To add to claudius's reply to your post, in the Netherlands we like to differentiate students around age 12 into levels: about 60 percent go to the vocational l

To add to claudius's reply to your post, in the Netherlands we like to differentiate students around age 12 into levels: about 60 percent go to the vocational level, 25 percent to the general level, and about 15 percent to the academic level. Basically, all smart people are put together for up to six years of secondary education, after which they go on to university, meeting other smart people.