916 children are starting school in Jena

For 916 children in Jena, a new chapter in their lives begins on Monday—they’re starting school. That’s 20 fewer than last year. 

In the 2024–25 school year, there were 989, and in 2022–23, as many as 1,052 first-graders. Most first-graders are six years old; 138 children are already seven, 11 are five, and 2 are already eight. There are particularly large first-grade classes at Nordschule, Westschule, Heinrich-Heine-Schule, and Saaletalschule. 

A total of 1,139 students are expected in fifth grade. The Wenigenjena Comprehensive School and the Angergymnasium have the largest fifth-grade cohorts, each with four learning groups.

However, the long-term trend is clearly downward. From 1,008 first-graders in 2020, the number could drop to around 670 by 2030. A decline is also expected among fifth-graders, from 1,078 to about 870.