The School System in Vienna
Compulsory education in Austria |
Registration at school |
Special needs schools |
Students with mother tongues other than German |
School types
Compulsory education in Austria
School attendance is compulsory for all children permanently resident in Austria, and lasts for nine years. Compulsory schooling starts on the first of September following the child's sixth birthday and is generally fulfilled by attendance of four years of primary (elementary school), plus levels 5 to 8 at a secondary modern school or the lower stages of an AHS (academic secondary school providing general education) and the pre-vocational year, or attendance of an intermediate or higher-level school.
Registration at school
Acceptance to class one of an elementary school requires registration (the registration period, usually early March, is announced publicly). Parents with children of compulsory school age receive a letter from the Vienna School Board requesting them to have their children registered at the school nearest to their place of residence. Should you wish to send your child to a different location the school inspector of the relevant district will decide on your child's acceptance. This applies to publicly maintained schools only.
For registration at a private school we recommend you contact the relevant principal at your earliest convenience.
Special needs schools
Special needs schools in Vienna are designed to promote and educate mentally or physically disadvantaged children, who are not able to follow lessons in primary or lower secondary school: special needs schools which take into account a child's ability to learn and their type of disadvantage, integrated classes, co-operative classes, special tutor classes, psychological assistance, advisory teacher models, as well as individual measures to further disadvantaged children's abilities.
Students with mother tongues other than German
Teaching of migrant children takes place by way of integration in regular classes, taking into account students' individual needs:
- remedial German courses
- accompanying teachers
- teachers with migrant students' mother tongues
School types
Compulsory schooling |
Academic secondary schools providing general education |
Vocational schools
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