German Education System, a Summary

At the age of six, children enter elementary school (Grundschule), which lasts four years, except in Berlin, where it lasts six years. All children attend elementary school together. With the start of secondary school, they begin to follow more specialized courses of study. During the fifth and sixth years of school, known in most states as the "orientation stage" (Orientierungsstufe), they make the transition to either pre-university or vocational high school programs.

There are three traditional types of high school in Germany and a newer fourth type that combines features of the other three:

• The Gymnasium (academic high school), which, including the orientation stage, lasts nine years in the western states, through grade 13, and eight years in four of the five the eastern states, through grade 12. Students who successfully complete their studies at academic high schools receive a diploma known as the Abitur. The Abitur is the basic requirement for admission to a university.
• The Realschule (commercial high school), which offers instruction in both academic and business-related subjects and lasts through the tenth grade. Graduates of Realschulen receive diplomas that normally entitle them to admission to business and technical colleges, or, depending on their grades, to the last three years of Gymnasium.
• The Hauptschule (general high school), which is vocationally oriented. After completing the ninth or tenth grade, depending on the state, Hauptschule students receive the diploma necessary to enter formal three-year training programs for technical and clerical professions. During those three years, students in training programs attend a mandatory eight to twelve hours of classroom instruction a week at a Berufsschule (vocational school).
• In recent years, Gesamtschulen (comprehensive schools) that offer academic, commercial, and vocational programs have become increasingly common. There are also special schools for disabled students.

Compulsory School Attendance: 10 years
Elementary school 'Grundschule': ages 6 through 10
Academic high school 'Gymnasium': ages 11-19
Vocationally oriented 'Realschule': ages 11-16
The diploma from the Gymnasium is the basic requirement for admission to a university, the Realschule diploma to a commercial or technical college, or to the last three years of Gymnasium. A diploma from a Hauptschule, a vocationally oriented branch with five years of education, ages 11-15, is generally required to enter a formal three-year vocational training program for skilled technicians, craftsmen etc., combined with classroom instruction at a vocational school (dual system of vocational training).