In nearly half of German primary schools, the share of students with an immigrant background has exceeded 75 percent.

In the past school year, 46 per cent of all primary, secondary and grammar schools in North Rhine-Westphalia taught children with an immigrant background. In many primary schools, the proportion of such students exceeded 75 per cent. According to the response by the Dusseldorf Ministry of Education to a query from the AfD, almost 40 per cent of primary schools in North Rhine-Westphalia had such high proportions.

A student is considered to have an immigrant background if at least one of the following criteria applies:

• They were not born in Germany.
• At least one parent was not born in Germany.
• The everyday language spoken at home is not German.

In the 2024-2025 school year, this applied to nearly every second student (47.7 per cent), the German ministry reported.

In der Gräfenauschule in Ludwigshafen-Hemshof (quasi dem Stadtteil, in dem ich mein Abitur gemacht habe) haben 98 Prozent der Schüler einen Migrationshintergrund. Von 490 Schülern hatten letztes Jahr 440 Förderbedarf, 170 sprachen bei der Einschulung kein Deutsch, dutzende… pic.twitter.com/qGzWx3wf9O

— Jan A. Karon (@jannibal_) June 24, 2025

“The numbers reflect that we live in a society of immigrants, and our schools are characterised by cultural diversity,” Ayla Celik, head of an education union, told Deutsche Presse-Agentur in Dusseldorf. She added that it is high time this diversity be recognised as a strength and that investment be made in schools so that “diversity can be used to achieve fair education.”

“This means providing more language support from the very beginning, teaching intercultural competence in teacher training, and offering targeted individual support, particularly in kindergartens and primary schools,”

demanded the union leader, who argued that only in this way can the diverse student population be seen as enriching.

The ministry’s response also revealed that very few grammar schools had more than 75 per cent of students with a migrant background: in the past school year, this was true for only 3.2 per cent of grammar schools, compared to about 17 per cent of secondary schools and roughly 10 per cent of primary schools.

Education Minister Proposes a Quota

Previously, German Education Minister Karin Prien proposed limiting the number of immigrant children in German schools, suggesting a cap of 30–40 per cent. “We need to manage the issue of migration in our education system better,” Prien said.

Nearly 20 years ago, North Rhine-Westphalia abolished the obligation to attend the district’s designated primary school. As a result, many parents now avoid schools like Schwarz’s, fearing that a high proportion of immigrant students will negatively affect their own children’s academic performance.

In Germany, around 30 per cent of the population of more than 80 million has some form of immigrant background. Among young people, especially in urban areas, the share is much higher. According to the Berlin Statistical Office, children make up 17 per cent of the population, and 55 per cent of all children and adolescents in the city have an immigrant background. In some districts of the capital, such as Neukolln, this figure rises above 70 per cent.

Stefan Dull, president of the German Teachers’ Association, welcomed the debate initiated by Prien, though he doubted her proposal would be implemented. He agreed with critics who argue that the real issue is not immigrant background but a lack of German language skills.

“The German Teachers’ Association has been pointing out for years that teaching becomes significantly more difficult if many students lack sufficient German proficiency,”
he wrote in a statement to DW.

“In our view, however, there is no point in reallocating students just to meet a quota in certain classes. From an organisational standpoint, this is hardly feasible and does not foster social cohesion within the school community.”

Students Criticise Stigmatization

The German Federal Student Conference (Bundesschulerkonferenz) sharply criticised Prien’s idea of introducing quotas for immigrant students in German schools.

In their statement, they wrote that such a move sends a dangerous signal that not all children are equally welcome. According to the students, quotas do not promote a fairer education system but instead stigmatise children. A student’s ethnic background should never be a criterion for educational opportunities. Schools should be places of participation, not exclusion, they said.

However, student representatives supported one of the minister’s proposals: “We support Karin Prien’s proposal to introduce German proficiency tests for four-year-olds. But this should be introduced universally and be mandatory for all children in Germany, not only those with an immigrant background. If results are inadequate, targeted, comprehensive support measures must be implemented — early, compulsory and effectively. Only in this way can we ensure that all children begin their education with equal opportunities.”