Is Computer Science Compulsory in German Schools? By State

In short

In the school year 2026/27, Informatik is compulsory for all lower secondary pupils in ten of Germany's sixteen Länder, according to the Gesellschaft für Informatik; only three meet the recommended six hours. Modern Age Coders runs an Informatik Companion course for Klasse 5 to 10, live online in English, in a group or one to one, matched to what your Land teaches.

Courses for school Informatik

Three courses for Informatik at school

One for the compulsory years, one for the Oberstufe, and one for pupils who want competitions on top.

ISB / 01

Informatik Companion, Klasse 5 to 10

Ages 10 to 16. Algorithms, Scratch to Python, data and networks, paced to the Land your child learns in.

Open the syllabus →

Informatik Abitur in English course thumbnail

ISB / 02

Informatik Oberstufe and Abitur

Ages 16 to 19. Java or Python, data structures, SQL and automata for Grundkurs and Leistungskurs.

Open the syllabus →

German Informatics Competitions course thumbnail

ISB / 03

Biber, BWINF and BWKI

Ages 9 to 19. Computational thinking up to contest algorithms and AI projects, with our own practice problems.

Open the syllabus →

All sixteen Länder

Is Informatik compulsory in my German state?

The table measures every Land against the two targets of the Ständige Wissenschaftliche Kommission (SWK), the KMK's standing scientific commission: four compulsory hours across lower secondary in the short term, six by 2030. An "hour" here is one lesson a week for one school year.

Compulsory Informatik in lower secondary, 2026/27, and Oberstufe take-up, 2024/25
Land	Compulsory for all?	Against the SWK target	Next step announced	Oberstufe pupils taking it
Baden-Württemberg	Yes, from 2025/26	Meets 4	Growing year by year; new curriculum due August 2027	7 %
Bayern	Yes	Under 4 for all	None stated	11 %
Berlin	No	None for all	No binding plans known	12 %
Brandenburg	No	None for all	No binding plans known	15 %
Bremen	No	None for all	Compulsory from 2027/28, two to four hours	17 %
Hamburg	Yes, since 2025/26	Meets 4	None stated	22 %
Hessen	No	None for all	No binding plans known	10 %
Mecklenburg-Vorpommern	Yes	Meets 6	None stated	40 %
Niedersachsen	Yes, since 2024/25	Under 4 for all	None stated	9 %
Nordrhein-Westfalen	Yes	Under 4 for all	None stated	14 %
Rheinland-Pfalz	No	None for all	Compulsory from 2028/29, four hours	26 %
Saarland	Yes	Meets 6	None stated	15 %
Sachsen	Yes	Meets 4	None stated	43 %
Sachsen-Anhalt	No	None for all	None stated	14 %
Schleswig-Holstein	Yes, since 2024/25	Meets 4	None stated	12 %
Thüringen	Yes, since 2024/25	Meets 6	Reaches Klasse 10 in 2029/30	33 %

Source: Gesellschaft für Informatik, Informatik-Monitor 2026/27, national comparison and the sixteen Land pages, read 2 November 2026. "Meets 6" and "Meets 4" are the monitor's own lists. "Under 4 for all" is our label for the three compulsory Länder on neither list (Bayern, Niedersachsen, Nordrhein-Westfalen). The last column is each Land page's share of Oberstufe pupils with Informatik, Stand 2024/25, which the monitor takes from KMK statistics. The monitor's summary sentence groups Bremen with the lowest take-up; we print the figure from Bremen's own page, 17 %.

Hours on the timetable

How many hours of Informatik does each Land teach?

The SWK asks for six compulsory hours in lower secondary by 2030 and four in the short term, by 2024/25. The Länder are a long way apart, and inside one Land the school type often matters as much as the Land.

The three that meet six

Mecklenburg-Vorpommern teaches Informatik und Medienbildung in every school type from Klasse 5 to 10, at least one hour in each year. Saarland teaches two hours in Klasse 7 and 8 and one in Klasse 9 and 10 at Gemeinschaftsschulen and the nine-year Gymnasium.

Thüringen introduced Medienbildung und Informatik (MBI) in 2024/25: two hours across Klasse 5 and 6, two across 7 and 8, then one hour in Klasse 9 and one in 10. It is phasing in, and reaches Klasse 10 only in 2029/30.

The four that meet four

Sachsen teaches one hour a week in each of Klasse 7 to 10 at both Oberschule and Gymnasium. Hamburg has required four hours at Stadtteilschulen and Gymnasien since 2025/26 and lets each school spread them over Klasse 7 to 10; Schleswig-Holstein does the same at every school type since 2024/25.

