In 1999, the arts course CKV1 (in Dutch) was introduced at middle and higher levels of secondary education in the Netherlands. CKV1, which can be translated as ‘Cultural and Artistic Education’, aims to encourage cultural participation among adolescents by compelling them to attend theatre performances, concerts, museums, exhibitions, etc. This article examines whether enrolment in the course affects cultural participation and attitudes towards the arts 2–6 years after the students have completed the course. Data were used on three cohorts of secondary school students who took part in a classroom interview at the age of 14– 17, and who participated in follow-up surveys 2, 4 and 6 years later. The eldest cohort was interviewed just before CKV1 was introduced to the secondary school curriculum and the two youngest cohorts were interviewed once the course was underway. Furthermore, being a panel study, the dataset contains observations of cultural participation before, during and after enrolment in CKV1. The results demonstrate that CKV1 neither affects the students’ cultural participation nor their attitude towards the arts 2–6 years after they have completed the course. The absence of effects applies equally to students who have culturally active and culturally non-active parents