WIESBADEN – November 04, 2026 -- German general-education schools taught 8,998,200 pupils in the 2025/2026 school year, nearly 80% of all pupils, according to the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis). A further 2,258,000 pupils attended Germany's roughly 8,300 vocational schools. The roughly 32,800 general-education schools employed 760,300 teachers, and vocational schools employed another 125,000, for a total of 885,300.
First-grade enrolments fall about 2% to 811,200
Germany enrolled 811,200 children in first grade in 2025/2026, down from 829,700 a year earlier. Some 735,500 children, or 91%, started on schedule, meaning they turned six by the cut-off date of the enrolment year. Late enrolments reached 53,200, or 7%, and early enrolments reached 22,400, just under 3%.
Public schools educate 91% of pupils in general education
Public general-education schools taught 8,179,300 pupils, about 91%, while private schools taught 818,800, or 9%. Pupils holding only foreign citizenship numbered 1,468,700, or 16% of the general-education total, against 7,529,500 German citizens at 84%. Foreign pupils made up 17% (1,408,700) at public schools. At private schools only about 7% (60,000) lacked German citizenship.
In vocational schools, 1,827,600 pupils (81%) held German citizenship and 430,100 (19%) held exclusively foreign citizenship. Public institutions taught about 2,023,700 pupils (90%), and private ones about 234,300 (10%).
64,900 pupils leave general schools without a first qualification
In the 2025 graduation year, 769,000 pupils left general-education schools. Of these, 228,700 earned the Abitur (general university entrance qualification) and 770 earned the Fachhochschulreife. Another 339,800 obtained an intermediate qualification such as the Realschulabschluss, and 134,800 left with a first qualification such as the Hauptschulabschluss.
The remaining 64,900 left without a first qualification. About 26,100 of them held a special-needs qualification.
Share of foreign pupils rises from 5% among Abitur holders to 35% among leavers without a qualification
Destatis reports that the share of pupils without German citizenship varies sharply by qualification level. Foreign nationals accounted for 5% of Abitur graduates and 13% of those with an intermediate qualification. They made up 25% of those with a first qualification and 35% of those who left without one.
The figures count only people with exclusively foreign citizenship. Dual nationals are counted as German.
Women hold 73% of general-school teaching posts
Women made up 73% (556,800) of teachers at general-education schools. Their share reached 86% to 93% at school kindergartens, primary schools and preparatory classes. Evening Hauptschulen, Realschulen and Gymnasien and Kollegs had the highest male share, at about 42% to 44%.
About 56% of general-education teachers worked full time and 44% part time. Women made up 86% of the part-time group.
Vocational schools employ 125,000 teachers, 63% of them full time
Women accounted for 55% of vocational teachers. Men held the largest share in full-time vocational basic training year programmes (55%) and part-time vocational schools (53%). Women's share was 76% at Fachakademien and 62% at Fachschulen. Among part-time vocational teachers, 75% were women.