What is a high school called in Germany?

Answer 1

Hauptschule, Realschule or Gymnasium. Which type of school you attend depends on what track of studies, e.g. trades attend Realschule and University bound students attend the Gymnasium which is a 13 year course as opposed to the American 12 year course. (In Germany the school system varies from one Land (or state) to another and there are variations in this pattern). Note that Hochschule refers to a university or comparable institution, not to high school.

Answer 2

the German school system is a matter of state law (i.e. Bundesländerebene), which means that the details of its structure differ from state to state. Generally, it is organized as follows.

- Kindergarten is not an official part of school and attendance is not mandatory.

- School begins with elementary school (Grundschule), which usually comprises four years.

- after elementary school, children are split into different levels according to their intellectual acumen (or at least according to what the teachers deem to be their accumen at a very young age, a controversial issue). The levels are:
- Hauptschule (a basic school which goes from 5th to 10th grade and basically prepares children for some vocational school)
- Realschule (this goes from 5th to 10th grade, after which children can either attend the higher school to attain their general qualification for university entrance or attend a vocational school or start a traineeship at a company)
- Gymnasium (goes from 5th to 13th grade, in some states 12th grade, at the end of which students the Abiturprüfung, the exams which enable them to attend a university)

Next to Realschule and Gymnasium there is also the Gesamtschule. This is a newer form of 'integrated school' which was created in the 70s. It is intended to replicate models such as the American one, where everyone learns together and some classes are more advanced than others. It was felt that this offers better chances for equal opportunity among students and could help social integration. Results are mixed however, and Gesamtschulen still do not enjoy the same reputation as Gymnasien.

- Tertiary education either consists of a university (Universität) or a technical school of higher education (Fachhochschule).

If you were looking for names of individual schools, schools are given names of famous historical figures. Some examples might be: Nicolaus Cusanus Gymnasium, Albertus Magnus Gymnasium, Dietrich Bonhoeffer Gymnasium, Paul Klee Realschule.

Answer 3

das Gymnasium

Answer 4

Hauptschule

Answer 5

Grundschule

Answer 6

gymnasium