Which secondary school is right for our child? This is a question many parents of fourth graders in Baden-Württemberg are asking themselves. Parents have various options when it comes to which school they want to enrol their children in after primary school. This will be possible from 9 to 12 March 2026. In February and early March, parents can attend open evenings to find out about the educational pathways offered by the respective schools.
In Tübingen, there are now only comprehensive schools. Other municipalities in the district of Tübingen still have Hauptschulen or Werkrealschulen. At these schools, pupils receive a Hauptschule leaving certificate after five years or a Werkrealschule leaving certificate after six years. The technical secondary school certificate is equivalent to the secondary school certificate as an intermediate school leaving certificate.
Practical and career-oriented
Teaching at secondary schools and technical secondary schools is career-oriented, for example with practical learning and work experience placements, so that pupils can get to know everyday working life. There are several educational paths for graduates to obtain a technical college entrance qualification—see: www.km-bw.de Section: School, then click on Technical Secondary School, Secondary School.
In secondary schools, pupils obtain a secondary school leaving certificate after five years or, after six years in Year 10, an intermediate school leaving certificate with a secondary school leaving certificate. Pupils with a secondary school leaving certificate can attend a three-year vocational grammar school, a vocational college or a general grammar school, among other options—see www.km-bw.de Section: School, then Realschule.
General education with specialisations
At a general grammar school, pupils take their Abitur (A-levels) after eight or nine years. There are various specialisations—for example, languages, natural sciences or sports. Afterwards, Abitur graduates have a university entrance qualification and can study at a university or college—see www.km-bw.de section: School, then click on Gymnasium.
If the parents of fourth-graders are unsure which qualification is right for their child, they can enrol them in a community school. Parents decide only one year before the respective qualification whether their child should take the Hauptschulabschluss, the Realschulabschluss or, after nine years, the Abitur.
Different qualifications and connections
Comprehensive school pupils should be able to learn at the best possible level for them. In lower secondary education at comprehensive schools, pupils receive a Hauptschulabschluss after the ninth or tenth year or a Realschulabschluss after the tenth year. At comprehensive schools with an upper school, pupils can take the Abitur in upper secondary education after the thirteenth year. If the school does not have its own upper school, pupils can transfer to a vocational or general secondary school.
Comprehensive schools are compulsory all-day schools from grades 5 to 10, with eight hours of lessons on three or four days per week. Detailed information on qualifications and progression options is available from the Ministry of Education and Cultural Affairs at www.km-bw.de under the heading: Schule (School), then click on Gemeinschaftsschule (Comprehensive school).
Special support if required
In Baden-Württemberg, there are special special education and counselling centres (SBBZ) for children with disabilities, impairments, disadvantages or chronic illnesses. These schools have different areas of focus, such as learning, language, emotional and social development, vision, hearing, mental and physical development—see www.km-bw.de: Section: Click on School, then Special Educational Needs.
Further information:
Parents can download the brochure “Bildungswege in Baden-Württemberg 2026/2027” (Educational Pathways in Baden-Württemberg 2026/2027) with information and diagrams on qualifications and further education free of charge from the website www.km-bw.de using the search mask.
tun26012005