The German school system is facing major structural challenges that are likely to intensify in the coming years. These include the inclusion of children with special educational needs as required by the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the integration of a large number of immigrant children (with and without a refugee background), and a severe shortage of teachers. However, due to the structural makeup of the school system, these challenges affect elementary schools and non-gymnasium (non-grammar) secondary school types far more than gymnasia (grammar schools), which already operate under more favorable conditions. Therefore, a new school structure debate seems inevitable.

Keywords
school structure, grammar schools, inclusion, migration, teacher shortage, social inequality