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Schools in Germany, from the first Kita day to university
Written by
Janine El-Saghir
Janine El Saghir is an editor at How-to-Germany.com, where she specializes in the practical aspects of daily life and integration for expatriates. With years of...
Reviewed by
Erkan Boga
Erkan Boga is the founder and CEO of qmedia GmbH, the publishing house behind How-to-Germany.com. He established the platform with the clear vision of creating...
Germany has no national school system. Each of the 16 states runs its own, with its own school types, holiday dates and rules for the move to secondary school. What they share is set in an agreement between the states: the school year runs from 1 August to 31 July, report cards grade from 1 (very good) to 6 (very poor), and every child goes to school full time for at least nine years. Moving with children? Two things come first: a Kita place for children under six and registering at a school for everyone older. Before the first day, make sure each child is covered by family health insurance.
From Kita to university at a glance
| Age | Stage | What your child gets |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1 | Krippe (daycare) or a childminder | A place if the parents work, study, are looking for work or the child needs it |
| 1 to 3 | Krippe or childminder (Kindertagespflege) | A legal right to a place |
| 3 to school | Kindergarten, usually called Kita | A legal right to a place in a daycare center |
| 6 to 10 | Grundschule (primary school), grades 1 to 4 | Compulsory. In Berlin and Brandenburg primary school runs to grade 6. |
| 10 to 16 | Secondary school: Gymnasium, Realschule, Hauptschule or a comprehensive school | Compulsory up to grade 9 or 10 |
| 16 to 19 | Upper level of the Gymnasium (Abitur after 12 or 13 years) or vocational training | Teenagers who leave full-time school attend a part-time vocational school |
| 18 and up | University or university of applied sciences | Needs the Abitur or a foreign certificate recognized as equal. Universities of applied sciences also admit students with the Fachhochschulreife. |
| Sources: agreement of the 16 states on the structure of the school system (2020), Eurydice description of the German education system, Social Code Book VIII, retrieved 8 November 2026. | ||
Before school: Kita and daycare
- Kita in Germany: the legal right to a place from the first birthday, what it costs in your state, and how vouchers work in Berlin and Hamburg.
- Parental allowance calculator: what Elterngeld pays while you stay home before the Kita starts.
School in Germany
- The German school system: primary school, the split after grade 4, the school types of each state and the way to the Abitur.
- School enrollment: when compulsory schooling starts, how to register after a move, and the welcome classes for children who do not speak German yet.
- German grades: the 1 to 6 scale, the 15-point system of the final years, and how foreign grades are converted.
- School holidays: the dates for every state, this school year and next.
- Homeschooling: why it is not an option in Germany, and the alternatives that are.
- International schools: the status that counts for compulsory schooling, the IB, and what four large schools charge.
Coming from another school system
- German vs US school system: Gymnasium vs high school, which German grade your child joins, and what a diploma is worth.
- German vs UK school system: Year groups vs grades, GCSEs and A-levels next to the German certificates.
- German vs Indian school system: CBSE and ICSE boards vs the states, Class 10 and 12 next to the German certificates.
After school: Abitur, training, university
- The Abitur and its equivalents: when A-levels, the IB, a US diploma or an Indian Class 12 open a German university, and when a preparatory year is needed.
- Vocational training (Ausbildung): paid training in a company, the minimum pay, and the visa for applicants from abroad.
- Studying in Germany: universities, admission and costs for international students.
- Student visa, student health insurance and bank accounts for students.
- Student wage calculator: what a side job pays after tax and insurance.
- Children’s savings plans: putting money aside today for training or university later.
Bottom line
Start with the step that has a deadline: the Kita application (in Berlin and Hamburg a voucher) for small children, the school registration for older ones. The comparison pages help you work out which German grade your child joins.
Other parts of life in Germany: moving to Germany · living in Germany · working in Germany · the federal states.
Sources (as of 8 November 2026)
Sources (as of 8 November 2026)
- Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education (KMK), agreement of the states on the common basic structure of the school system of 15 October 2020 (in German): school year, compulsory schooling of at least nine years, grades 1 to 6, primary school of four or six years.
- Eurydice, European Commission, Germany: organisation of the education system and of its structure: start of compulsory schooling, primary school in Berlin and Brandenburg, part-time vocational school.
- Eurydice, Germany: organisation of general upper secondary education: Abitur after 12 or 13 school years.
- Social Code Book VIII (SGB VIII), section 24: daycare for children under one, the legal right to a place from the first birthday and from age three (in German).