Dutch public school attendance shrinking rapidly

The number of children attending public school is shrinking rapidly. In 2012 there were one and a half million children attending public school, in 2025 there are 100 thousand less - a decrease of 7 percent. This is evident from the population projections in the Dutch population in image, which was presented on Wednesday. In this publication the Environmental Assessment Agency and Statistics Netherlands show the spatial impact of a changing population. According to the projections, the number of public school pupils fell in 2025 in most municipalities, sometimes by 25 to 30 percent. The shrinkage not only affects peripheral areas like Friesland or Twente, but also villages around the major cities, such as Aalsmeer, Houten and De Bilt. A spokesperson said that the shrinkage has the Ministry of Education's full attention. Schools in areas with declining pupils have been made easier to merge. On the other hand, large cities have seen a rise in public school pupils. The number of children attending public school has grown in Utrecht, Rotterdam, The Hague, Haarlem and Groningen.