Schools in Germany

In Germany, all children are required to attend school from the age of six or seven. Every child who lives in Germany must go to school at this age and study for at least nine years.

This general rule also applies to refugee children and teens- if they are six years old or older, they often have to attend school soon after their arrival in Germany. The regulations regarding schooling vary from state to state. For more information, read the subchapter referring to the education system in your federal state below.

Parents who do not send their children to school will have to pay a hefty fine.

Initially, all children must attend an elementary school. Elementary school consists of 4 to 6 years of education, depending on the federal state where the child lives. After elementary school, students go to secondary school. The type of secondary school any child attends has a significant impact on his or her future life. The higher your child's grades, the more choices and opportunities he or she will have later in their future education and profession. "Abitur" is the highest school-leaving certificate - only with an Abitur can your child later enrol in a university. In some federal states, a student's scores and his/her teacher’s evaluation determine which secondary school he/she must attend. In many federal states, teachers can only make a recommendation, but in the end, the parents decide. That means you do not have to follow the teacher's advice. It can be difficult, however, to find a high school that accepts your child despite bad marks.

To learn about the relevant regulations in your place of residence, read the subchapter regarding the school system in your federal state.

If your child has already attended school in their country of origin, the school administration, usually determines which grade your child will be placed in in consultation with the parents, students, and the local school authority. Please contact the respective school for more information.

If your child already has a foreign school leaving certificate, it can be considered equivalent to a German school leaving certificate under certain conditions. The exact rules and procedures vary from state to state. Please contact the certificate recognition offices (“Zeugnisanerkennungsstelle”) in your state for more information. You can find a recognition or advisory centre in your state using the Anabin database.

The German grading system has six marks: "1" is the best mark and "6" is the worst. Twice a year, students are evaluated and handed a school report card containing their marks in each subject. The midterm report card, usually issued at the end of January, serves as a means of evaluation for parents and children to assess the student's performances. The annual report card, often handed out before the summer holidays, determines whether your child can move on to the next grade or needs to repeat the same grade. In most elementary schools, no specific marks are mentioned on the report card during the first two years of education. There is only a brief evaluation of the child's performance from the teacher.

Important: Bad marks are no catastrophe. Teachers will be happy to provide you and your child advice for a better performance in school. You can learn more by checking section “My child has difficulties at school. Any advice?”. And there are also plenty of counselling centres available. At JMD, you can find a local counselling centre to visit or seek help online; the staff there speak various languages You can also seek cost-free anonymous advice from the Parents' Hotline. You can tell the staff about your concerns and difficulties- they will listen and try to help you work out a solution. You can reach the Parents' Hotline on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays 9:00-17:00 and on Tuesdays and Thursdays on 9:00-19:00 on the cost-free phone line 0800 111 0550 in German. 

Children and teens who speak little or no German should initially attend special courses in which they learn the language and get familiarised with German culture. These classes are often called "Willkommensklassen", "Vorbereitungsklassen" or "Übergangsklassen" (Ü-Klassen); and they prepare children to enter regular schools. In these preparatory classes, students are gradually evaluated according to their age, performance and language skills.

In many German states, schools offer first language instruction or “Erstsprachenunterricht” (ESU), where children are encouraged to develop multilingually. Students practice their first language, both written and spoken. ESU is an additional, voluntary, and free offering.

ESU is offered if enough students who share the same first language register. Ask the school directly whether ESU is offered in the desired language. If not, parents can find other interested students and submit a list of the required number of participants to the school. The school can then apply for ESU with the responsible authority.

Under certain conditions, participation in ESU can also be graded or credited as academic achievement. The specific offerings and rules vary depending on the German state and school. Therefore, please inquire with the school for further information.

Good to know: Under certain circumstances, multilingual students can have their first language recognised instead of a compulsory or elective foreign language. One prerequisite is that they have only entered a German school during the course of lower secondary education. Recognition can be achieved through a language proficiency test or by submitting certificates from their country of origin. Here, too, different requirements apply depending on the federal state. Please contact the school for details on the options.

