Flemish Test Results Show Stagnation in Student Performance

More than 208,000 students across nearly 3,500 schools in Flanders sat for the third edition of the standardized Flemish tests (Vlaamse toetsen) this spring, and the results paint a sobering picture: no dramatic decline, but also no broad progress. Education Minister Zuhal Demir described the outcome as a reflection of “the reality we want to change.”

According to VRT NWS, the tests were administered between April 24 and May 13, 2026, to students in the 4th grade, 6th grade (participating for the first time), and 2nd year of secondary education. A total of 208,716 students from 3,478 schools took part, achieving a participation rate of 96.47%.

A Mixed Picture Across Grades and Subjects

The results reveal significant variation across subjects and grade levels. In the 6th grade — the final year of primary school — 69% of students achieved the attainment targets for reading comprehension. For geometry, 68% met the targets. However, only 55% reached the benchmark for arithmetic operations, and just 29% achieved the targets for solving mathematical problems.

As De Morgen reported, mathematical problem-solving emerges as a persistent weakness across all grade levels. In the 4th grade, only 9% of students reached the two highest skill levels for this component. In the 2nd year of secondary education A-stroom, just 17% achieved the attainment targets for mathematical problem-solving, while approximately half of all A-stroom students failed to meet the mathematics targets overall.

Reading comprehension results were relatively stronger but showed a concerning decline in top performers. In the 4th grade, only 11% of students reached the two highest skill levels for reading comprehension, down from 17% in previous editions.

Minister Defends Reform Course

Minister Demir, speaking at the results announcement, characterized the findings as neither a crisis nor a breakthrough. “No dramatic decline, but no broad progress either,” she said, as quoted by VRT NWS. “You can’t expect measures introduced today to already be visible in yesterday’s figures.”

Demir, who has been Flemish Minister of Education since October 2019, argued that the results validate her reform agenda, which emphasizes clear minimum goals and a sharper focus on Dutch and mathematics. “These tests primarily show the reality we want to change,” she told De Morgen. “If a child learns to read, calculate, write and think well, you give that child opportunities for the rest of their life.”

Calls for Contextualized Feedback

Not all reactions were supportive of the government’s approach. Kim Buyst, a Flemish Parliament member for the Groen party, argued that the tests alone are insufficient without proper context. “The results of the Flemish tests are clear again, the pattern becomes sharper each year,” Buyst said, as reported by De Morgen. “But taking a photo is not the same as changing something. The Flemish tests only have real value if schools receive feedback and context they can actually work with, otherwise this only works demotivatingly.”

According to the official government website, schools are expected to receive contextualized feedback reports in autumn 2026 that account for student population characteristics, including home language, parental education level, and social background.

A System Under Scrutiny

The Flemish standardized tests were introduced in 2024 by then-Minister Ben Weyts to address declining education quality, following two decades of falling PISA results. The digital adaptive tests measure whether students have achieved the attainment targets — minimum knowledge and skills requirements — for Dutch and mathematics.

This year’s edition marked a milestone with the inclusion of 6th-grade students for the first time, enabling measurement of learning growth between the 4th and 6th grades. The Flemish government’s education portal noted that the results show progress through primary education, but persistent gaps remain, particularly in problem-solving skills.

The Catholic education network, the largest in Flanders, emphasized support over measurement. In a statement on its professional portal, the network highlighted its new “Op.stap” curriculum based on a knowledge-rich approach and described targeted improvement trajectories for schools.

What Lies Ahead

Several developments are on the horizon. New minimum goals are set to be voluntarily introduced in September 2026, becoming mandatory the following year. Thirty “inspiration schools” will be selected to champion the renewed approach. Meanwhile, a political debate continues over whether parents should be able to see individual school-level test results — a proposal from Minister Demir that has met resistance from coalition partners CD&V and Vooruit, who oppose what they call a “Tripadvisor for schools.”

As the official results page makes clear, the Flemish tests are designed as a diagnostic tool, not a final verdict. Whether they will catalyze meaningful improvement — or simply document stagnation — remains the central question for Flanders’ education system.