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School place lottery in Kassel: 202 children go away empty-handed!
In the 2025 school year, 202 children in Kassel will have to leave their chosen school. Overcrowded classes and challenges in the selection process characterize the current situation.
School place lottery in Kassel: 202 children go away empty-handed!
In Kassel, parents and children are at a crucial crossroads: 202 children were unable to get into the school of their choice for the coming school year. HNA reports a total of 3,597 students who had their first choice fulfilled, while only 182 were able to get a place at their second choice. This development shows a dramatic tripling of unfulfilled wishes compared to the previous year, when only 67 children were affected.
The demand for school places, especially at high schools in Kassel, is enormous. It is reported that all Kassel high schools are over-enrolled. Therefore, additional classes will have to be formed at various schools in the coming months, including the Goethe-Gymnasium and the Wilhelm-Leuschner-Schule. An impressive example is the Wilhelmsgymnasium, whose places for new fifth-graders were quickly filled.
Lack of space and criticism
The German Teachers' Association in Hesse is sounding the alarm and warning of space problems and overcrowded classrooms in the coming years. Secondary school student numbers will continue to rise until 2031, which could worsen the situation. Despite this challenge, the city of Kassel proclaims that every child will find a place at a secondary school.
Criticism of the selection process for students' first and second choices is growing. Parents are disappointed that oversubscribed schools are not considered a second choice. The Henning family received a negative decision, but eventually found a remaining place at the Friedrichsgymnasium. The school district offers counseling for families faced with rejection letters.
Diversity of school offerings
Kassel has a wide range of high schools, nine in total. These include, for example, the Friedrichsgymnasium, known for its extensive range of languages and musical education, and the Goethe-Gymnasium, which is considered a MINT-friendly school and offers a bilingual branch. The Wilhelm Leuschner School is another starting point and, like all secondary schools in Kassel, offers a university entrance qualification.
- Friedrichsgymnasium Kassel – Adresse: Humboldtstraße 5, Schulleitung: Dr. Lothar Schöppner
- Goethe-Gymnasium Kassel – MINT-Freundliche Schule, Ganztagsschule
- Wilhelmsgymnasium Kassel – Tradition und musikalischer Schwerpunkt, Schulleitung: Uwe Petersen
- Engelsburg-Gymnasium Kassel – Starke Wertevermittlung und inklusives Lernen
- Georg-Christoph-Lichtenberg-Schule – Fokus auf sportspezifische Förderung
- Albert-Schweitzer-Schule – Europaschule mit einem Schwerpunkt auf Mehrsprachigkeit
- Jacob-Grimm-Schule – Kreative Fächer im Fokus
- Freie Waldorfschule Kassel – Waldorfpädagogik mit kreativen Angeboten
- Herderschule Kassel – Oberstufengymnasium mit internationalem Austausch
Another new addition will be the new Montessori primary school in the south of Kassel, which will open in the new school year and will offer further options for families.
The current situation makes one thing clear: the allocation of school places in Kassel is like a lottery. Therefore, interested families should prepare well and consider several options in order to exhaust all possibilities Kassel FulleTown notes.
Given these challenges, it is important that the school district and the city monitor how the situation develops in order to take timely action. Ultimately, the needs of children will continue to be a matter of the heart in the future.