Schools and Gymnasium entry in Brandenburg

Primary school in Brandenburg lasts six years, and children usually move on in Grade 7. Gymnasium is the academic pathway that leads to the Abitur, and the state also has other secondary school types with different leaving qualifications.

Entry is based on a weighted average from the first-half Grade 6 report. German and maths count three times each, the first foreign language twice, and natural sciences and social sciences once each. Add the weighted grades and divide by ten. An average of 2.3 or better means no test is needed.

If the average is worse than 2.3, your child must pass a one-day Probeunterricht (trial teaching) to establish suitability.

One detail worth knowing: selected schools run Leistungs- und Begabungsklassen, classes for high-achieving children, from Grade 5. That is a separate process with its own recommendation, test and interview.

This page describes the ordinary move from primary school. Later transfers into Gymnasium, and specialist schools with their own profiles, can have different requirements.