Baden-Württemberg started its compulsory subject Informatik und Medienbildung in 2025/26 in Klasse 5 and 6, with four hours in total at Werkreal-, Haupt-, Real- and Gemeinschaftsschulen, growing a year at a time.

Three Länder make Informatik compulsory but sit under four hours for all. Nordrhein-Westfalen teaches it to every pupil in Klasse 5 and 6, and Niedersachsen in Klasse 9 and 10 since 2024/25. Bayern is the most interesting case: its Mittelschule teaches one hour in every year from Klasse 5 to 10, its Realschule between seven and eleven hours of Informationstechnologie depending on the subject group, but its Gymnasium only two, one hour of Informatik focus inside Natur und Technik in Klasse 6 and in Klasse 7. The program in the next section shows why that one school type decides Bayern's place.

Behind all of this is a staffing problem. Every Land page of the monitor says the same: "Informatik ist in allen Bundesländern ein Mangelfach", a shortage subject everywhere, with too few teachers qualified to teach it. A timetable can promise an hour that a school struggles to staff.

A program you can run

Why is Bayern not in the top group? The answer is a minimum

The monitor's bands read "at least six hours at all school types". A rule about all pupils is only as strong as the school type that offers least. Our short program adds up the hours the monitor gives for each school type and then compares the minimum with the maximum.

For all pupils, or for the luckiest?Python

# Compulsory Informatik hours in Sekundarstufe I, added up over the grades,
# for each school type (Informatik-Monitor 2026/27, Land pages).
hours = {
    "Mecklenburg-Vorpommern": {"every school type": 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 1},
    "Saarland": {"Gemeinschaftsschule": 2 + 2 + 1 + 1, "Gymnasium (G9)": 2 + 2 + 1 + 1},
    "Thüringen": {"every school type": 2 + 2 + 1 + 1},   # 2 in 5/6, 2 in 7/8, 1 in 9, 1 in 10
    "Sachsen": {"Oberschule": 1 + 1 + 1 + 1, "Gymnasium": 1 + 1 + 1 + 1},
    "Hamburg": {"Stadtteilschule": 4, "Gymnasium": 4},
    "Schleswig-Holstein": {"every school type": 4},
    "Bayern": {"Mittelschule": 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 1, "Realschule": 7, "Gymnasium": 1 + 1},
    "Sachsen-Anhalt": {"Sekundarschule": 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 1, "Gymnasium": 0},
}

def band(h):
    if h >= 6: return "6 or more"
    if h >= 4: return "4 or more"
    if h >= 1: return "at least 1"
    return "not for all"

for land, by_type in hours.items():
    for_all = min(by_type.values())     # what every pupil is sure to get
    top = max(by_type.values())         # what the luckiest pupil gets
    print(f"{land:24} for all: {for_all}  {band(for_all):12} top case: {top}  {band(top)}")

Run with Python 3 on 3 November 2026, it prints eight lines. Two of them carry the lesson: Bayern for all: 2 at least 1 top case: 7 6 or more and Sachsen-Anhalt for all: 0 not for all top case: 5 4 or more. The other six give the same band both ways.

What the minimum shows

Measured by the minimum, all eight Länder land exactly where the monitor puts them: Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Saarland and Thüringen at six, Sachsen, Hamburg and Schleswig-Holstein at four, Bayern compulsory but under four, and Sachsen-Anhalt among the six with nothing for all. Our sums of the monitor's per-grade hours, in other words, reproduce its own verdicts.

Bayern's Realschule entry is the smallest of its four subject groups, seven hours; using any of the others would not change the result, because the Gymnasium decides it.

What the maximum would have claimed

Swap min for max and Bayern jumps to "6 or more" on the strength of its Realschule, while Sachsen-Anhalt reaches "4 or more" because its Sekundarschule teaches five hours, even though its Gymnasium pupils get none as a compulsory subject.

The best school type is what a brochure quotes. The minimum is what a parent can count on. Choosing the right one of two built-in functions is the whole difference.

Check the units first. Thüringen says "two hours in the double year 5/6", Sachsen says "one hour in each of 7 to 10", Hamburg says "four hours in total". Before adding, turn every rule into the same unit: weekly hours, summed over the years.
Then decide the question. "Can a pupil get six hours here?" needs max. "Does every pupil get six hours?" needs min.
Try it. Add Baden-Württemberg with the four hours at its Werkreal-, Haupt-, Real- and Gemeinschaftsschulen. Which number would you need for its Gymnasium before you could trust the result?

What changes next

Which Länder are adding compulsory Informatik in 2027 and 2028?

Two of the six Länder without compulsory Informatik have fixed a start; three have no binding plans.

