Inequality in German education system persists

The National Education Report (Nationaler Bildungsbericht) once again affirmed inequality in the German education system, while the German government continues to fail to address known issues.

German school system reinforces inequality

Every two years since 2003, a group of independent researchers appointed by the government has investigated equality in education in their national report and recommended actions and policies to the government to increase equal opportunities. Every two years, they have to conclude that there has been little to no progress in supporting disadvantaged groups.

The Nationaler Bildungsreport 2026 is focusing on the impact of early developmental differences on a child's entire educational trajectory. One observation from the report, for example, is that even a mother's profession correlates with the development of her two-year-old child's vocabulary. 

In her presentation of the report to the press, Karin Prien (CDU), Federal Minister of Education, stated that such gaps are already evident before primary school. By the time a child enters the educational system, differences have already been cemented, and usually only close minimally.

By international comparison, the correlation between social status and education is especially strong in Germany. Studies from 2026 show that parents' educational background and income, as well as a child's gender, strongly correlate with educational achievement. 

Girls are more likely to attend academic high schools (Gymnasium); children of parents who have completed their high school exams (Abitur) are more likely to achieve an Abitur themselves. A household net income of more than 6.000 euros increases the likelihood that a child will graduate from high school.

Educational inequality is worse than in 2023

Despite these conclusions having been known for years, the German education system and the policies that shape it have seen little to no progress. Comparing the figures with studies from 2023 shows that inequality in education has only intensified since then.

In Germany, education policies are decided on the state level. Between 2024 and 2026, state governments have taken 347 measures to reduce social inequality in education. The federal government took 13 measures. Yet change is progressing in the opposite direction, furthering the gap. The national education report sees this as a symptom of policies addressing educational institutions rather than early childhood development. 

The report underscores the importance of accessible childcare to ensure children have an equal start in the education system. While childcare offerings have increased in Germany, many still do not participate. Only 20 percent of children under three years old from low-educational backgrounds attend kindergartens. In families with a high level of education, this number is 40 percent. 

Speaking to Tagesschau, Prien argued that the government’s aim should not only be to increase the number of spots but also to make them available in the right regions. Report author Kai Maaz,  argued that labour shortages and high absence rates caused by workplace pressure in childcare and education are partly responsible for these figures.

How the government plans to battle inequality

Prien referred to states currently trialling programmes making attending kindergarten mandatory. "States such as Baden-Württemberg have started the journey of mandatory kindergarten for the last year before elementary school. One will have to see how this develops. I am certain that kindergartens will have to take greater responsibility [for levelling out education],” she told the Tagesschau.

The CDU/CSU-SPD coalition agreement includes mandatory language and development diagnostics for all four-year-olds in Germany. However, so far, only eight of the 16 states have implemented adequate developmental measures in necessary cases.

The federal government, therefore, has been considering how to standardise the language test across the states. A proposed quality development law (Qualitätsentwicklungsgesetz) is intended to help ensure greater coherence at the national level. Such a law will have to pass two grand hurdles. One being resistance from the states: while the federal government may encourage standardisation, in practice, it cannot enforce it. Additionally, it is unclear how such a development would be financed.