Enrollment in Grundschule

Compulsory schooling begins on August 1 of the same calendar year for children who have reached their sixth birthday by the start of September 30.

One year before a child is due to start school, the School Administration Office sends parents or legal guardians a written notice regarding the upcoming enrollment process. The letter includes an enrollment form and an informational brochure.

Parents are free to choose a public Grundschule. Every child has the right to attend the public Grundschule closest to their home, provided that the selected Grundschule has sufficient capacity.

Children whose compulsory education begins on August 1 of a given year must be registered at the school of their choice by November 15 of the previous year at the latest.

The Grundschule will notify families of its final admission decision in December of the previous year.

The legal basis consists of the School Act of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia and the Regulation on the Grundschule Curriculum (Grundschule Curriculum Regulations), along with the corresponding administrative regulations.

Enrollment for First-Time Students for the 2027–2028 School Year

Under the Fifth School Law Amendment Act of April 5, 2011, compulsory schooling begins on August 1 of the same calendar year for children who have reached their sixth birthday by September 30. Children born after September 30 may only be admitted through early enrollment.

As in previous years, parents and guardians once again have the option of enrolling their child in the Grundschule of their choice, regardless of where they live. However, students are legally entitled only to attend the Grundschule closest to their home, provided that the selected Grundschule has sufficient capacity.

Compulsory education applies to all children born between October 1, 2020, and September 30, 2021. As a parent or guardian, you are free to choose the type of school (public, religious, or ideological).

This means that, regardless of where you live, you generally have the option to enroll your child in a Bochum public elementary school, religious school, or ideologically-based school of your choice. However, your child has a legal right only to attend the school of the desired type that is closest to your home—this may also be a branch campus of a primary school network (Section 1(2) of the Regulation on Primary Education — AO-GS of March 23, 2005).

Notification letters containing the registration form will be mailed to parents or guardians starting August 28, 2026. The registration of children entering school will take place from September 14 to 25, 2026. Afterward, parents will receive an invitation from the school administration to introduce their children in person at the schools.