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Schools in Luxembourg: how the system works

Cycles, the choice at 12, classique and général (the old 'technique'), the different diplomas and baccalaureates, public international and European schools, private schools, home education, languages and how to register.

School in Luxembourg is free in public schools, compulsory from age 4, and run in several languages at once. That last part is what surprises most people. Here’s how the system fits together, so you can ask the right questions when you register.

The short version

  • Ages 3 to 11: fundamental school (école fondamentale, Grondschoul), split into four cycles.
  • About 12: a decision with your child’s teacher about the secondary track.
  • 12 to 18 or 19: seven years of secondary school, in the classique (ESC) or général (ESG) track, or vocational training.
  • Compulsory: from age 4. Since 1 September 2026 it lasts until 18 for pupils who were not yet 17 on that date (before, it ended at 16). A pupil can leave earlier with a diploma, and a 16-year-old with an employment contract can ask for an exemption.
  • Public international schools teach in English, French or German and lead to the European Baccalaureate, the IB or A-levels. They’re free.
  • The European Schools are mainly for children of EU staff; others can get in if there’s room, for a fee.
  • Private schools exist, some following the national programme, some their own.
  • Home education needs authorisation.

Fundamental school: cycles 1 to 4

Cycle Age (roughly) What it is
Early learning (précoce) 3 Optional. One year before cycle 1
Cycle 1 (Spillschoul) 4–5 Two years. Compulsory from 4
Cycle 2 6–7 Reading and writing start
Cycle 3 8–9
Cycle 4 10–11 Ends with the orientation towards secondary school

A child must start school if they turn 4 before 1 September. Your commune registers your child automatically at the school for your address and sends you a letter with a form. For the optional early-learning year at 3, you have to apply yourself through the commune.

There were 165 public fundamental schools on 1 September 2023.

Languages

This is the big one. In public schools today:

  • Cycle 1 runs mainly in Luxembourgish, with some activities in French.
  • From cycle 2, children learn to read and write in German. Spoken French starts in cycle 2, written French in cycle 3.
  • In secondary school, the teaching languages depend on the track and the year (see below).

This is changing. Parliament voted the ALPHA law on 3 December 2025. During 2026/27 parents of children in cycle 1.2 choose whether their child learns to read and write in German or French. The first pupils start in the chosen language in cycle 2.1 in 2027/28. The ministry plans to extend it to all cycles by 2032/33.

If your child doesn’t speak the languages yet, there are welcome classes and language support at every level (see “New to Luxembourg?” below).

Orientation at about 12

There’s no single exam. In cycle 4 the class teacher and the parents meet three times. The teacher gives a prognosis, and the children sit national tests (épreuves communes) in the last year. Then the parents and the teacher decide together which track your child goes to. If you can’t agree, a commission chaired by a regional director decides. You enrol in the lycée in June.

Secondary school: classique or général

Secondary school takes seven years, counted downwards: you start in 7e and finish in 1re (première). When people say “première” they mean the final year. Schools often add a letter for the track: 7C for classique, 7G for général. Forty public lycées and five private ones follow the national programme.

Classical secondary education (ESC, classique)

  • In 7e most subjects are taught in German, except maths and French.
  • In 6e pupils add English, Latin or Chinese (Chinese only at the Athénée).
  • After 4e they choose one of 11 sections, for example A (modern languages), B (maths and computing), C (natural sciences and maths) or D (economics and maths).
  • Ends with an exam and the diplôme de fin d’études secondaires classiques, which gives access to university.

General secondary education (ESG, général)

  • This used to be called enseignement secondaire technique. The name changed with a 2017 law, so you’ll still hear “technique” and “première technique”.
  • The lower classes (7e to 5e) come in two forms: the voie d’orientation, and the voie de préparation, where teaching is in modules so each child can go at their own pace.
  • From 4e, pupils pick a division: administrative and commercial, health and social professions, general technical, artistic, or hotel and tourism.
  • Ends with an exam and the diplôme de fin d’études secondaires générales, which also gives access to higher education.

The final exam at the end of 1re covers six subjects. There’s a June session and a September session, and marks from the year count for a third.

Vocational training

Vocational training can start after 5e and mostly mixes school and work in a company.

Diploma Usually takes What it is
CCP (certificat de capacité professionnelle) 2–3 years Basic trade qualification, mostly in a company
DAP (diplôme d’aptitude professionnelle) 3 years Full trade qualification
DT (diplôme de technicien) 4 years Technician diploma

After the end-of-secondary diploma there’s also the BTS (brevet de technicien supérieur): about two years, at least 120 ECTS credits, run by some lycées.

