Overview

• Federal Statistical Office data show about 62,000 students left school without any certificate in 2023/24, equal to 7.8 percent and up from roughly 56,000 the year before.
• The rate compares with 5.5 percent in 2013/14 and 8 percent in 2006, underscoring a long-running problem that had eased before climbing again in recent years.
• The figures were obtained through a data request by the Bündnis Sahra Wagenknecht and are available in the statistics authority’s databases.
• BSW leader Sahra Wagenknecht called the trend a failure of the system and urged the education minister to convene state counterparts for a summit at the Chancellery.
• Teacher association president Stefan Düll cited language hurdles, weak identification with society, low motivation, and the availability of low-skill work, while researcher Kai Maaz pressed for earlier support and tailored offerings for late-arriving refugee youths.