Children and school in Belgium: compulsory from five, applying in a window and the Groeipakket of € 190.66

Yes, your children go to a school in Belgium that you broadly recognise, and compulsory education is sharper there than in the Netherlands: for all children from 5 to 18. What it costs is little; Flemish education works with a list of free materials and a maximum bill for what the school may ask. What you get in return is the Groeipakket, the Flemish family benefit: a basic amount of € 190.66 per child per month, a start amount of € 1,310.75 at a birth and an annual school bonus. The trap is access: in the cities you apply digitally within a fixed period, the computer allocates the places, and whoever misses the window chooses from what is left at the free enrolments.

How does applying work?

Aanmelden.school, the Flemish government's platform, explains the logic: you state the order of your school choices in advance, the system allocates the places without time pressure and with equal chances, and then you enrol at the school you have been allocated. For secondary education the application period for the 2026-2027 school year ran from 31 March 2026 at 14:00 up to and including 24 April 2026 at 14:00; the result came by e-mail on 18 May, and the free enrolments started on 20 May at 9:00. There are priority groups, among others for brothers and sisters already at the school and for children of staff, and for that priority you need the national register number of the child or staff member granting the priority. You get that number on the day you apply for annex 19, so the application doesn't wait for the EU card.

If you arrive outside the window, you enrol at a school with free places; the platform shows which ones. The school holiday in 2026 runs from 6 July up to and including 23 August, and in those weeks the helpdesk is closed too.

What does school cost?

The Flemish government obliges schools to have enough free materials from the fixed list in house and to charge nothing for them. A primary school may only ask parents for contributions for three things: materials and activities under the sharp maximum bill, multi-day trips under the less sharp maximum bill, and optional services such as lunchtime supervision and meals. The contribution scheme must be transparent, discussed in the school council and set out in the school rules; ask for it when enrolling, then you know the annual amount in advance. The current amounts of the maximum bill are on the Education Flanders website and are indexed annually.

What does the Groeipakket pay?

Component (since 1 September 2025)	Amount
Start amount at birth	€ 1,310.75, one-off
Basic amount per child	€ 190.66 a month
School bonus 0-4 years	€ 23.82 a year
School bonus 5-11 years	€ 41.70 a year
School bonus 12-17 years	€ 59.57 a year
School bonus 18-24 years	€ 71.48 a year
Childcare allowance for care at a free price	€ 3.78 per childcare day
Compulsory education	5 to 18 years

The amounts apply since 1 September 2025, with payments from October 2025. In addition there are a social supplement based on family income, a care supplement for children with specific support needs and a school allowance; those depend on income or situation and are on the same page.

If one of you works in the Netherlands, the EU decides who pays first. The SVB writes that you do not get the full amount from two countries: countries have agreements on the order of priority, and if the family benefit outside the Netherlands is lower, the Netherlands tops it up. Report the move and the work situation of both parents to the SVB and to the payer of the Groeipakket, otherwise a recovery follows.

And childcare for the little ones?

In most Flemish childcare you pay an income-based rate, calculated on your income and family composition; for that you request an income-rate certificate in advance via Mijn Opgroeien and hand it to the childcare before the start. Some childcare initiatives charge a free price, for instance a fixed daily or monthly price; if your child goes there and is not yet at school, you get the childcare allowance of € 3.78 per childcare day through the Groeipakket. If your income or family changes, you have the certificate recalculated.

What else the move means for the family, from the mutualiteit to pay, is in the other articles; the order after arrival is in the step-by-step plan for Belgium.

In Vertrekklaar this is phase 5 of 5 of the journey, step 5.2: the same steps, but for your situation — in your order, tickable, and with the deadlines watched. See the whole journey to Belgium or go straight to step 5.2 in the open plan.