Overview

• Testing of about 48,000 ninth-graders shows fewer students meeting standards in mathematics, biology, chemistry and physics than in 2012 and 2018.
• In mathematics, roughly 9% fail the minimum Hauptschulstandard and about 34% miss the Mittlere-Reife benchmark.
• Among students targeting the Mittlere Reife, failure rates reach 24% in math, 25% in chemistry, 16% in physics and 10% in biology.
• The share missing graduation requirements has risen across subjects, including increases of five points in biology, nine in chemistry and seven in physics.
• Researchers report declines across all federal states and social groups, note heightened socio-emotional strains—especially among girls—and recommend language support, stronger teacher qualification with fewer lateral entrants, and coordinated action across families, schools and youth services.