The German school system, by Bundesland — Einschulung, tracks, and what parents from abroad must know
School is compulsory (no homeschooling), starts around age 6, and splits into tracks after Grundschule — with 16 different state rule-sets. Einschulung, Gymnasium vs Realschule vs Gesamtschule, and Willkommensklassen for newly arrived kids.
One country, sixteen school systems
Education is 100% a Länder competence. When your child starts, how long Grundschule lasts, and whether YOU choose the secondary track or the teacher does — all depend on which Bundesland you live in. Moving states can even force a track re-assessment.
compulsory schooling starts the school year after the 6th birthday
Age 6
Schulpflicht applies to ALL children resident in Germany — including foreign nationals, with no residence-status condition. And homeschooling is illegal.
The non-negotiables
How it works
- Public school is free, including books in most Länder
- Schulpflicht: 9–10 years full-time + vocational-school duty until ~18
- Newly arrived kids get German-language Willkommensklassen / DaZ classes in all Länder
What surprises immigrant parents
- Homeschooling is illegal — no exceptions for religion or preference
- Half-day school is still common; afternoon care (Hort/OGS) needs its own application
- The academic track decision comes at age ~10 — earlier than almost anywhere else
Einschulung — starting school
Your child starts the school year after turning 6 (cut-off date varies by Land between 30 June and 30 September; Bayern runs an Einschulungskorridor for children turning 6 in July–September, letting parents choose the year). The process is automatic once you've done your Anmeldung: the Schulamt letter arrives, you enrol at the assigned local Grundschule (catchment/Sprengel principle in most Länder), and the mandatory Schuleingangsuntersuchung (school-entry health check) happens before the first day.
Grundschule lasts 4 years — except Berlin and Brandenburg, where it's 6.
The tracks after Grundschule
| Provider | Leads to | Notes |
|---|---|---|
Gymnasium Best The direct academic route — but not the only route to university. | Abitur (grade 12/13) → university | G8 vs G9 varies; G9 restored in BY, NW, NI, SH and others |
Realschule | Mittlerer Schulabschluss (grade 10) | Solid route into Ausbildung + later Fachabitur |
Hauptschule | Hauptschulabschluss (grade 9) | Being merged into combined schools in many Länder |
Gesamtschule / combined | All qualifications under one roof | The names differ per Land — see below |
The direct academic route — but not the only route to university.
- Leads to
- Abitur (grade 12/13) → university
- Notes
- G8 vs G9 varies; G9 restored in BY, NW, NI, SH and others
- Leads to
- Mittlerer Schulabschluss (grade 10)
- Notes
- Solid route into Ausbildung + later Fachabitur
- Leads to
- Hauptschulabschluss (grade 9)
- Notes
- Being merged into combined schools in many Länder
- Leads to
- All qualifications under one roof
- Notes
- The names differ per Land — see below
In Bayern the Grundschule's recommendation is binding — Gymnasium requires a grade average of ⌀ ≤ 2.33 in German/Maths/HSU at the Übertritt (⚠ re-verify current cutoffs). In most other Länder the parents choose the track; Thüringen and Sachsen sit in between.
The same combined school has 10+ names: Oberschule (NI, SN, HB), Stadtteilschule (HH), Sekundarschule (ST, NW), Gemeinschaftsschule (BW, SH, SL, TH, BE), Mittelschule (BY — the Hauptschule successor), Realschule plus (RP), Regelschule (TH), Regionale Schule (MV). When you read school listings, translate the local name back to "combined school".
No track is a dead end
The German system's redeeming feature is permeability: Realschulabschluss → Fachoberschule → Fachabitur → university is a well-trodden path, and a completed Ausbildung plus work experience also opens university doors. The age-10 sorting feels brutal, but it is revisable in both directions.
Just arrived with school-age kids?
Register at the Schulamt immediately
week 1–2Schulpflicht applies from residence, not from permit type. The Schulamt assigns a school.
Willkommensklasse / DaZ placement
first 1–2 yearsNewly arrived non-German-speaking kids get preparatory German classes in every Land, then transition into regular classes.
Track placement follows ability, not paperwork
ongoingAsk the school explicitly about the path to Gymnasium/Fachabitur — and get promises in writing at parent meetings.
Moving Bundesland? Re-check everything
before you sign the leaseTrack assignment, G8/G9, cut-off dates and even curricula change at the state border.
Sources
source source sourceLast updated: 2026-07-20