Netherlands school accessibility varies by region

New data from CBS reveals significant regional disparities in the distance students must travel to reach educational institutions in the Netherlands. While distances to primary schools remain relatively consistent with the national average of 0.8 kilometers, secondary education shows much larger gaps depending on the municipality.

In the Gelderland province, residents travel an average of 2.8 kilometers to reach a VMBO school and 3.7 kilometers to reach a HAVO/VWO school, both of which exceed the national averages of 2.6 and 3.4 kilometers, respectively. In Nunspeet, the average distance to a HAVO/VWO school is 10.2 kilometers, while Scherpenzeel reports an average of 9.5 kilometers to a VMBO school.

Similar trends are observed in the Woerden region. In Oudewater, students travel an average of 8.0 kilometers to reach VMBO schools and 9.4 kilometers for HAVO/VWO education. In contrast, larger cities like Arnhem, Nijmegen, and Wageningen offer much closer proximity, with average travel distances between 1.5 and 2 kilometers.