Education in Ghent

The educational landscape in Ghent 

Every expat family arriving in Ghent faces the same first decision: the city's school landscape divides clearly into two routes, and almost everything else flows from choosing between them. The first is the Dutch-language Flemish public school system, which is free to enroll in and covers the full range from nursery through secondary. The second is International School Ghent (ISG), teaching entirely in English at fee-paying rates. Language situation, length of stay, and budget are the three variables that determine which route fits a given family.

Schooling in Belgium is compulsory from age 6 to 18, but in practice most children in Ghent start earlier. Nursery places are available from age 2.5 in both the public system and at ISG, so families arriving with very young children have some time to settle and assess their Dutch-language situation before the compulsory years begin. That breathing room can matter: a child who arrives at age 3 with no Dutch has years to absorb the language naturally if the family opts for the local system, while a child who arrives at age 11 faces a more compressed transition.

Families new to Ghent do not need to navigate the school landscape alone. Amal Ghent, the city-linked newcomer support organization, provides school-finding guidance in English and can support parents through the registration process, including families who have not yet completed their residence registration. Amal is a practical first stop for any newly arrived family trying to understand which schools are available, which are realistic given their address and timeline, and how the registration system works.

Good to know:

A school in Ghent may not refuse a child on the grounds that the family does not yet have official residence documents. The right to enroll exists independently of residency status.

Types of schools in Ghent

The backbone of the system is the Dutch-language public and publicly subsidized school network. These schools are free to enroll in, teach entirely in Dutch, and cover nursery through secondary. Entry uses Ghent's central digital registration system, Meld je aan (literally "register yourself"), in which parents list multiple preferred schools and are allocated a place by an algorithm that weighs sibling priority, children of staff, and distance to the school. However, first-year secondary places can be scarcer, which is why the city's registration platform recommends listing at least five schools.

ISG is the only English-medium option inside the city limits and covers ages 2.5 through secondary. Beyond these two main routes, families planning a long-term stay with an interest in non-standard pedagogy have options in Dutch. Steinerschool Gent, including the De Teunisbloem site at Elyzeese Velden 8, offers Waldorf/Steiner education from primary through secondary, including academic (ASO) and technical (TSO) tracks with a sustainability and ecology emphasis. Freinetmiddenschool Gent and Freinetbasisschool Het Eiland offer Freinet-method primary and secondary schooling in Dutch, using the same Meld je aan registration system as mainstream public schools.

Catholic and faith-based schools are a significant part of Ghent's school landscape as well. Sint-Lievenscollege is a Catholic group of schools operating in the city, and Sint-Barbaracollege is a Jesuit secondary school. Both are publicly subsidized, teach in Dutch, follow the Flemish curriculum, and are accessible through the standard registration system. Families considering these schools should be aware they operate under a religious educational framework, though enrollment is open to all.

Children with special educational needs can access buitengewoon onderwijs (specialist special-needs education), which runs parallel to the mainstream system. Ghent now uses a digital application system for special secondary education; parents apply through the dedicated city platform and can use Onderwijskiezer to locate all special secondary schools in the area. Application is required for several groups, including OV1, OV3, and OV4, and places are allocated rather than guaranteed. Expat families whose children need this pathway should contact Amal Ghent early, since the process involves an official assessment and the registration calendar has fixed windows.

The Flemish school structure broadly maps to: nursery (ages 2.5 to 6), primary (ages 6 to 12), and secondary (ages 12 to 18) with academic (ASO), technical (TSO), and vocational (BSO) tracks at secondary level.

International schools in Ghent

International School Ghent (ISG) is located at De Pintelaan 258, 9000 Gent, in a purpose-built facility next to Ghent University Hospital. It accepts children from age 2.5 through secondary. Because ISG is the sole option, capacity matters more here than it would in a city with several competing international schools. Families who need an English-medium place should contact ISG as early as possible, well before their arrival date.

ISG's curriculum is organized in three phases. Pre-primary and primary use the International Primary Curriculum (IPC) alongside the National Curriculum of England, a combination that gives the school direct curriculum continuity with UK schools for families moving from Britain, while also being accessible to children from any country. Secondary follows the IB Middle Years Programme (MYP); ISG became an IB World School authorized for program delivery in February 2026. The school currently offers MYP Years 2 through 4, with MYP Year 5 planned as a near-term addition and the IB Diploma Programme targeted as a future expansion. Families with children in upper secondary should ask ISG directly about the current scope before committing, particularly if they are planning for a child who will reach Year 11 or beyond while in Ghent.

