Das deutsche Schulsystem: Comparison to US system

Review the chart below for an overview of the German school system. Do you notice and differences and similarities to the school system in the United States?

Flowchart of the German school system; full description below.

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The image is an educational flowchart illustrating the German school system. The chart is structured into different educational stages mapped against age and grade levels. It is vertically organized with labels on the sides: "GRADE" on the left and "AGE" on the right.

At the bottom, "Kindergarten" is in a light yellow section covering the pre-school stage for ages 3 to 5. Above is "Grundschule" (Elementary School) in a yellow section for grades 1 to 4, covering ages 6 to 9. Next is the "Orientation Stage" in light orange for grades 5 and 6, ages 10 and 11.

This leads to secondary schooling divided into different paths. Grades 7 to 9 are in orange for ages 12 to 14, comprising "Hauptschule," "Realschule," "Gymnasium," and "Gesamtschule" (Comprehensive School). Grade 10 also includes optional Orientierungskurse for 1 additional year. Above this, higher secondary education continues with vocational training or preparation for university starting from grade 10 to 13, corresponding with ages 15 to 19.

Text is included with additional notes about graduation from various schools, noting details like "Hauptschule students usually graduate after 9 years" and "Realschule students graduate after 10 years."

Similarities

Like in the United States, attendance at all public schools is free of charge.

Differences

Kindergarten is available but not required.
School officially starts with elementary school (Grundschule). Children start at age 6. It is at the end of the Grundschule (around age 10) that children are selected to go on to one of three different tracks (Gymnasium, Realschule, Hauptschule) depending on their academic performance. This is called a track system and is very controversial. Opponents of this system argue that a 10-year-old might not have academic performance as a priority and should not have his/her whole academic future determined so early.
There has been an attempt at creating an "equal opportunity" type school system like in the US called the "Gesamtschule," but the track system based on grades still dominates. Below are the three main tracks:
- The Gymnasium track will give you a German High School diploma (German Baccalaureate degree: Abitur). The Abitur is an examination that students must pass in order to go to college. The Abitur generally consist of sets of written examinations and oral examinations (there are no multiple choice questions). The subjects covered in these examinations vary according to the area of focus chosen by the student during the last 2-3 years (Oberstufe).
- The scores obtained in the Abitur (Abi) are combined with marks earned during the last 2-3 years to a summary mark, like the US GPA. This, in turn, is important to be admitted to a German university for some fields of study, in particular medical schools.
- Although the word Gymasium is often translated as high school, attaining the Abitur diploma is equivalent to graduating as a sophomore in college with all your liberal arts requirements.

Die Hauptschule: This tracks you to trade school (e.g. electrician, plumber, etc). Schooling through Hauptschule age is required (grades 5-9). Then you start apprenticing.
Die Realschule: This comprises grades 5-10 and tracks students to administrative professions. It was initially designed to produce administrators, bankers, office managers, secretaries, etc.
Das Gymnasium: Roughly 25 - 30% (varies from state to state) of German students attend a Gymnasium (grades 5-12, formerly 13). It has nothing to with sports or any kind of physical education. 'Gymnasium' lasts from about age 12 to 18 or 19 and is required for anyone planning on college education.

You can transfer from one type of school to another with the appropriate grades. There are transfer classes that help students adjust too but transferring is very hard to do.

Day-to-day schooling: Additional Differences

There is no home room in German schools.
In Gymnasium you are mostly in the same classroom and the teachers move from classroom to classroom.
School usually ends by 1pm; sometimes twice a week you stay until about 3pm. There are no cafeterias or after school activities (sometimes there is choir or a school orchestra, but it is very limited). There are no organized sports teams in German schools. Communities provide these resources. Students would go to the local sports club to be on the soccer team or could play in the local community band.
There are certain educational branches you can choose based on what is available at your school. Students have to choose a Zweig (literally branch) in the seventh grade, for example, math/science or languages or humanities. The students then have extra classes or more hours in those subject areas.
At least two foreign languages are required, (one being English and the other is generally Latin or French). You don't get to pick and choose classes per semester like you do in the States. And you take many more subjects for the entire year. At the beginning of the year you get your schedule and it remains the same for the entire year.
Home-schooling is illegal in Germany.

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