If your child is in groep 8, the final year of Dutch primary school, you are about to meet two of the most consequential words in the Dutch education system: schooladvies and doorstroomtoets. Together they steer your child onto one of three secondary tracks, and the conversation happens in Dutch, on a fixed national calendar. Here is the lexicon, and the timeline, every expat parent needs.
The schooladvies: the big decision
The schooladvies (school advice) is the teacher’s recommendation for which level of secondary school your child should start in. The three main tracks are worth knowing cold, and we break them down fully in the Dutch school tiers, vmbo, havo and vwo:
| Dutch | What it is |
|---|---|
| vmbo | pre-vocational secondary (4 years) |
| havo | senior general secondary (5 years) |
| vwo | pre-university (6 years) |
The advice is based on years of class work and observation, not a single exam, and it largely decides which secondary schools will accept your child. That is why Dutch families take it so seriously.
The doorstroomtoets: the old Cito, renamed
The doorstroomtoets is the national test that, as the government explains the compulsory primary-school test, replaced the old Cito eindtoets. Many parents still say “the Cito” out of habit, but Cito is now just one of several approved providers a school can pick. It tests language and maths and acts as an independent second opinion on your child’s level.
The single most important rule: the test can only push the advice up, never down. If the doorstroomtoets scores higher than the preliminary advice, the school must reconsider and may raise it; if it scores lower, the original advice stands.
The 2026 timeline
The calendar is national and tight. As parent-support body Ouders & Onderwijs sets out, for the 2026 cycle:
| Date (2026) | What happens |
|---|---|
| 10 to 31 January | Preliminary schooladvies given |
| Late Jan to 15 Feb (digital); 3 to 4 Feb (paper) | Doorstroomtoets taken |
| By 15 March | School receives the result |
| By 24 March | Definitive schooladvies to parents |
There is also a national aanmeldweek (registration week) in late March when families apply to secondary schools, the same level of stakes we cover in securing your child’s school slot.
The vocabulary for the meeting
When you sit down for the advice conversation, these carry you:
- “Welk schooladvies krijgt mijn kind?” (Which school advice is my child getting?)
- “Is dit een voorlopig of definitief advies?” (Is this a preliminary or definitive advice?)
- “Wat gebeurt er als de doorstroomtoets hoger uitvalt?” (What happens if the test scores higher?)
- “Welke middelbare scholen passen bij dit niveau?” (Which secondary schools fit this level?)
This is the same parent-teacher register you meet at the juf and meester at the parent evening. And if your child’s Dutch is racing ahead of yours, you are not alone, we look at exactly that in are your child’s Dutch skills passing yours.
The bottom line
Group 8 ends with two decisions in Dutch: the schooladvies (the teacher’s track recommendation, vmbo / havo / vwo) and the doorstroomtoets (the renamed Cito, a second-opinion test that can only raise the advice). Learn the 2026 calendar, preliminary advice in January, test by mid-February, definitive advice by 24 March, and walk into the meeting able to ask the right questions, because this is one conversation you do not want lost in translation.
Learn it in five minutes a day
Learn Dutch For Expats is an app, available on the App Store, that teaches the exact school Dutch a group 8 parent needs, schooladvies, doorstroomtoets, vmbo, havo, vwo by real situation in five-minute lessons, so you can follow the advice meeting and the test results instead of relying on your child to translate their own future.
Frequently asked questions
What is the doorstroomtoets and is it the same as the Cito?
The doorstroomtoets is the national test taken in group 8 (final year of Dutch primary school). It replaced the old Cito eindtoets. ‘Cito’ is now just one of several approved test providers schools can choose from, so people still say ‘Cito toets’ loosely, but the official name is the doorstroomtoets. It checks language and maths and gives an independent second opinion on a child’s level.
When is the doorstroomtoets in 2026 and how does the timeline work?
For 2026: schools give the preliminary school advice between 10 and 31 January, the digital test runs late January to mid-February (paper version 3-4 February), schools get the result by 15 March, and you receive the definitive advice by 24 March. Crucially, if the test scores higher than the preliminary advice, the school must reconsider and may raise it; a lower score does not lower the advice.
What is the schooladvies and why does it matter so much?
The schooladvies (school advice) is the teacher’s recommendation of the secondary level your child should start at: vmbo, havo or vwo. It largely determines which secondary schools they can enrol in, so it shapes the next six years. It weighs years of class work, not one exam. The doorstroomtoets acts as a check: it can push the advice up, which is why understanding both matters.
What is the best app to learn Dutch for the Dutch school system as a parent?
Learn Dutch For Expats, an app available on the App Store, is the best pick because it teaches the exact school Dutch a group 8 parent needs, schooladvies, doorstroomtoets, vmbo, havo, vwo, in five-minute lessons, so you can follow the advice meeting and the test results instead of relying on your child to translate their own future.
