Preschools are mainly in Dutch, but Frisian is allowed as well. Some 20% of the preschools are joined in the SFBO, the Association of Frisian-language Childcare. These preschools are usually bilingual Dutch and Frisian.

In primary education Frisian has been a mandatory subject in all school years since 1980. Attainment targets for proficiency, vocabulary and language attitude have been prescribed by the government. However, inspections have shown that primary schools generally do not meet these targets, even after they were lowered in 2006. Official regulations do not specify how much time per week ought to be dedicated to Frisian. On average, primary schools spend some 40 minutes a week on Frisian, either by using the provincially sponsored learning method, using own materials, or by watching Frisian television. 55% of all primary school teachers are qualified to teach Frisian and in 40% of the primary schools Frisian is taught by unqualified teachers.

The position of Frisian is much stronger in trilingual primary schools, where Frisian, Dutch and English are languages of instructions. Typically, Frisian has a share of 50% of the curriculum in the first six years and 40% in the years 7 and 8 (next to 50% Dutch, and 40% Dutch and 20% English respectively). Of all primary schools in the province 17% are either certified as trilingual schools or in the process of attaining the certification. Unlike normal primary schools, trilingual schools to tend to meet the attainment targets set by the government.

According to law, Frisian is compulsory as a subject in the first half of secondary education. However, in practice, it is generally confined to a single hour in the first year. Frisian ought to be an optional subject in the second half of secondary education, but only some schools in fact offer this possibility. The number of pupils doing an exam in Frisian at the end of secondary school has risen from 46 pupils in 2011 to 85 pupils in 2015. In addition, there are three trilingual secondary schools, in which Frisian is language of instruction in at least one group for at least subject.

At the university level a Frisian programme is offered within the bachelor programme of Minorities and Multilingualism at the Rijksuniversiteit Groningen. The programme teaches Frisian writing proficiency as well as Frisian linguistics, literature, cultural history and Old Frisian. The University of Amsterdam offers a smaller programme (minor) in Frisian language. A teaching education programme for Frisian is provided for as an optional trajectory at the Stenden University for Applied Sciences in Leeuwarden.

The AFUK provides adult education in Frisian language for native speakers and beginners at different levels.

Frisian is covered in the European Charter for Regional and Minority Languages, signed by the Netherlands in 1992, entered into force in 1998. Articles applied to Frisian are: Part II, Article 7; and Part III, Articles 8-14.

"It can be stated that the Frisian language is mainly spoken in the homes of Frisian people, in the countryside and in informal situations. In more formal surroundings, such as shops in town and government offices, many people shift to Dutch even if Frisian is their first language. In larger groups of people the presence of one Dutch speaking-person may suffice to trigger language shift of the whole group from Frisian to Dutch. Because of the fact that most Frisians (in particular the older ones) got their school education only in Dutch, many of them are not able to use the Frisian language in writing and prefer reading in Dutch... The provincial government of Friesland and a number of municipalities make frequent use of both written and spoken Frisian. The regional broadcasting company Omrop Fryslân does radio and television broadcasts."

"The provincial government and the councils of several municipalities have started a language policy that – in principle - gives Frisian equal rights to Dutch. In the last decades the name of the province (Fryslân) and many local place names have officially been converted to Frisian... Its spelling has been standardised and Frisian is used in several domains of Frisian society, thereby breaking through the dominance of Dutch. Apart from domains such as the judiciary, public administration, radio and television, the Frisian language can also be used within the province for education. However, Dutch continues to dominate in economic, political and religious life... Since 1980 Frisian has been taught in all primary schools, both public and private. In many of these schools, Frisian is also used to varying degrees as a teaching medium, alongside Dutch. There is no provision for primary education entirely through Frisian, although some preschool groups are conducted exclusively in Frisian."

"Nowadays, Frisian is recognised in the Dutch constitution as one of the (two) official languages of the Netherlands (Hilton & Gooskens, 2013, p. 140), and the Dutch government considers it to be one of the indigenous languages of the Netherlands (Bijlagen II, 1993/1994, 23543, 3, p. 2 (MvT), as referenced in Laanen, 2001, p. 68)."