The IB MYP secondary years map directly to UK and US year equivalents: MYP Year 2 is equivalent to UK Year 8 (US Grade 7), MYP Year 3 to Year 9 (Grade 8), and MYP Year 4 to Year 10 (Grade 9). This mapping makes it straightforward for families to track academic continuity when moving between countries.

English is the primary language of instruction throughout. Dutch is built into every year group's program as part of the tuition-covered curriculum, so children develop working Dutch alongside their English-medium studies without being immersed in it from day one. The school reports that children represent over 40 nationalities, and class sizes are deliberately kept small to allow tailored teaching.

Annual tuition fees at ISG are structured by year group:

A one-time, non-refundable family registration fee of EUR 950 is payable before the first day of school. The tuition fee covers classroom resources, textbooks, online learning platforms, day trips, Dutch classes, music lessons, sport, and swimming. It does not cover overnight trips, after-school care, hot lunches, or after-school clubs, which are charged separately. ISG publishes adjusted rates for late starts or short-term stays, so families arriving mid-year should ask the admissions team for the applicable figures.

The campus includes a sports hall, library, music room, and green outdoor areas. Getting there is straightforward: tram T3 (stop: De Pintelaan) and bus lines 5a and 5b (stop: UZ Zwijnaardsesteenweg) both serve the campus, which also has secure bike parking and a pick-up/drop-off zone. ISG does not operate a dedicated school bus service.

Class placement is based on age and previous schooling. Parents should ask the school directly how it handles a new child who speaks neither Dutch nor English, how long language support typically lasts, and what the daily experience looks like in the first term. ISG also holds an Open Afternoon before each school year, giving prospective and new families a chance to meet teachers and other parents before the year begins.

Public schools in Ghent for expat children

Every child living in Belgium is subject to compulsory education from the 60th day after registration in the municipality, and every child has the right to enroll in a school regardless of whether the family has completed its official residence paperwork. Public and publicly subsidized schools in Ghent are free to enroll in and teach in Dutch throughout; that is the central practical variable families need to plan around.

For non-Dutch-speaking children aged 12 to 17 entering secondary school, Ghent schools offer OKAN classes (onthaalonderwijs voor anderstalige nieuwkomers, or reception education for newcomers with another home language). These are dedicated groups where new arrivals receive intensive Dutch-language instruction and structured preparation before joining mainstream secondary classes. In primary school, Dutch-language support varies by individual school and may include in-class support, dedicated language sessions, or volunteer help; parents should ask each school directly what it offers before enrolling.

The cost picture for public schooling contrasts sharply with ISG. Enrollment in nursery and primary education is free, and the total additional charges a school can levy over the entire primary cycle are capped at EUR 550 per child. Multi-day trips outside school hours fall outside this cap, but the day-to-day costs are tightly regulated. Secondary school costs are structured separately, but the baseline enrollment remains free.

Registration for primary school follows a defined annual cycle. A priority window opens in October for children with siblings already at the school or whose parents work there; the general online registration window runs in February; children who miss the online window can register after Easter. Parents are advised to list multiple preferred schools because allocation through Meld je aan is not guaranteed for any single school.

For first-year secondary school (year 1A or 1B), parents register through kieseenschoolregiogent.be, ranking their preferred schools in order. Registration typically opens in late March and runs through late April; allocation results are issued in May, with in-school enrollment running through mid-June. The platform explicitly advises listing at least five schools, as not every school has sufficient places to fulfill all requests. Families who miss the registration window can only enroll later, at which point most schools may already be full.

The Flemish academic year runs from September to the end of June, with autumn, Christmas, carnival/spring, Easter, and summer holiday breaks, plus public-holiday closures. Families arriving over the summer have a full cycle ahead of them if they complete registration in time.

Choosing a school in Ghent

The central question for every expat family in Ghent is whether to enter the Dutch-language public system or International School Ghent. Every practical consideration flows from that choice.