Which “bac”? The main end-of-school diplomas

Diploma Where you can take it
Luxembourg diploma, classique Public lycées, private lycées on the national programme
Luxembourg diploma, général Public lycées, private lycées on the national programme
European Baccalaureate European Schools; accredited public European schools
International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Some public lycées (free); private schools including ISL, OTR and the Waldorf school
Cambridge AS and A-levels International School Michel Lucius (public). OTR is a Cambridge exam centre
French baccalauréat Vauban (private, French programme, “from maternelle to the baccalauréat”)
German Abitur plus Luxembourg diploma Schengen-Lyzeum Perl

Public international schools (free)

The state runs international schools and classes that are free and open to residents. The ministry’s April 2026 brochure lists:

  • Accredited European schools, teaching the European Schools curriculum in French, German or English sections towards the European Baccalaureate: EIDE (Differdange and Esch-sur-Alzette), LLIS (Junglinster), LESC (Clervaux), EIMLB (Mondorf-les-Bains), EIMAB (Mersch) and EIGT (Luxembourg City and Walferdange). Luxembourgish is taught up to S3.
  • IB programmes: the Athénée de Luxembourg (in English), and LMA, LTC and LTEtt (in French).
  • Cambridge (IGCSE, AS and A-levels): the International School Michel Lucius.
  • The Schengen-Lyzeum Perl (see below).

How places are given out varies by school, so ask the school directly.

The Schengen-Lyzeum in Perl

The Deutsch-Luxemburgisches Schengen-Lyzeum is a public school run by Luxembourg and Germany together. It’s just over the border in Perl, Germany, near Schengen. The ministry calls it a binational cross-border school.

  • From grade 5 (the same as cycle 4.1 here) to grade 13.
  • German is the main teaching language, so your child needs very good German. French and English are compulsory, and Luxembourgish is also taught.
  • After the lower classes, pupils go into either the Gymnasiale Oberstufe (comparable to the classique track) or a business branch (comparable to the administrative and commercial ESG).
  • At the end, pupils get two diplomas: the German Abitur and the Luxembourg end-of-secondary diploma.

The European Schools

The two European Schools are separate from the public accredited ones. Luxembourg I is in Kirchberg (23, boulevard Konrad Adenauer) and Luxembourg II is at 6, rue Gaston Thorn, L-8268 Bertrange (the ministry places it in Mamer). They’re for:

  • Category I: children of EU institution staff. Free.
  • Category II: children whose parent’s employer has a special agreement with the school and pays.
  • Category III: everyone else, only if there are places, and fees apply. For 2026/27 the standard Category III fees were €4,300.47 a year for nursery, €5,913.21 for primary and €8,063.46 for secondary. There’s 20% off for a second child and 40% for further children. A 25% deposit is due to confirm the place and is not refunded.

Applications for 2026/27 ran from 2 to 27 March 2026. Check euroschool.lu for next year’s dates.

Private schools

Private schools in Luxembourg fall into two groups:

  • Following the national programme: same curriculum and diplomas as public schools.
  • Following another programme: their own curriculum (international, French, Montessori, Waldorf and so on). Many are subsidised by the state, but they set their own fees.

From the ministry’s own lists:

Fundamental level, national programme

Fundamental level, another programme (state-subsidised)

Secondary level, national programme

Secondary level, another programme

  • Fräi-ëffentlich Waldorfschoul Lëtzebuerg, St George’s, ISL, Vauban and OTR (links above).

The Waldorf school in Luxembourg City takes children from age 3 through to the end of secondary and also offers the IB Diploma, mainly in French. Its teaching languages, admissions and fees are on its listing.

The list is in alphabetical order by level, as the ministry gives it, and isn’t a ranking. Fees, waiting lists and teaching languages vary a lot, so ask each school.

Home education

Teaching your child at home is allowed, but only with permission.

  • At fundamental level, the 2009 law says parents who want to teach at home must apply to the regional director, giving their reasons. The authorisation can be limited in time. The teaching must aim at the same core skills as school and is checked. If those conditions aren’t met, the child is enrolled in the local school. Home-educated children still have the school health checks.
  • The 2023 compulsory-schooling law confirms home education is possible under the conditions set by law. If a child is neither enrolled in a school nor authorised for home education, the ministry sends a formal notice. After 8 days without a reply it goes to the youth court.
  • A new law is in the works. Bill 8588 on home education was filed in July 2025 and is still in committee (last update 8 October 2026). The rules may change.

For secondary level, ask the ministry about the procedure before you decide.

Registering your child

  • Fundamental school, public: automatic. The commune writes to you. Bring the documents listed in the letter to the town hall’s schools department.
  • Secondary school, public: your child’s fundamental school handles the move to secondary. If you arrive with a child aged 12 or older, contact the SIA (Service de l’intégration et de l’accueil scolaires) for an appointment. Bring ID, the last two years of school reports and a residence certificate from the commune. You can have the appointment by video before you move.
  • International, European and private schools: apply to each school directly, as early as you can.
  • School abroad: if your child lives in Luxembourg but goes to school abroad, the ministry asks you to send a school certificate within 8 days of enrolment through its online form.

New to Luxembourg?

There’s help at every level, in public schools for free:

  • Welcome classes (classes d’accueil) and intensive language classes for children who arrive without German or French.
  • In secondary school, special language tracks such as Français PLUS and classes with a specific language arrangement.
  • The SIA advises you on the right school for your child’s age, languages and past schooling.

For general advice on choosing a track, the Maison de l’orientation is at 29, rue Aldringen in Luxembourg City (phone 80 02 81 81).

Official sources and further reading

All guides & local stories