Private schools lose students as public international system grows

The number of private school students in Luxembourg continues to shrink while public schools modelled on the European system pick up steam, data published by the education ministry on Tuesday shows.

Overall, more than 118,000 students are heading back to school after the summer, not including adult education. There will be 63,435 primary school pupils and 54,620 secondary school students.

The number is subject to change, as students enrol, change school or move country throughout the academic year.

Primary school enrolment is up from 62,705 last year. That includes 5,610 private school pupils, a number that has shrunk for the seventh consecutive year.

The number of primary pupils in public schools modelled on the European School system, however, more than doubled, from 1,093 students to 2,634.

At secondary level, the picture is better for private schools, as they gained 105 students to reach 10,478. Public international school enrolment increased from 5,635 last year to 6,289 this year.

More than 12,500 teachers will be teaching in the public school system.

The first public international school opened its doors in 2016. There are now six such schools, with another three set to open over the next five years.

In the Luxembourg school system, children speak Luxembourgish in pre-school, are alphabetised in German in primary school, but taught many of their subjects in French at secondary level.

In the international public system, students can select a language section – with most schools offering English, French and German with some also offering other options, like Portuguese, Spanish or Italian. They then learn a second language from an early age.