Overview

• The 2025/26 term starts with roughly 808,000 students enrolled, including about 59,550 first-graders attending public schools in Hesse.
• A statewide ban on the private use of smartphones, tablets and smartwatches takes effect, with stricter rules at primary schools and specific exceptions for older students.
• Schools must also enforce a new weapons prohibition designed to create uniform legal standards and enhance on-campus safety.
• Alongside the bans, a values-education platform and an AI-powered chatbot have been rolled out to assist teachers with classroom management and digital literacy.
• The Kultusministerium reports 61,660 teaching positions and additional school psychologist roles to stabilize lessons, though unions highlight persistent staff shortages and non-pedagogical hires.