenses such as uniforms, laptops/tablets, musical instruments, or field trips that parents are expected to cover? What are the approximate costs?
A fair amount is provided. Trips cost, but prices for international schools are reasonable.
Academics & Resources:
1. What personal or academic counseling resources are available at this school? Is there a dedicated college counselor at the school? Is he/she familiar with universities worldwide?
Counseling was a disappointment for us. The guidance counselors in high school pretty much hid in their office. My eldest had a great college counselor at the start of senior year, but he suddenly left. We got a new counselor who didn't listen to us and didn't seem to want to answer questions.
2. Does the school have a library? How large is it? How updated are the books? Can students borrow books to read at home?
It has a large and very nice library. Books are up to date, and there are good online resources. The library staff has been very helpful in finding books and online resources for assignments. It has been one of the strengths of the school.
3. What are the technology requirements for students? Do they need their own laptops/ipads? How is technology integrated into the classroom and homework?
Students have to provide their own laptops which makes an expensive school more expensive. There isn't a lot of technical help for students if something goes wrong. A lot of websites are blocked including ones I think most schools would accept. Students are required to do a lot of work on their laptops which I don't think is a good idea. The students know that there's a huge amount of AI cheating that takes place at the school but no one seems to care about it, I think. Some teachers are better than others at making their technology integration easy to access.
4. How are information technology resources at the school. Are they up-to-date? Is there a computer lab?
There's a fair amount of technology available for teachers. Some use it a lot and others not so much. I was concerned that a lot of teachers rely on Power Points , and that they didn't seem to want to deal with things that didn't relate to their Power Points. It was one of the many issues we have to deal with.
5. Describe the physical education resources at the school. Is there a gym? A swimming pool? Are there playing fields or tennis courts available?
PE resources are very good. The school has access to extensive playing fields. There is a pool but access is hard. The school is completely closed on the weekends which doesn't make sense to me. The PE staff varied. Some were enthusiastic about what they did, others didn't seem to care. My kids lost a lot of confidence in their athletic abilities while attending ISA. I don't know what my eldest is going to do and hope we can help my youngest as we will be leaving soon.
6. What is the approximate teacher-to-student ratio in the grades that your child attended?
I'd say on the whole about 1:15, but some classes were larger. I think classes topped off at 20 or 22. That's too big given the amount the school charges.
7. Are Advanced Placement (AP) or International Baccalaureate (IB) courses available in upper grades? If this is an IB school, is the full diploma required of all students?
The IB is available, and not all students have to take it. Their results are good but a lot of students have to get tutoring or do their own work to get through. A big weakness is the IB coordinator in my opinion. He seems to not listen. I think some students are afraid of him and in my experience, it seems that grades are affected by how much he likes a student.
8. Are students generally challenged appropriately by the curriculum? Please describe any particular strengths or weaknesses in this area. Do you have any thoughts how the curriculum is applied and implemented at this school?
Students are generally challenged but the quality of instruction depends on the teacher. I don't think the administration spends much time on teacher observations or quality. There are a lot of teachers who have been there for a long time and don't seem to care about their jobs. They put in minimal effort. Don't get me wrong, some of the teachers are great, but too many just don't seem to care. Trying to have a conversation with the administration about teacher concerns doesn't seem to go anywhere.
9. Is the amount and type of homework generally appropriate for the age and grade of the students?
It varies. In middle school it was fine. In the IB program it was a nightmare. Too many teachers saved up assignments and tests for the end of the marking period which was very stressful. With some teachers there was no homework or a flood of it.
10. What fine arts electives are available (music, drama, visual arts)?
There's a good variety of music, drama and visual arts classes. Again it depended on the teacher in terms of what kids would get out of the experience. I thought the art program was very good. Kids did very good work and were encouraged to think out of the box.
11. Are the teachers at the school required to speak English as a first language--or at least fluently?
Yes.
12. What extra-curricular activities (including sports) are available at this school? Have your children participated in these activities? What activities do you feel are missing at the school?
The activities are very limited for a school this size and expensive. My feeling is that teachers don't want to sponsor them. There are a lot of the usual activities (sports, student government, MUN, theater, music) but the variety could be a lot better. I felt my kids missed out on a lot of opportunities due to the lack of a variety of activities. Compared to other international schools my kids have attended, this school had the fewest and we had our kids at much smaller and cheaper schools.
Social & Emotional Well-Being:
1. What is the climate for LGBT+ kids at this school? Are there resources they can draw upon? Does there appear to be any exclusionary behavior?
It looks like there was strong support for these kids. There was some exclusionary behavior based on language, more than we experienced at other schools. On the whole I would say this was the least friendly school our kids attended.
2. Do expatriate students socialize with local students at the school? Are both groups successfully integrated into the school culture?
On the whole yes. Still, my kids reported a lot of bullying and negative behavior among the students because the students knew they could get away with it.
3. Are there are any problems with exclusionary behavior, cliques, or bullying at this school? Please describe any problems your children may have experienced in this area.
My eldest felt excluded since they were quieter than most students and wasn't interested in the party scene. My eldest is strong and was OK with it but I felt they missed out on a lot.
4. What can you say about diversity among the faculty and staff at the school and their experience in supporting minority students?
The faculty is pretty white with a lot of Europeans. Still, I think the faculty is supportive of diverse students even if a lot of faculty don't really care how much the students learn.
Overall Impressions:
1. What letter grade (ranging from A, excellent, to F, fail) would you assign to this school based on your overall experience? Would you choose it again?
D. We have experience with a number of other international schools and this was the worst for our family. Given the facilities and cost, we thought it would be a lot better. Too many teachers don't appear to care and there isn't any support from administration if you're lucky enough to get their attention. If I had to do it all over again, I'd pick a different school.
2. Please describe some of your child's/children's highlights and challenges during their time at this school.
Some good teachers, a good library, good facility. The challenges were a very inconsistent faculty, a poor IB coordinator and an administration that was often impossible to contact.
3. Please tell us anything else you think prospective parents and students should know about this school. Thanks for your contribution!
It seems to me that the school may have financial problems. Enrollment has been dropping. I wish we had chosen a different school.
