Berlin considers educational policy one of its paramount tasks and offers a wide range of school options.
There are more than 900 public and private schools in Berlin.
Two types of secondary schools have predominated in Berlin since the start of the 2010/2011 school year: the new Integrated Secondary School and the “Gymnasium.” Both can lead to the highest school-leaving qualification (Abitur), which entitles students to enroll at a university. The integrated secondary school provides all-day schooling from 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and offers many extras, including additional classes, tutoring, sports, and cultural options. Along with the “Abitur” needed for university admission, students at integrated secondary schools can also earn the intermediate (Mittlerer Schulabschluss) or lower (Berufsbildungsreife) secondary school-leaving certificate. Students attend these schools free of charge (although they have to pay for lunch). Students at a “Gymnasium” can also take part in extracurricular activities.
The “Gemeinschaftsschule” (comprehensive school) was launched as a pilot project in eleven schools in the 2008/2009 school year. This project keeps students together from 1st to 10th or 12th grade (instead of tracking them into academic, intermediate, or lower schools in 5th or 7th grade) and has proven to be very popular: in just two years, the number of comprehensive schools rose from eleven to twenty.
School attendance in Berlin is compulsory for ten years (students can leave school with the “Berufsbildungsreife” in the 10th grade), as is vocational school attendance for the duration of vocational training. Children start learning their first foreign language in 3rd grade. If parents would like their children to have bilingual instruction starting in the 1st grade, they can turn to one of the State Europe Schools, where classes are taught in two languages.
Berlin’s focus is on students: all-day schooling and the range of options it provides offer each student the best supervision and support available. Learning together at comprehensive schools creates a stronger bond within individual grades and promotes lasting friendships and a positive learning environment.
