Number of children enrolled in school at highest level since 2003
Around 830,600 children have started school in the current school year, the highest number in 20 years. According to preliminary figures from the Federal Statistical Office in Wiesbaden, the number rose by 2.1 percent compared to the previous year. This is due to higher birth rates and increased immigration, particularly from Ukraine.
The authority registered the increase in almost all federal states, with the highest increases in Baden-Württemberg (plus 6.9 percent) and Saarland (plus 6.9 percent). The figures had already risen sharply in the previous school year and were now even higher. According to the figures, the last time more children started school was in the 2003/2004 school year.
A little more boys
According to the Federal Office, 51.2 percent of children starting school in 2023 were boys and 48.8 percent were girls. The majority of children (93.5 percent) started their school career at an elementary school. 3.1 percent were enrolled at special schools, 2.5 percent at integrated comprehensive schools and 0.9 percent at Waldorf schools.
As a background to the increase in the number of children enrolled in school, the Federal Office explained that there were 4.2 percent more five to seven-year-olds living in Germany at the end of 2022 compared to the previous year. The increase was 1.3 percent for children with German citizenship and 21.3 percent for those with foreign citizenship - the majority of whom come from Ukraine. The exact proportion of Ukrainian children among those enrolled in school could not be quantified.
The highest number of children enrolled in schools across Germany since 2003 was observed in the current school year. This increase in enrollment is partly due to the rise in birth rates and immigration, notably from Ukraine.
Despite the influx of children enrolling in schools, the distribution of genders remains relatively balanced; preliminary data shows that 51.2% of the newly enrolled children are boys, while 48.8% are girls.
Source: www.dpa.com
