Dutch School Holidays
Dutch school holidays and term breaks differ slightly across the Netherlands depending on the region a school is located. The Ministry of Education, Culture & Science establishes school term dates. Private international schools vacation calendars may vary…
Summer holidays start between end June and beginning July and run through mid-August. In addition to public holidays (including Good Friday, Easter Monday, Ascension Thursday and Pentecost Monday), there are 1-week school breaks in mid-October (‘Herftsvakantie’), late-February (‘Voorjaarvakantie’) and late-April/early-May (‘Meivakantie’). The school break for Christmas-New Year is two weeks.
DUTCH SCHOOL REGIONS
Schools in Holland are broken into 3 geographic regions (north, central and south) for the purpose of setting school term dates and breaks. Staggering dates helps alleviate some of the overcrowding that occurs at attractions geared toward children. The regions are primarily set at the provincial level with a few exceptions.
- NORTH: North Holland (including Amsterdam), Groningen, Friesland, Drenthe, Overijssel, Flevoland (except Zeewolde)
- CENTRAL: South Holland (including The Hague, Rotterdam, Delft and Leiden), Gelderland (North), Utrecht (except Eemnes), plus the municipalities of Werkendam, Woudrichem and Zeewolde
- SOUTH: Gelderland (South), Limburg, Zeeland and North Brabant (except Werkendam and Woudrichem)
DUTCH SCHOOL HOLIDAYS SCHEDULE
Here are the Dutch school holidays dates by region for the current and upcoming years…
School Year 2023-2024
SCHOOL BREAKS | NORTH REGION SCHOOLS | CENTRAL REGION SCHOOLS | SOUTH REGION SCHOOLS |
---|---|---|---|
Start of School Year | 04 Sept 2023 | 21 Aug 2023 | 28 Aug 2023 |
Fall Break (Herfsvakantie) | 23-27 Oct 2023 | 16-20 Oct 2023 | 16-20 Oct 2023 |
Christmas Break (Kerstvakantie) | 25 Dec 2023 – 04 Jan 2024 | 25 Dec 2023 – 04 Jan 2024 | 25 Dec 2023 – 04 Jan 2024 |
Spring Break (Voorjaarsvakantie) | 19-23 Feb 2024 | 19-23 Feb 2024 | 12-16 Feb 2024 |
May Break (Meivakantie)1 | 29 Apr-03 May 2024 + 06-10 May 2024 | 29 Apr-03 May 2024 + 06-10 May 2024 | 29 Apr-03 May 2024 + 06-10 May 2024 |
End of School Year | 19 July 2024 | 12 July 2024 | 05 July 2024 |
1 Because Ascension Thursday falls on 09 May 2024, OCW recommends extending Meivakantie for an additional week (06-10 May 2024).
School Year 2024-2025
SCHOOL BREAKS | NORTH REGION SCHOOLS | CENTRAL REGION SCHOOLS | SOUTH REGION SCHOOLS |
---|---|---|---|
Start of School Year | 02 Sept 2024 | 26 Aug 2024 | 19 Aug 2024 |
Fall Break (Herfsvakantie) | 28 Oct-01 Nov 2024 | 28 Oct-01 Nov 2024 | 21-25 Oct 2024 |
Christmas Break (Kerstvakantie) | 23 Dec 2024-03 Jan 2025 | 23 Dec 2024-03 Jan 2025 | 23 Dec 2024-03 Jan 2025 |
Spring Break (Voorjaarsvakantie) | 17-21 Feb 2025 | 24-28 Feb 2025 | 24-28 Feb 2025 |
May Break (Meivakantie)1 | 21-25 Apr 2025 + 28 Apr-02 May 2025 | 21-25 Apr 2025 + 28 Apr-02 May 2025 | 21-25 Apr 2025 + 28 Apr-02 May 2025 |
End of School Year | 11 July 2025 | 18 July 2025 | 04 July 2025 |
1 The OCW recommends extending Meivakantie by 1 week (adding 21-25 April 2025).
Note: The holiday schedule for private international schools (which are not part of the Dutch school system) may vary slightly from the dates listed above. Consult the relevant school’s website for school holiday dates…
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