Language readiness is the sharpest dividing factor. Public schools teach entirely in Dutch from day one; there is no English-medium pathway inside the state system. ISG teaches in English and includes Dutch classes in the tuition, so children develop Dutch gradually without being immersed in it from the start. Age and resilience matter here: a child with no Dutch entering a public primary school at age 7 has a very different experience from one entering at age 11. For a child who has already built solid literacy in one language, picking up a second in an immersive environment is faster than it may seem; for a child still building foundational literacy, full Dutch immersion carries more risk. Parents should factor in the individual child, not just the language gap.

Cost divides the two routes sharply. Public schooling costs nothing to enroll in, with capped additional charges of no more than EUR 550 over the full duration of primary. ISG requires a one-time family registration fee of EUR 950 and annual tuition of EUR 16,400 to EUR 21,900 depending on year group, with hot lunches, after-school care, overnight trips, and clubs charged on top. Families with employer relocation packages should check whether an education allowance is included in their contract; this is not standard in Ghent the way it is in cities with large corporate expat communities, so it is worth verifying rather than assuming.

Curriculum continuity matters most for families who may move to another country before finishing secondary school. ISG's IPC in primary and IB MYP in secondary are internationally portable frameworks that transfer well to international schools in other cities. The Flemish curriculum is academically well-regarded and free, but it is not designed for international portability; a child who leaves mid-secondary may face a more complex academic transition.

Location affects both routes in different ways. ISG's campus at De Pintelaan 258 is fixed: families choosing ISG should verify that their home-to-school commute works before signing a lease. For public schools, living closer to a preferred school improves allocation chances through Meld je aan, but does not guarantee a place; the algorithm also weighs sibling priority and available capacity. Amal Ghent can help families compare schools by commute time, Dutch-language support level, and school atmosphere before the registration window opens.

For children aged 10 and above, it is worth thinking beyond the immediate school year to the full secondary pathway. A child entering ISG's Primary Years 5-6 will move into the IB MYP secondary program; families should ask ISG directly about the current scope of the secondary program and the timeline for adding MYP Year 5 and the IB Diploma Programme before committing. A child entering a Dutch-language secondary school at age 12 will build friendships, academic habits, and language depth in a Flemish environment, which is an asset for staying in Belgium long term but requires honest planning if the family may later relocate.

ISG encourages families to arrange an in-person or virtual school visit before applying. For public schools, parents should submit the online registration during the February window and list at least five schools, as the city advises, rather than a single preferred option.

Higher education in Ghent

Ghent is a genuine university city, and the question of which secondary pathway to choose looks different once you factor in where a child might study after finishing school. Ghent University is the city's main research university, with over 51,000 students and a 17.5% international student share. Almost all its bachelor programs are taught in Dutch, with a Dutch B2 level the standard minimum language requirement. For families whose children aim directly for Ghent University from secondary school, sustained Dutch-language development throughout secondary is not optional; it is the prerequisite.

Two other major institutions offer alternative pathways. HOGENT University of Applied Sciences and Arts provides professionally oriented bachelor programs, teacher education, arts routes, and applied pathways across multiple Ghent campuses. For children who prefer a practice-based or arts-focused route over a research-university track, HOGENT is the main alternative. Artevelde University of Applied Sciences also offers applied bachelor programs in Ghent and explicitly provides an admission procedure through the Ghent University Association for students whose international diploma does not grant automatic entry, which is a practical route for families whose child holds a non-Belgian secondary diploma. For families with a longer planning horizon, Vlerick Business School has a Ghent presence and offers MBA and executive programs.

Foreign qualifications can support direct admission to Ghent University bachelor programs if they grant access to an equivalent program in the country where they were awarded. The IB Diploma and the US High School Diploma with at least four Advanced Placement courses are on the direct-admission list, which means a student completing ISG's IB Diploma Programme in the future would have a viable local university pathway. Diplomas not on the direct-admission list require an equivalence-level check against the Flemish secondary education qualification. For professional recognition in regulated professions, a formal equivalence from NARIC-Flanders may also be needed; NARIC-Flanders is the Belgian body responsible for assessing foreign diploma equivalence, fulfilling a comparable function to similar national recognition bodies in other countries.

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