 Grundschule, Gymnasium, Hauptschule, Realschule... All
children in Germany are required by law to go to school.
At the age
of 6 children enter grammar school (Grundschule) for the first to the
fourth grade. After the fourth grade, the students are sorted by
teachers reccomendation into the Realschule (trade school), Hauptschule
(Vocational School) or Gymnasium (University prep).
In the Hauptschule the pupils learn a basic trade, and usually no
foreign language. At the end of the Hauptschule, the 9th grade the
students can either earn a general certificate meaning that they
successfully completed the 9th grade or they can take a standardized
test that is called the Quali. The Quali is highly regarded and
indicates that the student is well prepared to enter a vocational
training program or to start working.
The Realschule students learn a foreign language, usually English or
French, and business skills. There are three different courses of study
offered, Math and Science, Business and Economics and Arts and Social
Studies. The students are required to take writing and computer
classes. They too must complete standardized tests and after the 10th
class they receive their intermediate level high school diploma. They
go on to work as secretaries, translators, health care assistants, real
estate agents and so forth.
The Gymnasium is the university prep school. The students learn two
foreign languages, and are provided with a broad based curriculum. They
are offered many electives and later specialize in two fields of
learning. At the end of Gymnasium there is a standardized test called
the Abitur. The test results have a direct impact on if they are
allowed to study at the university.
Bavaria’s pre-school programs and elementary schools form the
foundation of the state’s entire education system. Children between the
ages of 6 and 10 attend elementary schools. After completing the fourth
grade, students attend a Hauptschule, a general secondary school, or a
school tracking them to higher education. The Hauptschule provides its
students with instruction designed to speak to them in their own
language and to address their daily realities. This instruction
disseminates a broad range of information. It will be of use in the
occupational life to follow. The information gained serves as the basis
for the graduate’s participation in a course of vocational education.
Graduates of such courses are then eligible to pursue post-secondary
studies.
Hauptschule
In Bavaria, young persons are legally required to attend the
Hauptschule or another kind of secondary school. Students attending the
Hauptschule can earn several different types of high school diplomas:
A general school leaving certificate - Earned by all those successfully completing the ninth grade
A certificate of education - Nicknamed the “Quali” (short for
“qualified certificate”) attesting to its holder’s having
displayed an above-average level of scholastic performance, with this
evaluation referring to the scale of judgement established by the state
in question. The “Quali” thus indicates that the student is well
prepared to commence his or her program of vocational education or to
start working. The certificate is well regarded by the state’s business
community.
An intermediate-level high school diploma - Awarded to those
tenth-graders who have completed a special, four-year course of study
staged in their Hauptschule. This way of earning the diploma was
created at the beginning of the 1999/2000 school year.
Realschule
After completing the sixth grade at the Hauptschule, many students
transfer to the Realschule. It provides three distinct ranges of
curricula:
1. Oriented toward mathematics, the natural sciences and technical knowledge
2. Centered around business, economics and other commercial content
3. Providing instruction in the arts, design, the maintenance of the
household and societal studies. This course has French as its second
foreign language in some cases.
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First Steps 
