Primary School in Berlin

Children in Berlin start Grundschule in the year they turn 6, usually in August or September. Children born between October and December may start a year later depending on their development. School registration (Schulanmeldung) happens in January or February for the following school year.

You register at your local (Einzugsgebiet) Grundschule. In Berlin, every address is assigned to a specific Grundschule based on catchment area. You can find your assigned school using the Berlin school finder on the Berlin Senate website. Registration requires your child's birth certificate, proof of address, and vaccination record.

In theory, parents can apply to a different Grundschule outside their catchment, but places are not guaranteed. Priority goes to children in the catchment area. Some schools have specific profiles (bilingual, music, sport) and accept applications from outside the catchment on that basis.

Berlin Grundschulen offer welcome classes (Willkommensklassen) for children who do not yet speak German. These are separate classes focused on German language acquisition before integrating into the regular class. Quality and availability varies by school.

Grundschule in Berlin runs from around 8am to 1pm for lessons. Most schools offer Hort (after-school care) until 4pm or 6pm, usually on the same premises. Hort is separate from the school and has its own fees and application process. Lunch is provided in Hort. Some schools have integrated full-day programs (gebundene Ganztagsschule) where attendance until afternoon is compulsory for all children.

Twice a year, usually at the end of January and at the end of the school year in June, children receive their school report (Zeugnis). In years 1 and 2 there are no numerical grades, only written descriptions. Numerical grades (1 to 6, with 1 being best) begin in year 3.