Announced changes to compulsory Informatik, as listed in the Informatik-Monitor 2026/27
School year	Land	What is announced
August 2027	Baden-Württemberg	The new curriculum for Informatik und Medienbildung is due to come into force
2027/28	Bremen	Compulsory at all schools, two to four hours in total
2027/28	Baden-Württemberg	New profile subject Naturwissenschaft, Informatik und Technik (NIT) begins
2028/29	Rheinland-Pfalz	Compulsory at all schools, four hours in total
2029/30	Thüringen	MBI reaches Klasse 10
No date	Berlin, Brandenburg, Hessen	No binding plans known

Source: Gesellschaft für Informatik, Informatik-Monitor 2026/27, national page and the Baden-Württemberg, Bremen, Rheinland-Pfalz and Thüringen pages, read 2 November 2026. Sachsen-Anhalt's page lists the cross-subject plan "Lernen in der digitalen Welt" at the Gymnasium from Klasse 5 since 2024/25, with informatics content of less than one weekly hour.

If the announced steps happen as listed, twelve of sixteen Länder will have compulsory Informatik for all in 2028/29, up from ten today; that count is ours, from the table above. Rheinland-Pfalz already runs a head start: since 2021/22, 21 Informatik-Profil-Schulen there teach compulsory Informatik in Klasse 5.

In the Oberstufe

How many pupils take Informatik in the Oberstufe?

After lower secondary, Informatik becomes a choice almost everywhere, and the choices differ more than the rules do.

From 7 to 43 percent

The Informatik-Monitor puts the national share of Oberstufe pupils taking Informatik in the Qualifikationsphase at about 15 percent. The Land pages for 2024/25 run from 7 percent in Baden-Württemberg and 9 percent in Niedersachsen to 40 percent in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and 43 percent in Sachsen.

The high scorers are the Länder that teach it longest lower down. A pupil who has had Informatik for four or six years is far more likely to choose it at sixteen.

What it means for a pupil

In a Land with low take-up, a school may not run an Informatik Leistungskurs at all, and a pupil who wants computer science may find no course to join. In Sachsen, for example, the monitor says a Leistungskurs is possible only at selected Gymnasien.

Our English page on Abitur maths covers the maths side of the Oberstufe; for Informatik itself, the course below follows the school's language, Java or Python.

For families

What should a family do if their Land teaches little Informatik?

Moving between Länder, or arriving from abroad, can leave a child years ahead or years behind in Informatik. Three practical steps help.

Find out what the school actually teaches. Ask for the Stundentafel (timetable of hours) and the Informatik plan for your child's year. A Land rule may be phasing in, as in Thüringen and Baden-Württemberg.
Fill the gap with real programming. A child in Hessen or Berlin may meet no compulsory Informatik at all; one who moves from Mecklenburg-Vorpommern to Niedersachsen may already know more than the new class.
Keep the German terms. School work is in German even when a pupil thinks in English. Schleife, Verzweigung, Variable and Algorithmus are worth knowing next to loop, branch, variable and algorithm.

Taught in English only

Every class is live and in English. The mentor names the German school word beside the English idea, so school and class connect.

Pace and accent matched

Mentors slow down for a hard idea, rephrase rather than repeat, and get used to how your child speaks.

The same mentor

One person who knows what your child's Land teaches and where the gaps are.

A learning path

An Informatik path that works in any Land

Our own sequence for Klasse 5 to 10. A pupil enters where their school and their skills place them.

Informatik Companion stages (ours)
Stage	Typical Klasse	The pupil can
Algorithms	5 and 6	Write step-by-step instructions and test them on a partner
Blocks to text	6 and 7	Rebuild a Scratch program in Python
Data	7 and 8	Count and compare values in a small table, with a program
Functions and lists	8 and 9	Split a problem into functions and test each one
Systems	9 and 10	Explain how a message crosses a network and why passwords are hashed

For parents

Tell us your Land and school type. The mentor reads the plan your child follows and keeps pace with it.

Where school teaches no Informatik, we start at the first stage and move as fast as the child can.

For pupils

Before you run a program, say what it will print. Then run it and find out why you were right or wrong.

Write down the German word from your worksheet next to the English one from class.

More courses

Nine more courses for young programmers in Germany

Each one taught live by a mentor who stays with the pupil, either in a class of fifteen to twenty or alone.

I

First steps

Ages 6 to 11

ISB / FIRST / 01

Scratch

Blocks, games and the first ideas of algorithms.

Open the syllabus

ISB / FIRST / 02

Computational thinking

Puzzles that teach how to break a problem down.

Open the syllabus

ISB / FIRST / 03

Python and AI for kids

From blocks to typed code.

Open the syllabus

II

Lower secondary

Ages 11 to 16

ISB / MID / 01

Python for teens

Functions, files, data and small projects.

Open the syllabus

ISB / MID / 02

Maths through coding

Where maths lessons and programs meet.

Open the syllabus

ISB / MID / 03

Databases and SQL

Tables and queries, as in many Oberstufe plans.

Open the syllabus

III

Going further

Ages 14 to 19

ISB / MORE / 01

Java for teens

The language many Oberstufe courses use.

Open the syllabus

ISB / MORE / 02

Algorithms and data structures

Searching, sorting, lists and trees.

Open the syllabus

ISB / MORE / 03

IB Computer Science

For pupils at international schools.

Open the syllabus

How classes run

How live Informatik classes work

Weekdays or weekends, flexible: choose your batch, or for a very personalised plan choose 1-on-1 at your convenience, weekend mornings or weekdays. A typical plan is two sessions of an hour each week, and pupils write and run code in both.

Early afternoon

For example 13:30 German time, 18:00 in India in winter.

Later afternoon

For example 16:45 German time, 20:15 in India from 28 March 2027.

1-on-1

Sunday mornings or another time you choose.

Your Land's plan

Matched to the sequence on your child's Informatik worksheets.

Code every class

Pupils type and run their own programs.

Paper too

Tracing code by hand, as school tests ask.

German terms

The word from the worksheet, beside the English.

Short reports

What was learned and what comes next.

Class or private

Fifteen to twenty pupils, or a single learner.

Student work

Projects our students have built

School Informatik is often where a bigger hobby starts. Here is a sample of what learners went on to make; the student labs page shows more.

AI and ML

NutriLife

An AI nutrition coach that reads what you eat and works you toward a target.

by Bhavya · Open it

AI and ML

Misti

A chatbot that answers mathematics and programming questions, built and deployed by a student.

by Harshit · Open it

AI and ML

GuardianX

An assistant that helps a young person recognise unsafe situations online.

by Vivaan · Open it

Web app

SkyCast

A weather forecasting site with live conditions for any location.

by Krish

Fees

Fees for Informatik classes in Germany

Each month's fee pays for eight live classes. The amounts shown here are in euro, worked out at the European Central Bank reference rate, while the card payment itself goes through in US dollars; your bank converts it, so the statement can be off by a little.

Free first class

Free

no card required

A free first class
A short programming task to see where your child stands
No card needed

Book it

Group batch

€90

a month, eight live classes

Fifteen to twenty pupils at one level
One regular mentor
Two classes a week
Monthly, stop whenever you like

Start here

One to one

€134

a month, eight live classes

One pupil, one mentor
Built around the school's Informatik plan
Times chosen by your family

Enquire

What families say

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Google reviews from parents and students, word for word.

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"Modern Age Coders has been a game-changer for me. I struggled to grasp IT concepts and coding before joining, but their classes transformed everything. I can now confidently write complex programs with ease."

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Student

★★★★★

"One of the most wonderful education centres out there. Education is not limited to school syllabus but focuses on skill development."

Vansh Agarwal

Student

★★★★★

"My child Dhairya is really enjoying the Modern Age Coders classes. This is his first online class and he eagerly looks forward to it. I can already see his improvement, and the teachers are very cooperative."

Sonam Oswal

Parent of Dhairya

★★★★★

"Modern Age Coders have wonderful teachers who teach in a clear, easy and practical way. The teacher boosts students' confidence and inspires them to learn without hesitation."

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Parent

★★★★★

"I highly recommend this computer coding class! The teachers are incredibly knowledgeable and passionate about coding."

Ritu Kedia

Parent

Parents ask

Informatik in German schools: common questions

Is computer science compulsory in German schools?

In ten of the sixteen Länder, Informatik is compulsory for all lower secondary pupils in 2026/27, according to the Gesellschaft für Informatik's Informatik-Monitor. In Berlin, Brandenburg, Bremen, Hessen, Rheinland-Pfalz and Sachsen-Anhalt it is not compulsory for all.

Is Informatik compulsory in Bavaria?

Yes, but the amount depends on the school type. The Mittelschule teaches one hour a week in Klasse 5 to 10; the Gymnasium teaches an Informatik focus of one hour in Klasse 6 and in Klasse 7 inside Natur und Technik, and two compulsory hours in Klasse 11.

Is Informatik compulsory in Niedersachsen?

Yes. Since 2024/25 Informatik has been a compulsory subject in Klasse 9 and 10 at every general school type in Niedersachsen, according to the Informatik-Monitor 2026/27.

How many hours of Informatik are recommended?

