Lottery for admission.

When is a lottery?

In some regions or specific schools, lotteries are held because of many applications. Schools use different lottery systems. Schools must clearly tell parents and children what to expect from the lottery process.

Can my child get priority?

Every school can make its own rules for priority in admissions. Sometimes children who live near the school get priority, while other schools may give priority to children from other areas.

Some schools check if a child already has brothers or sisters at the school and then give priority in the lottery. These priority rules differ by municipality and school.

Information per school

A school chooses which lottery system and priority rules to use. You can find more information on the website of your region.

• Amsterdam 
• Haarlem
• Nijmegen
• Rotterdam
• Den Haag
• Utrecht

Can you complain about the lottery results?

It can be disappointing if your child is not admitted to the secondary school of your first choice because of the lottery. It is good to realize that the lottery system was introduced to make the student admission as fair as possible.

If you still want to complain about the lottery, you can. Usually you can do this at the central organization of the lottery or at the school itself. If the school is connected to a national complaints committee, you can contact them. You can also find this information on the school’s website.

Confusion about admission and placement

Sometimes it is confusing what ‘admission’ and ‘placement’ mean. Admission means your child is accepted to the school. Placement shows which class your child will join.

It often happens that a student is admitted to the desired school but is not placed in a class with the desired level. This can cause confusion and disappointment for parents and students. The placement advice from primary school often adds to the confusion because it creates the expectation that the child will be placed at that level.