Gymnasium

The gymnasium , in the German education system, is a type of secondary school with a strong emphasis on academic learning, comparable with the British grammar school system or with prep schools in the United States. The student attending a gymnasium is called "Gymnasiast" (German plural: "Gymnasiasten"). In 2009/10 there were 3094 gymnasien in Germany, with c. 2,475,000 students (about 28 percent of all precollegiate students during that period), resulting in an average student number of 800 students per school.^[1] Gymnasien are generally public, state-funded schools, but a number of parochial and private gymnasien also exists. In 2009/10, 11.1 percent of gymnasium students attended a private gymnasium.^[1] These often charge tuition fees, though many also offer scholarships. Tuition fees are lower than in comparable European countries.
Some gymnasien are boarding schools, while others run as day schools; they are now predominantly co-educational, and few single-sex schools remain. Students are admitted at 10 or 13 years of age and are required to have completed four to six years of Grundschule (primary education). In some States of Germany, permission to apply for Gymnasium is nominally dependent on a letter of recommendation written by a teacher or a certain GPA, although when parents petition, an examination can be used to decide the outcome.
Traditionally, a pupil would attend a gymnasium for nine years in western Germany, or eight in eastern Germany. Since 2004, there has been a strong political movement to reduce the time spent at the gymnasium to eight years throughout Germany, dispensing with the traditional ninth year or Oberprima, which is roughly equivalent to the first year of higher education. Final year students take the Abitur final exam. The Abitur is not comparable to the SAT in the United States, rather it tests material learned in high school across a wider spectrum than the SAT. Most gymnasien hold an alumni meeting at least once a year.
People unfamiliar with the German system sometimes wrongly assume that only those graduating from a gymnasium are admitted to university in Germany. Although this is normally the case, it is not always true. There are several other ways to earn the Abitur, and there are 50 ways to enter higher education in Germany.^[2] In 2008 in some states, less than half of university freshmen had graduated from a gymnasium. Even in Bavaria (a state that has a policy of strengthening the gymnasium) only 56 percent of freshmen had graduated from a gymnasium.^[3] However, in many cases, it is easier to be accepted by an institution of higher education if one has graduated from a gymnasium. For example, many universities require students who want to study certain subjects, such as medicine, to hold the Latinum, a certificate of Latin comprehension. Gymnasium students can be awarded the Latinum by their school. Students attending other schools often don't have that chance; however, they can take a Latin exam, which if passed, allows the student to be awarded a Latinum. This requires extra initiative, however, because many non-gymnasium schools do not offer Latin.
The gymnasium is backed by a strong lobby in western Germany, and conservative politicians, particularly in the southern regions of Germany, claim that the gymnasium is the best school form in the world.^[4] Indeed, it is by far the number one in the PISA league table.^[5] However some hold the opinion that "this success comes at the cost of a catastrophe in the Hauptschulen"^[5]

Humanistisches Gymnasium (humanities-oriented)

 

Humanities-oriented gymnasien usually have a long tradition. They teach Latin and Ancient Greek (sometimes also Old Hebrew) and additionally teach English or French or both. The focus is on the classical antiquity and the civilizations of ancient Greece and ancient Rome.^{[citation needed]}
For certain subjects, such as History, many universities still require the Latinum, some also the Graecum, proof of study or comprehension of Latin or Ancient Greek, respectively.

Neusprachliches Gymnasium (focus on modern languages)

 

This type of school is less traditional. It teaches at least two modern languages. In most cases the students have the chance to learn Latin as well.

Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliches Gymnasium (focus on math and science)

 

Often combined with the Neusprachliches Gymnasium this type of schools have a greater focus on Maths and Science. Most schools offer Latin or French as second foreign language.