Secondary schools in Hesse

Last Updated on March 24, 2025

Next up are secondary schools in Hesse. The school system in Hesse is not particularly original, but there is an unusual new form – Mittelstufenschule.

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Secondary schools in Hesse – schema

Types of certificates

Hauptschulabschluss – Hauptschule certificate, 9th grade.
Qualifizierender Hauptschulabschluss – certificate with good grades.

Realschulabschluss – certificate of a real school (obtained after 10th grade).
Qualifizierender Realschulabschluss – this certificate with good grades.

Fachhochschulreife – certificate for admission to Hochschule (higher education, but not universities or institutes equivalent to universities). Obtained after a Fachoberschule, also possible after a höhere Berufsfachschule or in the middle of the second stage of a gymnasium.

allgemeine Hochschulreife – certificate for admission to any university. Obtained upon successful completion of Abitur (gymnsiums, Oberstufe stages of general schools, vocational gymnasiums).

Mandatory attendance

10 years, or 9 years + 1 year of vocational education.

Secondary schools – first stage

Hauptschule

A standard version of a Hauptschule with a focus on preparation for professional life.

Successful completion of the exams (Qualifizierender Hauptschulabschluss, average grade of 3 or higher) allows admission to a two-year Berufsfachschule.

Hauptschulabschluss
Qualifizierender Hauptschulabschluss

Mittelstufenschule

A new form where children with any recommendations are accepted.

This school is even more focused on future professional activities than the Hauptschule.

In addition to various forms of practical training in production, elements of production are introduced into the lessons themselves – from the 8th grade, schoolchildren attend vocational schools (Praxisorientierter Bildungsgang).

Various profiles can be offered: economics and management, nutrition, health and social sciences. The Praxisorientierter Bildungsgang ends with the Hauptschulabschluss exams.

With the Mittlerer Bildungsgang, students also attend vocational schools from the 8th grade, but also learn a second foreign language and may be offered a different level of teaching in the core subjects. This form ends with the Realschulabschluss exams.

Hauptschulabschluss
Qualifizierender Hauptschulabschluss

Realschulabschluss
Qualifizierender Realschulabschluss

Real schools

A real school can exist separately or can be combined with a Hauptschule (Verbundene Haupt- und Realschule).

In addition to the basic German, Mathematics and English, a second foreign language is offered as an optional compulsory subject from the 7th grade. Labor or a higher level of other subjects can also be chosen. Career guidance also plays an important role.

Examination – Realschulabschluss: in the main subjects (Deutsch, Mathematics, English) and a presentation in a subject of choice. Depending on the grades, this can be a regular certificate, or it can be a Qualifizierender Realschulabschluss (with good grades). The latter gives the opportunity to enter a gymnasium Oberstufe, a vocational gymnasium or Fachoberschule.

Realschulabschluss
Qualifizierender Realschulabschluss

Gesamtschule

This type of school combines a Hauptschule, a Realschule and a Gymnasium in two basic forms: cooperative and integrated.

The cooperative form – Schulformbezogene (kooperative) Gesamtschule (KGS) – assumes that pupils of the gymnasium level will study separately. Gymnasium students can study according to a five-year or six-year program. Pupils can change their level within the school.

The integrated form – Schulformubergreifende (integrierte) Gesamtschule (IGS) – involves joint education of schoolchildren of different levels. Gymnasial students study according to a six-year program. From the 9th grade, classes can be reorganized according to the principle of preparation for exams of different levels. Different levels of education are provided by various courses of two or three levels in Mathematics, the first foreign language, German, Physics, Chemistry, and sometimes also Biology.

All types of examinations are held at the Gesamtschule.

Hauptschulabschluss
Qualifizierender Hauptschulabschluss

Realschulabschluss
Qualifizierender Realschulabschluss

allgemeine Hochschulreife

Gymnasium

Gymnasium in its classical form – with preparation for university studies and significant attention to languages, including bilingual lessons. It can be in the shortened by one year form G8 or in the old form G9.

It is possible to obtain a Realschulabschluss after the 10th grade, and a Fachhochschulreife in the middle of the senior level.

Realschulabschluss
Qualifizierender Realschulabschluss

Fachhochschulreife

allgemeine Hochschulreife

Vocational education

Berufsschule, Berufsfachschule

Berufsschule – dual training at school and in the workplace. In addition to the profession, you can get a higher certificate if you attend additional classes. After successfully completing school, you can go on to a one-year Fachoberschule or Fachschule.

Berufsfachschule – full-fledged school education with practice. Can last from one to 3.5 years. At the end you can get a real school certificate or Fachhochschulreife.

The two-year Berufsfachschule gives Hauptschule pupils the opportunity to acquire vocational knowledge and obtain a Realschule certificate. From here they can go on to higher (höhere) Berufsfachschule, Fachoberschule or vocational Gymnasium.

The so-called höhere Berufsfachschule train graduates with a Realschule certificate and provide them with the profession of “assistant”, such as social assistant.

There is also a Berufsfachschule with a vocational qualification (usually creative or crafts).

Realschulabschluss
Qualifizierender Realschulabschluss

Fachhochschulreife

Fachoberschule

At the end of your studies at a Fachoberschule you can obtain a Fachhochschulreife.

Training is conducted in two forms.

The two-year form A accepts students with a certificate from a real school with a certain level of grades. In the first half, training is conducted partly in production, in the second half – only at school.

Form B accepts students with a certificate from a real school + professional education or continuous work experience of at least three years.

Schools come in the following profiles:
technology (construction, chemistry, electrical engineering, computer science, mechanical engineering, textiles)
economics (agricultural, nutrition and farming, management, economic informatics)
health
design
social

Fachhochschulreife

Berufliches Gymnasium

The Oberstufe of a gymnasium with a professional focus.

Profiles:
– computer science in production
– nutrition
– health and society (education)
– technology (construction, biology, chemistry, electrical engineering, design and media, mechanical engineering, mechatronics, ecology)
– economics

Profile subjects are taught in vocational gymnasiums 8-10 hours a week.
Vocational gymnasiums accept students who have transferred to the second stage of the gymnasium or students with a certificate from a real school with the appropriate grades.
Abitur is conducted in the same way as in gymnasiums.

Fachhochschulreife

allgemeine Hochschulreife

Other topics about #secondary school in Germany
Vocational training in Germany – looking for Ausbildung
Secondary schools in Saarland
Changes in the educational system in Baden-Württemberg
Secondary schools in NRW (North Rhine-Westphalia)
School system in Saxony
Secondary schools in Bavaria
Rheinland Pfalz education system
Secondary school in Berlin – Brandenburg
4th grade. Gymnasium or Realschule?