This website provides information on the location, the students and teachers, the way Dutch Language and Culture education is organized and much more. If you’d like to know more about the School, please contact us by e-mail

The Bethesda Dutch School offers lessons in Dutch Language and Culture for three hours a week (Saturday mornings from 8.30 till 11.30am). Classes are offered to those students whose families will return to The Netherlands (so called NTC-1 students), as well as those students who are learning Dutch as a foreign language (NTC-3). However, the Bethesda Dutch School is not the same as the American FLES system. We strongly advice against enrolling students who do not have at least one parents fluent in Dutch.

In addition to the classes on Saturday morning, during which Dutch Language (reading, writing, spelling and speaking) are taught, the Bethesda Dutch School also offers 4 to 6 Cultural activities throughout the school year . These activities are part of the school year, students are obliged to participate.

The Bethesda Dutch School opened its door on September 13, 2008 and has currently 55 students enrolled, divided over 6 groups (group 1/2, group 3, group 4/5, group 5/6, group 7/8 and a NTC-3 group). The school employs 6 teachers and 3 teacher aides. We expect to grow over the next couple of years, and so we are always looking to come into contact with fully certified teachers and/or people interested in teaching at our school. We also hope to start a middle/high school group on September 2009.

Classes take place at St. Bart’s on River Road. The school has access to 5 classrooms.

The Bethesda Dutch School is conducted by a governing board supported by all parents who have children in the school. For optimal functioning of the Bethesda Dutch School, parent support, enthusiasm and involvement is considered essential. All parents are invited to attend parent meetings twice a year during which the board informs all parents on policies and finances, the teachers explain the lesson plans (both language and cultural education) and introduce new learning materials, and parents have the possibility to ask questions, propose possible improvements and in general have to approve all developmental plans for the school.