European School Brussels II: primary at Evere, secondary at Woluwe

European School Brussels II offers the European Schools curriculum and the European Baccalaureate. Its defining practical change for 2026–27 is the separation of age groups: all nursery and primary classes are at Evere; secondary classes are at Woluwe.

This is a day school, with no boarding. The Evere site is on Avenue du Bourget 30 in Haren; Woluwe is on Avenue Oscar Jespers 75 in Woluwe-Saint-Lambert. A family with children in both cycles needs a workable journey to each site.

The school is particularly relevant to Finnish, Lithuanian, Portuguese and Swedish speakers. Within the Brussels European Schools, applications to those sections are directed to EEB2. For other sections, a preference for EEB2 does not guarantee allocation there.

Eligibility and allocation

The Central Enrolment Authority handles applications across the Brussels schools. Confirm the child’s route before making housing or travel commitments.

• Category I: children within the system’s defined staff categories, exempt from tuition. Even these families are not guaranteed their preferred school/site.
• Category II: children covered by a financing agreement, with rights and fees determined by that agreement. Eurocontrol staff children have a specific Category II* arrangement from Primary 1.
• NATO/UN arrangements: children of NATO international civilian staff and UN international civil servants have application-form access under the central FAQ. Article 7.3 and Annex I place them after Categories I and II, but before other Category III applicants. Admission requires space and must not cause a class split; specific fees apply.

Category I admission rights do not remove the system’s capacity constraints. Section III of the 2026–27 policy says the Central Enrolment Authority cannot guarantee a place to every Category I applicant, despite making every effort. This is separate from the lack of a guarantee for a preferred school.

Other Category III applicants must meet all four 2026–27 conditions:

1. A sibling attended a Brussels European School throughout 2025–26 and continues there in 2026–27.
2. The requested school/site is the sibling’s, with space in the required section and year.
3. The class does not already have 24 pupils.
4. The application is considered in the second or third phase.

The sibling rule is not a guarantee of admission and does not apply to the separate NATO/UN route. Ask about both continued attendance and fees if your employment status may change.

Nine language sections

EEB2 has English, Finnish, French, German, Italian, Lithuanian, Dutch, Portuguese and Swedish sections. All nine have nursery/primary at Evere and secondary at Woluwe in 2026–27.

Nursery starts in the calendar year the child turns four; Primary 1 starts in the year they turn six. There are five primary years (P1–P5) and seven secondary years (S1–S7).

The director determines Language 1 (L1), normally the child’s mother tongue or dominant language, from the file and any required assessment. Parents cannot select a section solely because its site is convenient.

There is a specific exception for pupils who have already completed at least two years of primary or secondary education in another language. Article 47(e) of the General Rules allows the normal language-section principle to be waived in that situation. The director decides; it is not an unrestricted parental choice.

Ask how Language 2 (L2) develops into a teaching language for other subjects and what support a new arrival would need. Pupils without a section for their mother tongue have separate arrangements called SWALS, or “Students Without A Language Section”. Confirm the applicable language teaching and placement with the school.

Finnish, Lithuanian, Portuguese and Swedish applications go to Evere for nursery/primary and Woluwe for secondary. English, French, German, Italian and Dutch sections also exist at other Brussels European Schools. Allocation follows the current policy, not just the family’s preference.

Two sites and a specific timetable

The school’s 2026–27 brochure confirms the move to Evere. Older references to “Brussels II (Woluwe)” should not be used to locate a nursery or primary class.

Pupils	Start	Finish
Nursery and primary	08:30	15:20, except Wednesday at 12:45
Nursery, P1 and P2 on Friday	08:30	12:45
Secondary	08:30	16:10, or the individual timetable

The brochure’s general section promises supervision for 20 minutes before and after lessons. Its Evere pickup section, however, gives 15:35 after a 15:20 finish and 13:05 after a 12:45 finish. Confirm the actual collection deadline rather than relying on a full 20 minutes every afternoon.

The published school year runs from 3 September 2026 to 2 July 2027. Administration is reachable during school hours; the brochure lists a summer closure of 1–15 August. Admissions-office closures can be different, so check the central calendar before contacting them in summer.

For siblings, joint allocation does not remove the age-based site split: a primary child attends Evere and a secondary child attends Woluwe.

Visits and admissions steps

The information-session page says management does not offer open days or individual visits to prospective parents because access to Woluwe is restricted. It provides an online presentation and arranges tours for newly enrolled families.

Apply through the central portal. The process has two stages: request eligibility access, then submit the complete application. The central policy takes precedence if a school summary differs.

For the first 2026–27 phase, eligibility requests ran 7–29 January 2026 and applications 7–30 January. Random ranking was scheduled for 2 March, with decisions on 20 April and eight days to accept.

The ordinary application windows for 2026–27 have closed as of 4 September 2026. Processing continues: the second and third phases formally close on 9 September. A restricted fourth phase runs from 10 September 2026 to 18 March 2027, subject to Article 12. It is not an open extension for anyone who missed earlier deadlines. Ask whether your circumstances meet the conditions.

Existing pupils are automatically re-enrolled. If leaving, follow the withdrawal procedure rather than relying on the absence of a new form.

Tuition, school charges and services

The official 2026–27 fee table gives guidance rather than an individual quotation. Category I is tuition-exempt. A new Brussels Category II agreement has a published contribution of €13,856.46 per pupil; current-contract amounts were still unannounced when reviewed.

Category III cycle	Enrolled before 2013–14	Newly enrolled from 2013–14 onwards
Nursery	€3,637.56	€4,457.80
Primary	€5,001.71	€6,129.55
Secondary	€6,820.51	€8,358.46

Tuition exemption does not remove school charges. Ask the accounts office for the annual charges for the child’s cycle, and use the book/material lists to budget for equipment.

The brochure treats curriculum-linked trips as compulsory. Day outings are generally included in annual school charges, although additional outings may be billed separately. Multi-day trips are charged separately in two instalments, 10 and five weeks before departure.

The parents’ association handles information on meals, transport and extracurricular activities. Confirm current tariffs and the actual bus route to Evere or Woluwe.

The European Commission also provides paid after-school childcare for children of EU staff aged four to twelve. Check eligibility, location and availability separately; this is not a service automatically included with a school place.

Qualification, support and fit

The final qualification is the European Baccalaureate, not the International Baccalaureate. When planning a university course or a later school transfer, check subject requirements and the treatment of the child’s language combination.

The school brochure lists medical and psychological services and a secondary guidance team. For learning support, ask about the provision available in the child’s specific section and how a support plan would be agreed.

Our strongest reason to consider EEB2 is its language provision, especially the four sections allocated only here within Brussels. The Evere/Woluwe split is manageable only if your transport and childcare arrangements work for the children’s actual ages.

Compare EEB1, EEB3 or EEB4 where the policy allows the same section. Compare ISB or BSB if you need a separately managed English-medium school with a different qualification route.

Friendly orientation, not an application. Dates, fees, and programme details move. Confirm everything with the school.