Enrollment in Grundschule

Compulsory schooling begins on August 1 of the same calendar year for children who have reached the age of six by the start of September 30.

One year before a child is due to start school, the School Administration Office notifies parents or legal guardians in writing about the upcoming enrollment process. The letter includes an enrollment form and an informational brochure.

Parents are free to choose a Grundschule. Every child has the right to attend the Grundschule closest to their home, provided that the selected Grundschule has sufficient capacity.

Children whose compulsory schooling begins on August 1 of a given year must be enrolled at the school of their choice by November 15 of the previous year at the latest.

The Grundschule will notify families of its final admission decision in December of the previous year.

The legal basis for this is the School Act of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, as well as the Regulation on the Grundschule Curriculum (Grundschule Curriculum Regulations) and the corresponding administrative provisions.

Enrollment for First-Time Students for the 2026–2027 School Year

Under the Fifth School Law Amendment Act of April 5, 2011, compulsory schooling begins on August 1 of the same calendar year for children who have reached their sixth birthday by September 30. Children born after September 30 may only be admitted under the early enrollment program. 

As in previous years, parents and guardians once again have the option of enrolling their child in the Grundschule of their choice, regardless of where they live. However, students are legally entitled only to attend the Grundschule closest to their home, provided that the selected Grundschule has sufficient capacity.

Compulsory education applies to all children born between October 1, 2019, and September 30, 2020. As a parent or guardian, you are free to choose the type of school (public, religious, or ideological).

This means that, regardless of where you live, you generally have the option to enroll your child in a Bochum public elementary school, denominational school, or ideological school of your choice. However, your child has a legal right only to attend the school of the desired type that is closest to your place of residence—this may also be a branch campus of a primary school network (Section 1(2) of the Ordinance on Primary Education — AO-GS of March 23, 2005). 

Notification letters containing the registration form will be sent to parents or legal guardians starting on August 22, 2025. The registration of children entering school will take place from September 8, 2025, through September 19, 2025. Afterward, parents will receive an invitation from the school administration to introduce their children in person at the schools.