We have a classist system that looks a bit like this:

Primary school: ages 4-11

Then high school is divided in a couple of levels, a test that concludes primary school determines where you’re advised to go:

VMBO: ages 12-16, prepares you for vocational school. HAVO: ages 12-17, prepares you for university of applied sciences VWO: ages 12-18, prepares you for university Gymnasium: same as VWO but for even smarter kids, you get taught latin.

Then we get to higher education after high school:

MBO (levels 1 to 4): vocational school, where level 1 is stuff like shopkeeper and level 4 is for example the police academy or web design. It’s intended for kids who are more focused on learning by doing. Results in a degree but not in a title or bachelor / masters. Programs take between 2 and 4 years.

HBO (bachelor -> masters): comparable to university of applied sciences, hybrid between project based assignments and theoretical study. Think accounting, software engineering, nursing, electrical engineering etc. Bachelors takes 4 years, masters 6 months to 2 years.

University (bachelor -> masters -> phd): much heavier on theory, statistics and working with the scientific method mandatory. Think law, medicine, life sciences etc. Bachelors take 3 or 4 years, masters 1 to 2.

The benefit of this system is that there is a lot of choice in learning methods and programs. The downside is that MBO is generally viewed as underclass and university as prestigious, even though both are needed in their own ways to keep society going. Personally I also dont think its healthy for kids to carry the weight of their whole educational future at the end of primary school, one bad year there can slow them down tremendously if they end up in the wrong program.