What Don Bosco Brussel does

Don Bosco Brussel is a Dutch-language Catholic secondary school located in Sint-Pieters-Woluwe, Brussels Region, Belgium, operating under the global Salesians of Don Bosco network (founded 1859). The school serves secondary-education-age students (approximately 12-17+) across three primary tracks: Voltijds Secundair Onderwijs (full-time secondary education across three grades with Doorstroming, Dubbele Finaliteit, and Arbeid finalities), Duaal Leren (dual/apprenticeship learning combining school and workplace), and OKAN (reception classes for non-Dutch-speaking newcomers, launched September 2022). The student body reflects Brussels's superdiverse population of approximately 183 nationalities. The school operates from a shared campus at Guldendallaan 90 with Don Bosco Internaat (boarding school), with a separate P.L.E.K! student well-being facility on François Gaystraat.

The school's core technology stack revolves around Smartschool, a commercial web-based learning management system used for assignments, communication, and grade tracking at donboscobrussel.smartschool.be. Since the 2023-2024 school year, students participate in a laptop rental program with The Rent Company (€13.49/month for 4 years or €590.85 outright purchase), providing 2-in-1 devices pre-configured with required software. Supporting infrastructure includes Studieshop for books and material procurement, and Informat Software for enrollment forms. International mobility is enabled through Erasmus+ partnerships with schools in Spain (Salesians Ripoll), France (Saint-Pierre Saint-Paul Langogne), Germany (IGS Nieder-Olm), and Italy (Don Bosco Valsalice Turin). The school's pedagogical framework is the formal 'Opvoeden met Don Bosco als gids en tochtgenoot' project, with the RASP identity (Respect, Ambitie, Samen, Perspectief).

Don Bosco Brussel is a non-profit, government-funded institution under the Flemish Community. Tuition is free, with revenue derived primarily from per-pupil government subsidies. Minor revenue streams include the laptop rental program, a one-time material fee for books and equipment (with a €3.95 administrative fee per Studieshop order), and ancillary services. Distribution is through direct enrollment coordinated with the Brussels-wide inschrijveninbrussel.be system, with organic marketing via Smartschool, Instagram (@donbosco.brussel), Facebook (donboscobrussel), and word-of-mouth within the Dutch-speaking Catholic community in Brussels.

Name

Don Bosco Brussel

Legal name

Don Bosco Brussel

Website

https://donboscobrussel.be

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Don Bosco Brussel is a Dutch-language Catholic secondary school in Sint-Pieters-Woluwe, Brussels, operated by the Salesians of Don Bosco. It offers full-time secondary education, dual learning, and OKAN reception classes for non-Dutch-speaking newcomers, funded by Flemish Community per-pupil subsidies with free tuition.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Secondary Education

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (611110), Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Public K–12 Combined Schools (EDAJAAAE)

Keywords

• Catholic secondary education
• Dutch-language schooling
• Technical secondary education
• Vocational secondary education
• Newcomer reception education

Headquarters

HQ city

Sint-Pieters-Woluwe

HQ country

Belgium

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Government-funded public education: As a recognized Catholic secondary school in Belgium, Don Bosco Brussel operates primarily through government funding from the Flemish Community. Tuition is free; the school receives per-pupil subsidies.

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Don Bosco Brussel is a Catholic Dutch-language secondary school in Sint-Pieters-Woluwe, Brussels, that delivers full-time secondary education (voltijds secundair onderwijs), dual learning pathways (duaal leren), reception education for non-native newcomers (OKAN), and additional learning support (P.L.E.K!) to adolescents. The school is operated by the Salesians of Don Bosco and is publicly funded with free tuition.

Product overview

Don Bosco Brussel is a Dutch-language Catholic secondary school in Sint-Pieters-Woluwe, Brussels, operated by the Salesians of Don Bosco. The school offers a multi-track educational portfolio consisting of: Voltijds Secundair Onderwijs (full-time secondary education across three grades with Doorstroming, Dubbele Finaliteit, and Arbeid finalities), Duaal Leren (dual/apprenticeship learning combining school and enterprise), and OKAN (reception classes for non-Dutch-speaking newcomers). These core programs are supported by Smartschool (a learning management system), P.L.E.K! (student well-being support), the Laptopproject (device rental through The Rent Company), Erasmus+ international mobility programs, and enrollment services coordinated via Informat Software and Studieshop. The school serves approximately 183 nationalities and focuses on active learning, internationalization, and personal development within the Don Bosco pedagogical framework (RASP: Respect, Ambitie, Samen, Perspectief).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Voltijds secundair onderwijs Full-time Dutch-language secondary education program for adolescents in the Brussels Flemish community, providing general, technical, and/or vocational tracks under the Catholic Salesian educational tradition.
• Duaal leren Dual learning track combining classroom instruction with workplace-based learning for secondary students.
• OKAN (Onthaalonderwijs voor anderstalige nieuwkomers) Reception-year education program for non-native newcomer students to develop Dutch-language proficiency before entering mainstream secondary education.
• P.L.E.K! Additional learning support program for students requiring extra pedagogical guidance or at-risk of falling behind.
• Erasmus+ mobility program International student exchange and mobility program under the EU Erasmus+ framework, providing cross-border learning opportunities for secondary students.
• Laptopproject School-operated program providing laptop devices to students to support digital learning.

