Overview

• The IQB-Bildungstrend 2024, released alongside the education ministers’ conference, reports that about 34% of ninth-graders miss the minimum standard for the Mittlere Reife in mathematics and nearly 9% miss the minimum for the first school certificate.
• Among students aiming for the Mittlere Reife, roughly 24% fail the math minimum, 25% fail in chemistry, 16% in physics and 10% in biology, marking clear deterioration since 2018.
• All 16 states show declines, with Bremen, Hesse, North Rhine-Westphalia and Saarland well below average, while Bavaria, Baden-Württemberg and Saxony perform higher and Hamburg climbs to fourth in math after holding its level.
• The study notes waning interest in STEM and rising psychosocial strain, with 17% reporting frequent emotional problems and 16% indicating hyperactivity signs, alongside weaker outcomes even at many gymnasia.
• The authors urge stronger language support and teacher qualification with fewer lateral entrants and call for coordinated action across families, childcare, schools and universities, as ministers and unions press state-specific responses.