Enrollment in Volksschule in Austria (Primary School, Lower Grades)

Families moving to Austria not only need to take care of tasks related to the move and handling official matters but also the enrollment of their children in school. In this article, we share our personal experiences and information that may be useful for those arriving in the country with children aged 6-10.

What is Volksschule – Austrian School System

The Austrian school system differs significantly from what is familiar in Hungary. Before starting their studies, children in Austria must attend kindergarten. Kindergarten accepts children from the age of 3, but the obligation to attend only begins in the year when the child turns five before September 1. This means that every child must spend one year in kindergarten before starting school.

Volksschule is a type of school unfamiliar to those raised in the Hungarian education system. If we had to compare it to something, it would correspond to the lower grades of primary school in Austria. Children attend Volksschule for four grades, roughly between the ages of 6 and 10, directly after finishing kindergarten.

School Enrollment in Austria – Volksschule

When we decided to move to Austria, there was no urgent reason pushing us to take immediate action, so we planned everything carefully, including the timing. We scheduled our move for mid-June, at the end of the Hungarian school year. This was very convenient for our child, as it gave him time to say goodbye to his classmates and teachers, and he could also participate in the school closing ceremony.

After determining where we wanted to live within Austria, we chose a city we liked and contacted the management of the local Volksschule via email. At that time, the school year was still in progress in Austria, and due to the longer winter break, children attend school until mid-July.

In the first email, we received information from the headmistress that our son would be placed in the grade appropriate for his age. Children whose native language is not German must participate in a MIKA-D test, and based on the results, they receive targeted language support at the school.

For enrollment, a Meldezettel (residence registration), the child’s birth certificate (a copy is sufficient), and a Sozialversicherungsnummer, or health insurance number, are required. Our child did not yet have this number in the middle of the move, and we were waiting for feedback from the Austrian insurance, so the school only requested the existing data. We provided the number later, before the start of the school year.

Among the documents was also the form for enrollment in the Ganztagesschule (GTS), or after-school care. At our son’s school, classes end by 12:30 PM at the latest, after which children can go home or stay in the GTS until 5 PM.

At our Volksschule, the weekly hours for the four grades are as follows:

	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
1st Grade	2 lessons 8:00-9:20	3 lessons 7:40-10:40	4 lessons 7:40-11:35	4 lessons 7:40-11:35	4 lessons 7:40-11:35
2nd Grade	4 lessons 7:40-11:35	4 lessons 7:40-11:35	5 lessons 7:40-12:30	5 lessons 7:40-12:30	4 lessons 7:40-11:35
3rd Grade	4 lessons 7:40-11:35	4 lessons 7:40-11:35	5 lessons 7:40-12:30	5 lessons 7:40-12:30	4 lessons 7:40-11:35
4th Grade	4 lessons 7:40-11:35	4 lessons 7:40-11:35	5 lessons 7:40-12:30	5 lessons 7:40-12:30	4 lessons 7:40-11:35

At GTS, children receive lunch and snacks, have an hour of study time, and then can play freely. The snack is always some kind of fruit, and healthy eating is also reflected in the composition of lunch. Unlike our experiences in Hungary, Austrian after-school care is well-equipped, with a gym and plenty of toys and creative tools available for the children. When the weather is good, educators try to ensure outdoor play activities for the students.

When enrolling in Volksschule, we also had to fill out a form regarding the child’s health, where we had to inform the school about any chronic illnesses, allergies, and regularly taken medications. Additionally, we could declare the child’s religion, which was relevant only for religious education, an option offered by the Volksschule.

Things to Consider in Hungary Before Starting Studies Abroad

We also needed to send a certificate to our child’s previous Hungarian school. This document indicated that our son would continue his studies at the local Volksschule from September.

Important! As of January 1, 2020, legal changes in Hungary require parents to notify the Educational Authority if a child of compulsory kindergarten or school age moves abroad. We successfully completed this in just a few minutes through the Ügyfélkapu online portal.

Enrolling in Volksschule went quite smoothly, with practically everything conducted via email. Our child had positive experiences during the first days, meeting several Hungarian peers in the after-school care and DAZ (German as a Foreign Language) classes, who helped him settle in.

In Austria, foreign students who do not speak German as their first language, as mentioned above, receive additional German language instruction. These DAZ lessons are integrated into the curriculum and the children’s schedule. The classes are taught by a native German teacher, and there is no option for teaching in each child’s native language, but it is not necessary.

FAQ – Frequently Asked Questions

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