Record nine new Islamic primary schools set to open in the Netherlands next year

Record nine new Islamic primary schools approved in the Netherlands for 2026, reflecting growing demand 

AMSTERDAM (MNTV) – Nine new Islamic primary schools will open in the Netherlands next year, the highest number so far in one year, according to local media reports.

The country is set to get at least 14 new primary schools overall, including two Protestant Christian schools and one public school.

The schools were approved by the Ministry of Education and will receive funding starting in 2026. 

The final number may still change, as applications are still open and some assessments are ongoing.

The recent rise in religious schools is linked to a new law that simplifies the process for opening a school. 

Previously, religious groups had to prove the feasibility of their school within a municipality through a complicated procedure. 

Now, they only need 200 digital expressions of support from parents with young children in the area.

Islamic schools have been growing steadily in the Netherlands.

Research by the Dutch daily, Trouw, found that one in three schools opened in the past three years was Islamic.

If all nine approved Islamic primary schools open next year, the Netherlands will have nearly 100 Islamic primary schools. 

By comparison, there are about 1,800 Protestant Christian primary schools and roughly the same number of Catholic schools in the country.

Trouw’s research also shows that municipalities more often object to the arrival of Islamic schools than other types of schools.

Municipalities opposed five out of 25 Islamic school initiatives submitted to the Ministry of Education, compared to only two objections out of 50 for other schools.

Municipalities usually say they aren’t against Islamic education but claim there are already enough schools in the area. 

According to the law, such objections don’t necessarily block a school’s opening but can create tensions since schools rely on municipalities to provide housing, which municipalities are legally required to arrange. 

Islamic schools report that this support is sometimes only half-hearted.

According to Trouw, for example, Groningen’s municipality expressed concern late last year that opening the city’s first Islamic school might lead to segregation by drawing ethnic minority children away from existing schools. 

The Ministry approved the school, but it has yet to receive a location from the municipality.

Groningen said it would now work to find a location since the school’s arrival is confirmed.

The Netherlands experienced a notable shift in religious demographics in 2024, with Islam becoming the fastest-growing faith among young people, according to the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS).