Thuringia to Launch Eleven Family School Centers to Boost Educational Success

Eleven state schools in the German federal state of Thuringia are set to become family school centers at the start of the new school year, the Thuringian Ministry of Education announced, marking a reduction from the 15 institutions originally designated for the program at the end of 2024. A ministry spokeswoman confirmed the figure, attributing the shortfall to capacity constraints at some schools that had previously expressed interest. The participating institutions are primary schools located in Northern and Eastern Thuringia, with several facilities in Gera and one in Nordhausen. The program aims to improve student outcomes by treating children's education as a shared responsibility among teachers, pupils, and — above all — parents. Corresponding offers are to be gradually introduced in individual schools once the new school year begins.

Parents become active partners in children's school careers The core philosophy of family school centers holds that parental involvement is a decisive lever for academic success, and the program is designed to activate that lever systematically. „Family school centers increase the educational success of students indirectly through the parents: they strengthen parenting skills, convey educational awareness, and create networks with schools and counseling centers” — Thuringian Ministry of Education spokeswoman via N-tv Under this model, parents are encouraged to motivate their children toward stronger academic performance and to participate in homework assistance programs. The centers treat parental engagement not as a supplement to schooling but as a structural component of it. The initiative also connects schools with external counseling centers, building a broader support network around each child. Through this approach, parents are intended to become active companions throughout their children's school careers rather than passive observers.

Coordination office search must conclude by June 1 To operationalize the expansion, the Thuringian Ministry of Education is currently searching for a provider to run a coordination office for the project, with that search required to conclude by June 1, 2026. The program was previously known in Thuringia as "family primary school centers," but was renamed "family school centers" to signal that secondary schools can also adopt the model. Some institutions that had expressed interest in joining the program were ultimately excluded after it became clear they lacked the necessary capacities to implement the concept. The reduction from 15 to 11 schools reflects that practical screening process rather than a policy retreat. Thuringia family school centers: planned vs. confirmed: Schools designated for the program (before: 15 (announced end of 2024), after: 11 (confirmed April 2026))

Research from LIfBi underlines the social gap in early education The initiative draws on a well-documented body of educational research linking family background to children's long-term academic trajectories. A recently presented study by the Leibniz Institute for Educational Trajectories reinforced this connection, finding that parents with high professional status are particularly likely to enroll their children in daycare at an early age. „Children from families with low educational levels participate less frequently in early childhood care before the age of four” — LIfBi study presentation via DIE WELT The social status of families and the educational background of parents are identified by researchers as essential factors shaping which school, vocational, or university qualifications children eventually obtain. Family school centers are designed precisely to intervene in this dynamic by equipping lower-income and less-educated parents with the tools and awareness to support their children more effectively. The program thus functions as both an educational and a social equity initiative, targeting the structural disadvantages that research has repeatedly shown to compound across generations. Germany's federal education system delegates significant authority over schooling to individual states, meaning programs like Thuringia's family school centers are developed and funded at the state level. Educational inequality linked to parental background has been a persistent concern in German policy debates, with studies consistently showing that children from lower socioeconomic households underperform relative to peers from more educated families. The Leibniz Association, of which LIfBi is a member, has produced extensive longitudinal research tracking these disparities over time.