School System in Germany

In Germany, almost all pupils (over 90%) attend public schools. The state funds these and are therefore free of charge. Nevertheless, the quality of public schools is usually very good. Public schools are accessible to all children, regardless of their social background or their family's financial circumstances.

In addition to public schools, there are also private schools. These charge school fees that you have to pay yourself, which can be quite high in some cases. There are many private schools in FrankfurtRheinMain with different focuses and concepts.

These include international and bilingual schools. Parents usually choose private schools for special care services, educational concepts, or lessons offered in different languages.

Homework is not normally done at school, but after lessons at home or during supervision. To ensure that your child is supervised until late afternoon, supervision services can be organised and paid for after lessons, either inside or outside the school (depending on availability).

Pupils' oral and written performance is graded on a scale from 1 (very good) to 6 (unsatisfactory). A grade of 4 is considered ‘sufficient’ and represents the pass mark. If an exam is graded 5 or 6, it is considered a fail. 

In the upper secondary school, i.e. from Year 10 onwards, a points system from 0 to 15 is used for assessment instead. Here, 15 is the highest possible score. An average grade between 1 and 6 is then calculated from the total number of points.

There is no standardised school system across Germany, as education policy is the responsibility of the individual federal states. A general distinction is made between primary school (grades 1-4) and secondary school (from grade 5 onwards). 

In Hesse, the secondary schools are: Gymnasium, Gesamtschule, Realschule and Hauptschule. Parents decide which of these schools their child will attend after primary school, and teachers make at least a recommendation. School grades and social behaviour play a role in the decision. However, it is also possible to change schools later on.

Children must attend primary school from the age of six. This lasts a total of four years. There, children learn the basics in subjects such as English, mathematics, general studies, art, music and sport. English is also offered in some cases. The focus is still on playful learning, which is becoming increasingly structured and prepares children for secondary school.

Your children have to go to the primary school in the school district where you live. This has the advantage that the journey to school is not too far, and children can quickly make friends nearby. You are free to choose private schools, and this is usually the case for secondary schools as well.

Hauptschule prepares pupils for vocational training at school or in a company and ends with the ninth grade and a Hauptschule leaving certificate. Teaching is more practice-oriented and provides a basic general education and career-oriented skills. Hauptschulen often work closely with companies and businesses where pupils do internships and are thus prepared for working life. However, Hauptschulen are becoming increasingly rare.

The Realschule also prepares pupils for vocational training, but ends after the tenth grade with a Realschule leaving certificate. This is an intermediate school-leaving certificate. The qualification is therefore higher than a Hauptschule leaving certificate, and a wider range of apprenticeships is available. It is also possible to transfer to the upper school at a Gymnasium.

The Gymnasium provides in-depth general education. Depending on the federal state, the Gymnasium lasts until the end of the twelfth or thirteenth grade. At the end, there is the Abitur examination. If this is passed successfully – i.e. with a grade of 4.0 (or 300 points) or better – the Allgemeine Hochschulreife (general higher education entrance qualification) is achieved. This is the highest school-leaving certificate in Germany, which, in addition to vocational training, entitles the holder to study at a university. 

All pupils can attend a comprehensive school. Depending on the child's performance, all qualifications can be obtained here. In Germany, this type of school is increasingly replacing secondary modern schools and secondary schools.

Teaching hours are significantly shorter than in many other countries. School usually starts at 8 a.m. Lessons always take place in the morning. Older children also have lessons in the afternoon. However, afternoon lessons are also increasingly being offered for younger children. 

Lessons in all subjects are held in German, except for international and bilingual schools. If your child does not yet have a sufficient command of German, many schools offer special support programmes in ‘German as a foreign language’.