Overview

• About 1.76 million students return to class, roughly 46,000 more than last year, with gymnasiums absorbing around 30,000 due to the return to G9.
• The ministry created 1,300 additional teacher posts for 2025/26 and reported about 4,200 hires plus 600 multiprofessional support roles.
• A statewide moratorium for 2026 bars creation of new state positions for the 2026/27 year, prompting warnings from teacher associations of worsening shortages.
• Kultusministerin Anna Stolz says the freeze does not affect the new school year and that prospects beyond 2026 depend on upcoming budget negotiations.
• Shortages are most acute at Mittelschulen, where trainee numbers are very low; schools are expanding Vorkurse Deutsch and launching pilot alphabetization classes at selected sites.