The Hauptschulabschluss (), Berufsreife or Berufsbildungsreife () is a school leaving certificate in Germany. The Hauptschulabschluss may be awarded to students who graduate from a
Hauptschule
A ''Hauptschule'' (, "general school") is a secondary school in Germany, starting after four years of elementary schooling (''Grundschule''), which offers Lower Secondary Education (Level 2) according to the International Standard Classification ...
or
Abendhauptschule
An Abendhauptschule ("Evening Hauptschule") is a German class of secondary school for mature students to allow them to gain the Hauptschulabschluss. Classes are usually held in the evening.
See also
* Abendgymnasium
An Abendgymnasium or "Evening ...
. It may also be awarded to students who leave the
Realschule
''Realschule'' () is a type of secondary school in Germany, Switzerland and Liechtenstein. It has also existed in Croatia (''realna gimnazija''), the Austrian Empire, the German Empire, Denmark and Norway (''realskole''), Sweden (''realskola''), ...
,
Gymnasium or the
Gesamtschule
A comprehensive school typically describes a secondary school for pupils aged approximately 11–18, that does not select its intake on the basis of academic achievement or aptitude, in contrast to a selective school system where admission is res ...
after having successfully completed 9th or 10th grade (depending on the
State of Germany).
Those who receive the ''Hauptschulabschluss'' may start an apprenticeship (Ausbildung) and enroll in a
vocational school
A vocational school is a type of educational institution, which, depending on the country, may refer to either secondary or post-secondary education designed to provide vocational education or technical skills required to complete the task ...
(Berufsschule) or they may also enroll in another school in order to receive other school leaving certificates such as the
Mittlere Reife
The Mittlere Reife (, lit. ''"Middle Maturity"'') is a school-leaving certificate in Germany that is usually awarded after ten years of schooling. It is roughly comparable with the British GCSE.
The official name varies between the federal stat ...
.
Education in Germany
School qualifications
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