More students leave high school tracks for vocational education as dropout concerns grow
A rising number of Dutch secondary school students are leaving havo and vwo programs without diplomas to pursue vocational education, while separate data highlight concerns about high dropout rates among those who switch.
Figures from the Dutch Education Inspectorate show that 6.4 percent of students entering mbo programs in the 2024–2025 school year came directly from havo or vwo without completing those tracks, nearly double the 3.3 percent recorded in 2015–2016. The shift amounts to more than 10,000 students annually. The transition is most common in the fourth year of havo, where about one in 10 students opts to switch.
Students cite a wide range of reasons for leaving academically oriented education. In responses collected by NU.nl from 54 students, motivations included difficulty with tests, academic pressure, and the theoretical nature of coursework. Others said school was hard to combine with elite sports or that they struggled with focus. One student described havo as “very theoretical and abstract.”
Researchers from the Kohnstamm Instituut in the Rijnmond region identified several groups among those who switch. Some students face behavioral or mental health challenges or difficult home situations, leaving them unable to complete havo or vwo or without sufficient support.
Others are driven by career ambitions, choosing practical professions such as building or electrical work. For this group, the move is often beneficial, researchers said, but warned that vocational education “must not become a fallback because secondary education no longer works.”
Individual experiences reflect that distinction. Yentl Janssen, 22, said she left havo despite being eligible for vwo because she wanted to specialize early. “But then I would have had to take even more subjects I didn’t find interesting,” she said. “I wanted to go into chemistry.” She switched to an mbo program in chemical-physical analysis after finding that chemistry classes were limited to only a few hours per week. Janssen said her parents supported the decision, but her school did not. “They thought I was ‘too smart’ for mbo,” she said.
Education advocates say some students may have been placed in havo unnecessarily. Maurits Brus, chair of student organization JOBmbo, said social pressure still pushes children toward higher academic tracks. He added that failure in such cases can feel personal. “Of course you should get the most out of yourself, but in a place where you can grow. That is not havo for everyone.”
The transition to mbo does not guarantee success. The Education Inspectorate reported that 18 percent of students who switched without a diploma left mbo within five years without completing. By comparison, dropout rates after five years are 10 percent for students entering mbo with a vmbo-t diploma and 9 percent for those with a completed havo diploma.
The inspectorate said such transitions require “appropriate guidance” from both sending and receiving schools. Brus said coordination remains insufficient, noting that students are sometimes required to repeat subjects like English and math at a lower level. “There must be much more contact between schools so mbo knows what background a student brings,” he said. “They are still two completely unique worlds.”
The MBO Raad said the influx of havo and vwo students reflects improved visibility of vocational education, though it emphasized the group remains relatively small. “Mbo was hardly on the radar for havo and vwo students before, but a lot has been invested in visibility,” a spokesperson said. “And familiarity leads to appreciation. A ‘higher’ education is not always better for everyone. In that sense, something is changing in society.”
