What Bornego College does

Bornego College is a publicly funded Dutch secondary school (voortgezet onderwijs) operating across two locations in Heerenveen, Friesland, Netherlands: Bornego Junior (lower years at Ds. Kingweg 2) and Bornego Lyceum (upper years at Ds. Kingweg 1, reopened after renovation in November 2024). The school offers four academic tracks — mavo (vmbo-t, 4 years), havo (5 years), atheneum and gymnasium (both 6 years, with gymnasium adding Latin, Greek, and Klassieke Culturele Vorming) — serving students aged approximately 12-18 transitioning from primary school. The institution is governed by Onderwijsgroep Midden-Friesland (OGMF), a regional school board, with Merijn Sprenger as chairman of the executive board and Ina Everts appointed as interim director (directeur a.i.) in March 2025.

The school's core technology and pedagogy rests on the "Bornego 2.0" three-zone educational model: i-zone (student-chosen elective modules spanning languages, sciences, arts, and sports), flex-zone (small-group academic support for struggling students), and study-zone (guided independent work), supplemented by a personal coaching system. A 1:1 iPad program supports class 1 students, and geography teachers have maintained self-developed digital teaching materials for over 10 years as a replacement for traditional textbooks. The REborn sub-brand runs robotics teams across First Lego League, World Robot Olympiad, and First Tech Challenge competitions, achieving regional and national placements in 2025-2026. International exchange programs operate through Erasmus+ partnerships with BRG14 in Vienna and a school in Istanbul. The school's "Goed voor elkaar" (Good for each other) motto frames a community-oriented approach addressing student well-being, including the student-initiated "Kom erbij!" anti-loneliness campaign.

Bornego College operates a government-funded revenue model, receiving per-pupil allocations from the Dutch government through OGMF with education provided free of charge to students. Direct enrollment occurs via the school website and OGMF's centralized enrollment system, with prospective students recruited through open days (5 February 2025, 12 February 2026), Groep 8 information evenings, and "doemiddagen" experience afternoons. Marketing channels include Instagram (@bornegocollege), monthly PDF newsletters, and the bornego.nl website with downloadable resources. Study-orientation partnerships with Hanzehogeschool Groningen, NHL Stenden, and Windesheim support havo students transitioning to higher professional education, while institutional ties with Naturalis Biodiversity Center and Tresoar provide cultural and scientific enrichment opportunities.

Name

Bornego College

Legal name

Bornego College

Website

https://bornego.nl

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Bornego College is a publicly funded Dutch secondary school in Heerenveen, Friesland, offering mavo, havo, atheneum, and gymnasium programs across two locations under the Onderwijsgroep Midden-Friesland school board.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Heerenveen

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

Revenue model

1. Government-funded education: As a public secondary school in the Netherlands, Bornego College is funded by the Dutch government through the Onderwijsgroep Midden-Friesland (OGMF) school board. Education is free for students; the school receives per-pupil funding from the government.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Bornego College is a Dutch secondary school (Heerenveen) that delivers the four main Dutch secondary education tracks — mavo (vmbo-t), havo, atheneum and gymnasium — to students aged roughly 12–18, supplemented by a personalized three-zone coaching model (flex-zone, study-zone, i-zone), an iPad-based digital learning environment, and elective/innovation programs including the REborn robotics track. The school is publicly funded and operated under the governance of Onderwijsgroep Midden-Friesland (OGMF).

Product overview

Bornego College is a secondary educational institution offering four educational levels: mavo (vmbo-t, 4 years), havo (5 years), atheneum (6 years), and gymnasium (6 years with classical languages). The school operates across two locations in Heerenveen under the Onderwijsgroep Midden-Friesland (OGMF) umbrella. Its portfolio includes core pre-university programs and specialized offerings such as REborn (innovation/robotics), the i-zone modular elective system, flex-zone for academic support, study-zone, check-in support spaces, and coaching. The school also provides a 1:1 iPad program and Cambridge English certification. The institution features the Bornego 2.0 three-zone educational structure and completed major renovations of the Lyceum facility in November 2024.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• REborn: Innovation and robotics program at Bornego College, including First Lego League (FLL), World Robot Olympiad (WRO), and First Tech Challenge (FTC) teams
• i-zone
• Check-in
• Flex-zone
• Study-zone

Quantifiable outcome

• 34% of students at one location report feeling lonely sometimes to often, addressed through the Kom erbij! campaign.
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Erasmus+ (European Union)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2026Erasmus+ is the EU program for education, training, youth, and sports. Bornego College participates in student exchange programs. In 2026, vwo-5 students Tijn and Lutske participated in a two-week exchange to Vienna, staying with host families and attending BRG14 (Bundes Real Gymnasium). Additionally, seven students from klas 5 and 6 went on an exchange to Istanbul, Turkey.
• Hanzehogeschool GroningenminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHavoleerlingen (havo-4 students) visited Hanzehogeschool Groningen for the HanzeXperience, a program that introduces students to higher professional education (hbo) and various study programs within their area of interest.
• NHL Stenden HogeschoolminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBornego College students have been introduced to NHL Stenden Hogeschool in Leeuwarden as part of their study orientation trajectory.
• WindesheimminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBornego College students have been introduced to Windesheim in Zwolle as part of their study orientation trajectory.
• Naturalis Biodiversity Center (Leiden)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe REborn REvives First Lego League team visited Naturalis in Leiden for their innovation research project. They interviewed the expert from the Dinolab and received a behind-the-scenes tour learning about dinosaur skeleton excavation.
• Tresoar (Frisian Historical Institute)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTresoar, the Frisian historical institute in Leeuwarden, provided a guest lesson for first and second-year Bornego students about family history and genealogy. First-years brought family objects and second-years worked on family trees. The lesson was won as a prize during the FeRstival.
• Onderwijsgroep Midden-Friesland (OGMF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBornego College is part of Onderwijsgroep Midden-Friesland (OGMF), a school board governing multiple educational institutions in the region. OGMF manages centralized enrollment procedures, examination regulations, complaints procedures, and school policy for Bornego College.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Piter Jelles: Public secondary school in Leeuwarden providing similar mavo, havo, and vwo programs in Friesland, drawing from the same regional student base and competing with Bornego on profile offerings.
• Greijdanus College: Public secondary school in Zwolle offering mavo, havo, and vwo programs with comparable curricular structure and a values-based identity similar to Bornego's profile.
• Drachtster Lyceum: Public secondary school in Drachten offering comparable academic tracks and extracurricular programs, operating in the same Friesland region and competing for the same group 8 cohort.
• Bonhoeffer College: Dutch secondary school offering similar mavo through vwo programs with comparable academic and extracurricular offerings in a multi-location, community-oriented setting.
• CSG Liudger: Public secondary school in Drachten, Friesland, providing similar multi-track education (mavo through vwo) and serving the same Friesland student population as Bornego.
• Carmel College: Large Catholic secondary school network in the Netherlands offering mavo through vwo tracks, providing a comparable multi-track academic model with similar cohort sizes and curricular structure.
• Stellingwerf College: Public secondary school in Oosterwolde, Friesland, offering comparable mavo, havo, and vwo programs to students in the same regional catchment area as Bornego College.

Regional players

• Nordwin College: Regional MBO/vocational school in Friesland serving the same catchment as Bornego College; while focused on vocational rather than academic tracks, it represents an adjacent post-secondary option for the same families.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/bornegocollege

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 Bornego College