Yes, there are also private schools in Germany. These schools are not established by the state - they might be run by private companies, the church or associations. Private schools often have a distinctive concept and teaching method, and they -almost always- demand tuition fees. If you are considering a private school for your child, contact them first to learn more about the conditions, costs and requirements. You can find a comprehensive list of all the schools in your city on your federal state’s page below.

In many schools, children with special needs or disabilities can learn together with other children. But there are also specialised schools exclusively for children with special educational needs. If your child goes to kindergarten, you can seek advice from the staff there about your options for school. You can also seek support from JMD- their staff speak different languages. Alternatively, you can reach out to Parent’s Hotlineand discuss the issue in hand with their staff. The service is available in German.  

When a child is insulted, teased, ridiculed, threatened, or bullied by another child or group of children over a long time, we talk about "Bullying". Many children experience bullying, especially at school. Anyone may become a victim of bullying - not because of something they did wrong, but simply because there are perpetrators out there who want to counter their own frustrations by victimising other children.

It is often not straightforward to find out whether your child is a victim of bullying. If your child suddenly behaves differently, does not like going to school, becomes sick often, skips school, has poor grades, show no interest in going to the sports club anymore, experience sleep problems, etc., there is a chance he or she is suffering from bullying. If that is the case, talk to your child empathetically and try to find out what the cause is. Generally speaking, you must regularly ask your child about school and their friends and listen carefully to what they reply. Also, keep in regular touch with your child's teachers, trainers, parents of friends, etc. - so you can learn more about your child's behaviour.

If your child is being bullied, speak to the teachers and school workers/ trainers immediately. They should work with you and your child to find a way to solve the problem. If there is physical violence or extortion, you can also contact the police. 

The information sheet from the Association of Migrants, Migrants, and Refugees in Lower Saxony (amfn) also provides an overview of the steps you can take. The information is available in German, Arabic, English, Russian, and Ukrainian.

For help in your language, reach out to counselling centres such as the JMD– you can also ask for help from Parents' Hotline (in German).

Embarrassing/funny videos and images of children are often uploaded to social media (TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat, etc.) without their consent. Sometimes, even, a perpetrator may hack into a child's profile and post in their name. Cyberbullying is when someone is slandered, threatened or harassed online- and it is a criminal offence. If your child is a victim of cyberbullying, download and save the materials in question as proof, so you can later show it to the school staff and, if necessary, the parents of the perpetrators and find a way to solve the problem together. Also, inform the operator of the website so that the posts are deleted - it is your right to have the content in question deleted. Generally speaking, you must talk to your child about their online activities and discuss how they can protect their privacy. On klicksafe.de, you will find a lot of information about cyberbullying in German. You can also get help in your language from counselling centres such as the Youth Migration Service or in German from the Parents’ Hotline.

It is quite normal for children to have problems with one or more subjects at school. And tutoring ("Nachhilfe") can often help. A tutor is someone who can help your child after school with subjects in which he or she has difficulties. There are tutoring classes in which several children study together - an option which is a little less expensive than private lessons. But older students, former teachers or helpful neighbours can also function as tutors who often do not charge you with a hefty tuition fee. In some schools and Children and Youth Centres, one can also find "free homework help" in the afternoons. It is best to ask your child's teachers or other parents for tips and recommendations.

Your child can also find help with studying online: At stayschool.de, children from the 5th grade can seek free online help studying - volunteers help your child study through video chats. Their service is available in various languages.

Parents have many opportunities to get involved at school – for instance, at parent-teacher meetings or parent-teacher conferences.

At parent-teacher meetings, you can meet other parents and teachers and learn more about the school and the situation in the class. Open questions – for example, about learning content or class trips – can be clarified there. Parent representatives are also elected to represent the interests of children and parents at school.

At parent-teacher meetings, you can talk to teachers about your child. This will help you learn more about your child's performance, how they are doing in class, and how they behave with other children. If your child has a problem, the parent-teacher conference is a good opportunity to discuss it and work with the teachers to find solutions. These meetings are confidential.

The exact services offered may vary depending on the school. Check with the school to find out what opportunities there are to get involved.

If you need someone to translate, you can ask the teachers whether the school can provide an interpreter for you or whether you can bring your own.