Saxony leads German education ranking as report notes rising qualification deficits

Federal rankings and top performers

Saxony retained first place in the 2026 Bildungsmonitor, followed by Bavaria, Hamburg, and Baden-Württemberg. Saarland rose to fifth place among Germany's 16 federal states, benefiting from above-average numbers of computer science graduates and the highest proportion of dual-study students per capita. North Rhine-Westphalia, Saxony-Anhalt, and Bremen occupied the bottom positions of the overall ranking. Conducted by the Cologne Institute for Economic Research on behalf of the Initiative New Social Market Economy, the annual study has evaluated regional education systems since 2004 using 98 indicators across 13 fields. Saxony earned high marks for widespread all-day care in schools and kindergartens alongside well-qualified childcare staff. Bavaria ranked first in vocational training capacity and recorded Germany's lowest school dropout rate at 5.9% in 2024, compared to the 7.8% national average.

National skill deficits and social mobility

The nationwide assessment reported a persistent divergence between formal qualifications and actual academic competencies in mathematics, reading, and natural sciences. While the proportion of educational climbers aged 35 to 44 who surpassed their parents' educational attainment rose from 23% in 2004 to 29.1% in 2024, the share experiencing downward mobility also expanded from 3.7% to 7.6%. Furthermore, 18.8% of young adults currently lack any professional qualification. Thorsten Alsleben, the managing director of the Initiative New Social Market Economy, described the overall trajectory of student skills as a growing concern.

“The difficulty is that the level of education is falling in Germany in general.”

Upward mobility in 200423%

Upward mobility in 202429.1%

Downward mobility in 20043.7%

Downward mobility in 20247.6%

Upward mobility in 2004

23 %

Upward mobility in 2024

29.1 %

Downward mobility in 2004

3.7 %

Downward mobility in 2024

7.6 %

Data from the article text

Regional disparities and vocational gaps

Performance varied across individual states in infrastructure, spending, and completion metrics. In North Rhine-Westphalia, the primary school quality ranking dropped to 15th place following below-average ninth-grade competency results in mathematics and science. North Rhine-Westphalia spent 8,100 euros per primary pupil, trailing the federal average of 9,000 euros despite a recent increase of 1,800 euros per child. In vocational training, only 62.6% of school leavers from technical and vocational colleges in North Rhine-Westphalia graduated successfully in 2024, compared with the 80.4% national benchmark. Jochen Ott, the parliamentary leader of the Social Democratic Party in North Rhine-Westphalia, called for curriculum streamlining and integration of extracurricular learning locations.

North Rhine-Westphalia62.6%

Germany average80.4%

North Rhine-Westphalia

62.6 %

Germany average

80.4 %

Data from the article text

“Education remains the Achilles heel of our state. Nothing has improved under the black-green coalition.”

Childcare infrastructure and early intervention plans

All-day care availability remains an unresolved operational hurdle for several leading and mid-ranking states. In Bavaria, only around one third of kindergarten children attend full-day care programs, compared to nearly half across Germany as a whole. Schleswig-Holstein fell from eighth to ninth place overall after losing its previous performance advantage in mathematics and science, while its school leavers without diplomas reached approximately 10%. To address early deficits in German language skills and social behavior noted by the GEW education union, Schleswig-Holstein began evaluating children at four and a half years old to assess development before school entry. Education Minister Dorit Stenke confirmed plans to direct targeted resources to schools in challenging locations, alongside the nationwide phased rollout of legal entitlements to full-day primary care that began on 1 August 2026.

“Every child deserves the chance to develop their abilities and follow their own path, regardless of origin or their parents' wallet. That is why we consistently invest in education.”