Secondary school

The decision as to which secondary school your child will attend is taken after the fourth year of primary school. 

Information about the different types of school and the choice of schools is provided in the parents' evenings and parent-teacher meetings in the primary school. The class teachers will advice you regarding the secondary school (Secondary General School, Intermediate Secondary School, Grammar School and Comprehensive School) for which your child is qualified. This way, they want to help parents to choose the type of school which best meets the child's skills and qualifications. 
The class teachers of the fourth grade will then issue a recommendation which is part of the mid-term report.

Between November and January, all secondary schools hold an information evening for parents and an open house day (dates published in the press). Those events are intended for parents and children who want to learn about the services etc. offered by the school. It is also possible to arrange a personal counseling appointment with the secondary schools.
The websites of some schools are listed in the overview of schools of the education authority of the district of Soest.

At all secondary schools, your children are able to get the following school-leaving qualifications:

  • Hauptschulabschluss (certificate of secondary education) after grade 9
  • Hauptschulabschluss (certificate of secondary education) after grade 10 - secondary school qualifications I
  • Fachoberschulreife (general certificate of secondary education) (also called Realschulabschluss/secondary school certificate)
  • Fachoberschulreife with qualification note (entitles the student to attend the senior grades of a grammar school)


With the corresponding qualification for the senior grades of a grammar school (grades 10 - 12), students may acquire the following graduations at grammar schools and comprehensive schools:

  • Fachhochschulreife (advanced technical college certificate)
  • allgemeine Hochschulreife (Abitur) (general qualification for university entrance)


The primary school will inform you about the enrolment dates for the secondary schools.

For further information about secondary schools, please see here.

Via Contact, you may get answers to your questions or a counseling appointment at the education authority of the district of Soest by email.