Look at the measure before the phrase "the best in the world"
| What to look at | What it measures | Where the Netherlands stands |
|---|---|---|
| Child well-being | An international comparison combining mental health, physical health and skills | Heads the top three among 43 countries |
| Academic results | Tests in maths, reading and science for 15-year-olds (PISA) | Maths and science flat; reading continues to fall |
| School system | Freedom to found schools, and public funding for both public-authority and private schools | Freedom of education is a constitutional right |
When anyone calls an education system the best in the world, it is worth checking which ranking they mean.
UNICEF's international comparison does not compare school test rankings, and PISA does not measure the whole of children's lives. It matters to keep each result to what it actually measures and read the measures separately.
The strength UNICEF identifies in the Netherlands
UNICEF Innocenti Report Card 19, published in May 2025, compares 43 OECD and EU countries on three dimensions: mental health, physical health and skills. The top three overall are the Netherlands, Denmark and France.
What stands out in the Dutch result is that children's lives are not judged on academic results alone. A broader view is included: life satisfaction, health, social skills and more.
For Japan, the report says the country is in the top third on skills but in the bottom third on mental health. The lesson is that high academic results do not necessarily mean a child's overall condition is well understood.
PISA also shows academic challenges
In the Dutch results for PISA 2025, published in September 2026, maths and science stayed at the same level as in 2022, while reading fell further. Reading is below the average of the EU14, the group of 14 comparison countries that includes the Netherlands.
The share of students who do not reach the basic level is 39% in reading, 30% in maths and 27% in science. At the same time, according to a University of Twente report, only 9 of the 91 participating countries and regions score higher than the Netherlands in maths, so it remains in a strong position there.
When introducing Dutch education, it is more accurate to look at these academic challenges alongside the high well-being results. PISA is a sample survey of 15-year-olds, so it is safer to look at strong and weaker subjects and at long-term trends than at fine differences in rank.
PISA runs every three years, so results from a few years ago do not necessarily describe the present. When reading an article about a country's education, check which year's survey it is based on.
Well-being and academic results are not either-or
A child feeling safe at school and a child learning reading, writing and maths well are not alternatives to choose between. Even a country with high well-being can have weak spots in particular subjects. Conversely, a country with high academic results can face different problems with life satisfaction or mental health.
In the Netherlands, too, pressure at school is reported as a challenge. In a survey of Dutch students (HBSC), the share of secondary-school students who feel burdened by schoolwork is reported to have almost tripled in 20 years, from about 16% in 2001 to about 45% in 2021. See the Utrecht University announcement.
Even in a country rated highly for well-being, children are not necessarily free of strain. At home, it helps to look not only at test results but also at whether the child understands lessons, can ask questions, is not losing sleep or balance, and can keep learning.
Freedom of education underpins school diversity
The Dutch government describes freedom of education as a constitutional right. Provided certain requirements are met, the government funds both public-authority and private schools.
Schools may be based on educational philosophies such as Montessori, Dalton, Freinet, Jenaplan and Steiner. The point is not that the Netherlands has one all-purpose teaching method, but that schools with different educational philosophies can exist within the system.
Primary school covers eight years, from age 4 to 12, and in the final year there is a national test and advice from the school. Secondary education is divided into vmbo, which leans towards vocational preparation, havo, which leads on to higher professional education, and vwo, which leads to university. This system is set out by Nuffic. There are many school options, but the framework of routes also comes into play at an early stage.
What families in Japan can take on board
- Use more indicators of how a child is doing. Look beyond scores to understanding, strain, interest, questions and daily rhythm.
- Check fit with the child rather than the name of a teaching method. Even a well-known method does not suit every child in the same way.
- Be clear about what the learning is for. The support needed differs depending on whether the aim is exam preparation, understanding schoolwork, using English, or thinking skills.
Why Petra Tutors writes from the Netherlands
Petra Tutors' core team is based in Amsterdam. We do not want to use this fact as authority, as if being in the Netherlands made us right. We want to use it as a vantage point: seeing a different education system from close up and thinking about what can be brought back to families in Japan.
Rather than copying the Dutch system into Japan, Petra Tutors' basic approach is to check the data and the system, then choose the parts that suit each child.
Summary
The Netherlands is rated very highly internationally on child well-being. At the same time, PISA 2025 shows academic challenges, such as a continuing decline in reading. There is also research showing that more students feel burdened by schoolwork.
So rather than summing up Dutch education as "the best in the world", it is more practical to separate what is strong, what is a challenge, and which parts are useful for families in Japan.
Next, we look at why Dutch education cannot be described through Jenaplan alone, and at the system that supports the diversity of its schools.
References
- UNICEF Innocenti | Child Well-Being in an Unpredictable World (Report Card 19)
- PISA Nederland | Resultaten PISA 2025
- University of Twente | De nieuwe PISA-cijfers: leerlingprestaties in exacte vakken gelijk gebleven, leesvaardigheid verder gedaald
- Utrecht University | Forse verslechtering mentale gezondheid meisjes (HBSC 2021)
- Government of the Netherlands | Freedom of education
- Government of the Netherlands | Public-authority and private schools
- Nuffic | Primary and secondary education
