A view inside a elementary school classroom on the first day of school after summer break. (Stock photo)
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Progress is being made on Berlin's school construction initiative, but there will still be a need for additional school seats for years to come. That is the conclusion reached by Education Senator Katharina Günther-Wünsch (CDU), who presented a report on the subject to the Senate.
"Berlin invests 1.5 billion euros annually in school construction, but at the same time, the number of school-age children is rising due to continued population growth," the CDU politician said following the Senate meeting.
The school construction initiative was launched ten years ago, in the 2016–2017 school year. By the 2025–2026 school year, 32 new schools had been built. In addition, there were 123 building expansions and 61 new gyms. As a result, a total of approximately 53,000 additional school seats were created by the start of the 2025/2026 school year. The education administration expects this number to rise to approximately 62,000 school seats by the start of the 2026/2027 school year. While there was still a shortage of 26,100 school places in 2025, this year the figure stands at just 24,100 - a successful turnaround in the view of the education administration. This is the first time during the school construction initiative that the projected shortage of school places has decreased, said Günther-Wünsch.
To make faster progress, the senator believes a school construction authority similar to the one in Hamburg would be desirable. "I would consider that a very good decision," said Günther-Wünsch. In her view, the school construction initiative will remain indispensable for a long time to come. "I can’t give you an end date," said Günther-Wünsch. And even if the budget deficit were eliminated, Berlin would still have to continue investing money to ensure the structural integrity of the schools.
This is already part of the school construction program. "We are not only creating new school places; we are also investing every year in maintaining existing ones," said the Senator for Education. "That is at least as important." According to the education administration, a total of 1.544 billion euros has been invested in school building maintenance between 2017 and 2025. According to a new renovation plan developed by the School Construction Task Force, renovation measures are to be accelerated. To this end, an additional 60 million euros from the Special Fund for Infrastructure and Climate Neutrality will be available for the years 2026 and 2027.