Vienna records 17 percent drop in pupils needing German support

Vienna has 17 percent fewer pupils receiving special German-language support than a year ago, ORF reported, citing figures released by the office of city education councillor Bettina Emmerling.

As of 1 October, 15,174 pupils in the city’s public compulsory schools had extraordinary status, about 13 percent of all pupils. That is the lowest figure since the 2021-22 school year.

Children starting school and, less often, pupils transferring into the system can receive the status for up to two years if a MIKA-D assessment finds they cannot adequately follow lessons without additional German support. Most pupils with the status attend primary school.

They currently account for 18 percent of primary pupils across all four year groups, with most concentrated in first grade. In the previous school year, they made up about 21 percent of primary pupils and nearly half of children starting school. Compared with 2025-26, the number has fallen by 14 percent across primary grades, 37 percent at middle schools and 42 percent at polytechnic schools.

Emmerling said the figures showed progress and credited a halt to family reunification for recognised refugees and consistent German-language support with easing pressure on schools and teachers. She said the decline in primary schools was particularly important because children who can follow lessons from the outset get a stronger start to their education. She also criticised the federal government’s previous approach, saying the improvement could have come earlier.

Emmerling praised Vienna’s free summer German courses for children starting school and cited nationwide measures introduced under Education Minister Christoph Wiederkehr, including compulsory summer school for pupils who need German support, the removal of a cap on German-language support staff and additional staff for schools facing difficult conditions through the Chancenbonus programme. She said further reductions would require a fairer distribution of the integration burden among Austria’s provinces.