Ignatius Gymnasium

Saint Ignatius Gymnasium (St. Ignatiusgymnasium) is one of the five categorial gymnasia (a type of school) in Amsterdam, Netherlands. With the Vossius Gymnasium and the Barlaeus Gymnasium, it is among the most prestigious schools in Amsterdam. Ignatius is located in the Jan van Eijckstraat in the affluent 'Old South' district of Amsterdam.

It is one of the few Catholic gymnasiums in the Netherlands, founded in 1895. Originally a Jesuit-run school, it is named after the founder of the Jesuit Order Ignatius of Loyola. The school is fairly small and has a student population of about 700 with 70 staff.

According to the Dutch Education Inspectorate, the Ignatius Gymnasium is as a very good school across the board. In the first three years, 2% has to repeat a class while 76% of the survivors passes their exams at once with an average grade of 6.9. All this is considered to be better than average. The Dutch magazine Elsevier chooses se the Ignatius Gymnasium for several years as one of the best schools in the Netherlands. The school was elected as the best school in the province of North Holland in 2004. In 2010, Elsevier placed the school alongside ‘The winners of 2010, least repeaters and best exam results’.

The school newspaper is called De Harpoen.

Notable old-Ignatians include beer magnate Henry Pierre Heineken from the company Heineken, television personality Ivo Niehe, Paul Josef Crutzen, a Nobel Prize winner, André van Stigt, an architect, journalist Haye Thomas, Gerard van Westerloo, editor of De Groene Amsterdammer, Olympic Rower and Dutch Ambassador in India Eric Niehe, Bernard Delfgaauw, professor of Philosophy at the University of Groningen, former Minister of Social Affairs Charles van Rooy, Piet Steenkamp, founder of the CDA, Rad Kortenhorst, former president of the House of Representatives, Bernard Wientjes, chairman of the employers' organization VNO-NCW and Bertus Aafjes, a writer, as well as Jaap de Hoop Scheffer and Joseph Luns, both Secretaries-General of NATO.