Schools and Gymnasium entry in Nordrhein-Westfalen

Primary school in Nordrhein-Westfalen lasts four years, and children usually move on in Grade 5. Gymnasium is the academic pathway that leads to the Abitur, and the state also offers other secondary school types with different leaving qualifications.

The primary school sends its school-type recommendation with the Grade 4 half-year report. That recommendation is not binding: parents decide the next pathway after guidance.

If your child has neither a full nor a conditional Gymnasium recommendation, you must take part in a guidance conversation at the receiving school when you register. A missing recommendation is not by itself a ban on applying.

One detail worth knowing: Grades 5 and 6 form an Erprobungsstufe, an assessment stage, and progression and any change of school type follow their own rules.

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