The KMK's standing scientific commission (SWK) recommends six compulsory hours across lower secondary by 2030, and four as a short-term step. Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Saarland and Thüringen meet six; Baden-Württemberg, Hamburg, Sachsen and Schleswig-Holstein meet four.

Which Länder will add compulsory Informatik next?

Bremen from 2027/28, with two to four hours in total, and Rheinland-Pfalz from 2028/29, with four hours. The monitor knows of no binding plans in Berlin, Brandenburg or Hessen.

What should my child do if their school teaches no Informatik?

Start with real programming outside school, ideally from algorithms and Scratch to Python, so they are ready if they choose Informatik in the Oberstufe. Our Informatik Companion course is built for exactly this.

Are the classes in German?

No, and we say so up front: lessons happen live in English, never German. Our mentors sit in India and adjust to how quickly your child works and how they speak. Since Python and Java are written with English keywords, the language is rarely the hard part, and German school terms are named alongside.

When do the classes run?

Weekdays or weekends, flexible: choose your batch, or for a very personalised plan choose 1-on-1 at your convenience, weekend mornings or weekdays. In winter India is 4 hours 30 minutes ahead of Germany, in summer 3 hours 30 minutes.

Do your classes count towards school marks?

They do not. Our lessons run next to school, and Modern Age Coders has no link with the Gesellschaft für Informatik, the KMK or any education ministry. Only the school's own Informatik marks appear on a Zeugnis.

What does it cost?

A monthly fee, shown on this page in euro at the European Central Bank reference rate and charged in US dollars, which your bank converts. The first class is free and needs no card.

Elsewhere on this site

Related pages

More for pupils and parents in Germany.

Informatik-Nachhilfe online

The same subject, in German, with a trace-table exercise.

Coding classes in Germany

Every page we have for families in Germany.

Abitur maths in English

The maths side of the Oberstufe.

Coding for kids in Berlin

For a Land without compulsory Informatik.

AI classes in Germany

For teenagers ready for machine learning.

Informatik Companion syllabus

Every topic, Klasse 5 to 10.

Start here

Book a free first class

The first class is a short programming task matched to your child's Klasse. The mentor sees what your child already knows, compares it with what your Land teaches, and suggests a group or a one-to-one plan.

To read first: the Informatik Companion syllabus and how we teach.

WhatsApp us · +91 91233 66161 · connect@modernagecoders.com

Every session is online and live, held in English by a mentor in India. Questions are answered fastest on WhatsApp.

Want a class sooner? Book a priority demo

A priority demo is a full class of about 45 to 60 minutes. After the class the mentor sends a written skill report and a personal learning roadmap on WhatsApp. If you enrol, the demo fee is adjusted against your first month's fee. Share your demo Order ID with us on WhatsApp and we take it off.

Book a priority demo

Three courses for Informatik at school

Informatik Companion, Klasse 5 to 10

Informatik Oberstufe and Abitur

Biber, BWINF and BWKI

Is Informatik compulsory in my German state?

How many hours of Informatik does each Land teach?

The three that meet six

The four that meet four

Why is Bayern not in the top group? The answer is a minimum

What the minimum shows

What the maximum would have claimed

Which Länder are adding compulsory Informatik in 2027 and 2028?

How many pupils take Informatik in the Oberstufe?

From 7 to 43 percent

What it means for a pupil

What should a family do if their Land teaches little Informatik?

Taught in English only

Pace and accent matched

The same mentor

An Informatik path that works in any Land

For parents

For pupils

Nine more courses for young programmers in Germany

First steps

Scratch

Computational thinking

Python and AI for kids

Lower secondary

Python for teens

Maths through coding

Databases and SQL

Going further

Java for teens

Algorithms and data structures

IB Computer Science

How live Informatik classes work

Your Land's plan

Code every class

Paper too

German terms

Short reports

Class or private

Projects our students have built

NutriLife

Misti

GuardianX

SkyCast

Fees for Informatik classes in Germany

Rated 4.9 across 547 Google reviews

Informatik in German schools: common questions

Is computer science compulsory in German schools?

Is Informatik compulsory in Bavaria?

Is Informatik compulsory in Niedersachsen?

How many hours of Informatik are recommended?

Which Länder will add compulsory Informatik next?

What should my child do if their school teaches no Informatik?

Are the classes in German?

When do the classes run?

Do your classes count towards school marks?

What does it cost?

Related pages

Informatik-Nachhilfe online

Coding classes in Germany

Abitur maths in English

Coding for kids in Berlin

AI classes in Germany

Informatik Companion syllabus

Book a free first class

Want a class sooner? Book a priority demo

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