German Schools Teach 9M Pupils; 64,900 Leave Without Credential
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%.