School in Austria: enrolling, learning German and the choice at age ten

Your child simply goes to the local state school in Austria, and that is also an obligation: every child living there permanently is of compulsory school age, regardless of nationality. Compulsory schooling starts on the 1 September after the sixth birthday and lasts nine school years. Your child doesn't need to speak German on arrival; the school tests the level and, if needed, places the child in a Deutschförderklasse. The pitfall is in the fourth year: there the marks for German, reading and maths decide whether your child can go to the Gymnasium without an entrance exam.

What does the school system look like?

School year	Age, as a rule	School
The year before compulsory school	the year before Volksschule	kindergarten, half days compulsory and free
1 to 4	6 to 10	Volksschule
5 to 8	10 to 14	Mittelschule or the lower level of the AHS
9	14 to 15	Polytechnische Schule, upper level of the AHS, or a vocational school

The last year before primary school is a half-day kindergarten of twenty hours a week, compulsory and free. The AHS, the allgemeinbildende höhere Schule, has a lower and an upper level that connect to each other.

If your child's birthday is on 1 September, compulsory schooling starts on that birthday; a child who turns six on 2 September or later starts a year later. School starts in Vienna, Lower Austria and Burgenland on the first Monday of September, in the other states on the second.

How do I enrol my child?

You register a child of compulsory school age at the Volksschule it belongs to, the Einschreibung. Bring the child: the head gets to know it and establishes whether it is ready for school. The papers you bring are set by the Bildungsdirektion of the state; ask the school. The government advises bringing your children's reports and school statements in a German or English translation, so they end up in the right year straight away.

If you choose a private school, get in touch well before enrolment. Most private schools are church schools; there are also international and foreign-language schools. Note that a private school without Öffentlichkeitsrecht may not issue recognised reports.

What if my child doesn't speak German yet?

If a child can't, or can barely, follow lessons because of the language, it is placed in a Deutschförderklasse or a Deutschförderkurs. How much support it gets, the school decides with MIKA-D, a national, standardised test. From the 2026/27 school year schools may shape that support themselves; the model with classes and courses remains for schools that continue with it. New since 2026: pupils from a Deutschförderklasse are obliged to attend the Sommerschule.

A child that has to attend such a class or course cannot fulfil compulsory schooling through home education, according to the Ministry of Education. Anyone planning to home-school for a year first has to let that go as soon as the school prescribes Deutschförderung.

Why does the fourth year weigh so heavily?

This is where it differs from the Netherlands, and it mainly affects families moving with a child of eight or nine. After four years of Volksschule your child chooses between the Mittelschule and the AHS. The Ministry of Education is precise about it: your child may go to the AHS without an entrance exam if the annual report of the fourth year shows no mark lower than "Gut" for German, reading and maths, and all other subjects passed. With a "Befriedigend" the staff conference of the Volksschule can still declare your child suitable. Without that declaration an entrance exam at the AHS follows.

The application deadline falls early in the year. The application for a place at the Mittelschule or the AHS must reach the school by the second Friday after the semester break at the latest, together with the half-year report. If you move during the fourth school year, ask the school and the Bildungsdirektion straight after arrival how it works for your child.

What do I get back as a parent?

For every child living in Austria you can apply to the Finanzamt for Familienbeihilfe. In 2026 that is € 138.40 a month from birth, € 148 from age three, € 171.80 from age ten and € 200.40 from age nineteen, with a supplement for families with more children. On top of that you automatically receive the Kinderabsetzbetrag of € 70.90 per child per month, and in August a Schulstartgeld of € 121.40 for every child aged six to fifteen, without a separate application.

The money is in your account by the eighth of the month at the latest, and that may be any account in the SEPA area. So your Dutch account will do while the Austrian one isn't running yet; see also banking and payments in Austria.

In Vertrekklaar this is phase 5 of 5 of the journey, step 5.4: the same steps, but for your situation — in your order, tickable, and with the deadlines watched. See the whole journey to Austria or go straight to step 5.4 in the open plan.