School system in Thuringia

The primary school consists of four grades/years in Thuringia.

After that, there are four options:

• Regelschule
• Gesamtschule
• Gemeinschaftsschule
• Gymnasium

To start Gymnasium, your child needs either good scores or a recommendation from the elementary school. If you want to send your child to a Gymnasium despite inadequate scores and lack of recommendations, he/she must successfully pass an entrance exam.

The Regelschule starts with the 5th grade, and students can graduate after successfully finishing the 9th or 10th grade. It is a combination of Hauptschule and Realschule and prepares students for a professional orientation at an early stage. Your child can obtain the einfachen Hauptschulabschluss or qualifizierenden Hauptschulabschluss (after finishing the 9th grade) or the Realschulabschluss (after accomplishing the 10th grade). With all these three school-leaving certificates, your child would have the opportunity to start vocational training. Students with a Realschulabschluss and good scores can also transfer to a gymnasium and do an Abitur.

The Gesamtschule starts with the 5th grade and ends with the 9th, 10th or 13th grade. It offers a combination of what Hauptschule, Realschule and Gymnasium provide. So your child can here acquire the einfachen Hauptschulabschloss or qualifizierenden Hauptschulabschluss after the 9th grade, the Realschulabschluss after the 10th grade and the Abitur after the 13th grade. Any of these three school-leaving certificates will qualify your child to start a vocational training. With the Abitur, your child will be able to  choose between a vocational training and university education.

The Gesamtschule starts with the 5th grade and ends with the 9th, 10th and 12th grade. In Gesamtschule, all students attend same classes as long as possible; no matter what type of school-leaving certificate they want to obtain. That means your child does not have to decide on their type of certificate until the 8th grade. Here students can acquire the einfachen Hauptschulabschluss or qualifizierenden Hauptschulabschluss (after finishing the 9th grade), the Realschulabschluss (after accomplishing the 10th grade), and the Abitur (after the 12th grade).  Your child will be able to start vocational training with any of these three school-leaving certificates.  The Abitur provides your child with the opportunity to choose between vocational training and university education.

The Gymnasium starts in the 5th grade and ends with the Abitur in the 12th grade. In high schools you have to learn a lot and be very diligent. You have to learn at least two foreign languages. Those who leave the Gymnasium after the 9th or 10th grade usually automatically have at least the Hauptschul- or Realschulabschluss. With the Abitur, your child can choose between university education and vocational training.

Once you leave the initial reception centre, your child has to go to school. Children who do not speak German yet should initially attend a special German classes. The staff at your accommodation facility will help you to register.

You will receive an invitation for an enrollment test in due time. This examination usually takes place at the primary school responsible for your child, i.e. the nearest primary school to your home. During examination, your child will be examined by a doctor and his / her German language skills will be checked.

The staff at your childs kindergarten can help you with the registration process.