Quantifiable outcome

• 2nd place at Salesiaanse Spelen 2025 basketball competition

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• The Rent CompanycoreOthers · 1 January 2023Partnership for laptop rental program starting 2023-2024 school year. Every student is expected to have a computer at home for school use. The Rent Company provides rental laptops at a fair price, pre-configured with necessary software. Rental is €13.49/month for 4 years, or purchase option for €590.85. The package includes a 2-in-1 laptop, protective sleeve, and digital stylus.
• Salesians Ripoll (Spain)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerErasmus+ partnership for dual learning students in Childcare and Care to do internships at a residential care center and childcare facility in Ripoll, northern Spain.
• Saint-Pierre Saint-Paul (Langogne, France)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerErasmus+ partnership with this French school for dual learning students in automotive technology, welding, and electricity to do internships in local companies and garages.
• GS Integrierte Gesamtschule Nieder-Olm (Germany)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRecurring Erasmus+ school exchange partnership with this German school. In 2024-2025, 11 students visited for a school exchange focusing on European citizenship, ecology, and culture. German students have also visited Don Bosco Brussel (63 students + 4 teachers in January 2024).
• Don Bosco Valsalice (Turijn, Italy)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerErasmus+ partner school in Turin. Don Bosco Brussel students conducted sociological research on the EU, provided sports animation for primary school children, and visited the San Giovanni Evangelista hospital and Cottolengo senior home as part of the 2021-2022 exchange.
• Vrij CLB Pieter BreughelcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFree student guidance service for parents and students covering learning, educational choices, wellbeing, and health. Located at Opzichterstraat 84, 1080 Sint-Jans-Molenbeek. Provides official career and wellbeing counseling independent of the school.
• SmartschoolcoreTechnology or IntegrationWeb-based school management and learning platform used for communication, assignments, grade tracking, and parent-student-teacher interaction. The school's portal is at donboscobrussel.smartschool.be.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Sint-Pieterscollege Jette: Dutch-speaking Catholic secondary school in the Brussels-Capital Region offering comparable academic and technical tracks. Competes for the same Dutch-speaking student pool in the Brussels metropolitan area.
• Don Bosco Halle: Sibling Salesian secondary school in the Flemish periphery offering technical and vocational education under the same Salesian pedagogy. Direct institutional peer within the Don Bosco Belgium network.
• Don Bosco Internaat Sint-Pieters-Woluwe: Salesian boarding school sharing the Guldendallaan campus with Don Bosco Brussel. Operates under the same Salesian pedagogical framework and serves an overlapping student population with residential support.
• Koninklijk Atheneum Karel Bogaerd: Dutch-speaking secondary school in Brussels offering comparable academic and technical tracks. Competes for the same Dutch-speaking secondary-age students under the same Flemish education framework.
• Sint-Jan Berchmanscollege Brussel: Dutch-speaking Catholic secondary school in Brussels operated within the same subsidized Catholic education network. Directly comparable in mission, governance structure, student demographic, and Flemish Community funding model.

Regional players

• European School Brussels II (Woluwe): Multilingual European secondary school located in Woluwe-Saint-Lambert, adjacent to Don Bosco Brussel. Serves a similarly international student body but operates under a different EU institutional framework rather than Flemish education.
• Heilig-Hartcollege Tervuren: Dutch-speaking Catholic secondary school in the Flemish periphery of Brussels. Comparable in subsidized Catholic governance and pedagogical tradition, but serves a more suburban Flemish-dominant student population.
• GS Integrierte Gesamtschule Nieder-Olm: German comprehensive secondary school and Erasmus+ exchange partner of Don Bosco Brussel. Comparable in providing secondary education with a European/international orientation but operates under the German federal education system.

Broad incumbents

• Katholiek Onderwijs Vlaanderen: Umbrella organization representing all subsidized Catholic schools across Flanders and Brussels. Don Bosco Brussel operates under its governance framework, making this the institutional peer that defines regulatory and pedagogical standards.
• GO! Onderwijs Brussel: Public Flemish Community school network operating multiple secondary schools in Brussels. Directly competes for Dutch-speaking secondary enrollment but as a publicly-run secular network rather than a Catholic subsidized operator.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/donboscobrussel
• Instagraminstagram.com/donbosco.brussel
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/don-bosco-brussel

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Don Bosco Brussel