Education in Alkmaar, Netherlands: official figures
In 2024, 33.4% of people aged 15 to 74 in the municipality of Alkmaar had completed hbo or university, 14th lowest among the 31 large municipalities covered here, up from 30.6% in 2019.
What is the education level in Alkmaar?
The share of people aged 15 to 74 in the municipality of Alkmaar whose highest education was primary school, vmbo or mbo-1 was 24.5% in 2024, below the national figure of 25.9%.
Source: Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek (CBS) · saved copyHow many students live in Alkmaar?
Students in hbo and university living in Alkmaar numbered 27.6 per 1,000 inhabitants in 2025, below the national figure of 43.0.
Source: Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek (CBS) · saved copyHow many vocational students are there in Alkmaar?
There were 25.9 mbo (secondary vocational) students per 1,000 residents of Alkmaar in 2025, below the national figure of 25.9.
Source: Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek (CBS) · saved copyHow many secondary school pupils are there in Alkmaar?
Secondary-school pupils living in the municipality of Alkmaar numbered 49.9 per 1,000 residents in 2025, against 51.0 nationally.
Source: Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek (CBS) · saved copyHow far is the nearest primary school in Alkmaar?
The average resident of Alkmaar lived 0.7 km by road from the nearest primary school in 2025, below the national figure of 0.8 km.
Source: Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek (CBS) · saved copyHow far is the nearest secondary school in Alkmaar?
Residents of Alkmaar lived on average 2.4 km by road from the nearest havo/vwo (pre-university track) secondary school in 2024, 11th longest among the 31 large municipalities covered here and below the national figure of 3.4 km.
Source: Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek (CBS) · saved copyHow many students are there in Alkmaar?
6,810 students were enrolled in higher education in Alkmaar in 2024, 30 for every 1,000 residents.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyHow many people in Alkmaar have a degree?
Of adults aged 25 to 64 in Alkmaar in 2024, 38% had a degree-level education, 43% an upper secondary education and 19% at most lower secondary schooling.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyHow Alkmaar compares with other cities in the Netherlands
Residents aged 15 to 74 with higher education (hbo or university) (%) (2024)
Alkmaar ranks 18 of 31, highest first. Heerlen-Kerkrade is shown with figures for the municipality of Heerlen.
| Rank | City | Residents aged 15 to 74 with higher education (hbo or university) (%) |
|---|---|---|
| 15 | Deventer | 34.7% |
| 16 | Rotterdam | 33.5% |
| 17 | Tilburg | 33.5% |
| 18 | Alkmaar | 33.4% |
| 19 | Haarlemmermeer | 33.3% |
| 20 | Ede | 32.6% |
| 21 | Leeuwarden | 32.4% |
Residents aged 15 to 74 whose highest level is primary, vmbo or mbo-1 (%) (2024)
Alkmaar ranks 18 of 31, highest first. Heerlen-Kerkrade is shown with figures for the municipality of Heerlen.
| Rank | City | Residents aged 15 to 74 whose highest level is primary, vmbo or mbo-1 (%) |
|---|---|---|
| 15 | Deventer | 25.0% |
| 16 | Alphen aan den | 24.9% |
| 17 | Haarlemmermeer | 24.8% |
| 18 | Alkmaar | 24.5% |
| 19 | s-Hertogenbosch | 24.4% |
| 20 | Leeuwarden | 23.9% |
| 21 | Maastricht | 23.9% |
Resident hbo and university students per 1,000 residents (2025)
Alkmaar ranks 28 of 31, highest first. Heerlen-Kerkrade is shown with figures for the municipality of Heerlen.
| Rank | City | Resident hbo and university students per 1,000 residents |
|---|---|---|
| 25 | Zaanstad | 29.8 |
| 26 | Sittard-Geleen | 28.2 |
| 27 | Venlo | 27.8 |
| 28 | Alkmaar | 27.6 |
| 29 | Apeldoorn | 27.1 |
| 30 | Heerlen-Kerkrade | 22.9 |
| 31 | Nissewaard | 22.8 |
Average road distance to a havo/vwo secondary school (km) (2024)
Alkmaar ranks 11 of 31, highest first. Heerlen-Kerkrade is shown with figures for the municipality of Heerlen.
| Rank | City | Average road distance to a havo/vwo secondary school (km) |
|---|---|---|
| 8 | Haarlemmermeer | 2.6 km |
| 9 | s-Hertogenbosch | 2.6 km |
| 10 | Zaanstad | 2.5 km |
| 11 | Alkmaar | 2.4 km |
| 12 | Venlo | 2.4 km |
| 13 | Groningen | 2.2 km |
| 14 | Zoetermeer | 2.2 km |
Higher education students per 1,000 residents (2024)
Alkmaar ranks 25 of 29, highest first.
| Rank | City | Higher education students per 1,000 residents |
|---|---|---|
| 22 | Haarlem | 32 |
| 23 | Zoetermeer | 32 |
| 24 | Zaanstad | 31 |
| 25 | Alkmaar | 30 |
| 26 | Sittard-Geleen | 30 |
| 27 | Venlo | 30 |
| 28 | Apeldoorn | 28 |
More on Alkmaar: overview · economy and jobs · health · poverty and living standards · all cities in the Netherlands
Sources
- Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek (CBS): Regionale kerncijfers Nederland (table 70072ned): provinces, COROP areas and selected municipalities, 2014-2026, read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 d2b63aac3a26…)
- Eurostat: Eurostat dataset urb_ceduc: Urban Audit: education (cities), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 af187c7040a4…)
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