{
  "id": 13075963,
  "title": "Bildungskrise: Neuer Negativ-Rekord – 65.000 Jugendliche verlassen jährlich Schule ohne Abschluss",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/09/bildungskrise-neuer-negativ-rekord-65-000-jugendliche-verlassen",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-09T09:00:20.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Handelsblatt",
    "slug": "handelsblatt",
    "url": "https://www.handelsblatt.com/politik/deutschland/65.000-jugendliche-verlassen-jaehrlich-schule-ohne-abschluss/100260984.html"
  },
  "original_language": "de",
  "account": "The number of young people leaving school without a diploma has once again risen sharply, according to data from the German Federal Statistical Office (Statistisches Bundesamt). In the 2024/2025 school year, there were nearly 65,000 students who dropped out without completing their education – up from 62,000 the previous year and 56,000 the year before that. The figures are available in the databases of the official statistics authority. For comparison, in the 2014/2015 school year, the number was 47,400. The number rose to around 53,000 between 2018/2019 and 2024/2025, even temporarily falling during the pandemic, possibly due to exam easing measures. Since then, the numbers have been steadily increasing. This not only means a higher absolute number of dropouts, but also a growing share of students leaving school without at least a lower secondary school leaving certificate. In the 2013/2014 school year, this proportion was around 5.5 percent, increasing to about 6.6 percent in the 2018/2019 school year and reaching 8.4 percent in 2024/2025 – the highest rate in the past 20 years. This represents a worrying trend that could lead Germany to become more like a country of dropouts and undereducated individuals. Education minister Sahra Wagenknecht warned, \"If 65,000 students leave school without a diploma, that's a state-organized lack of skilled workers! The education system is of national importance and must not fail due to federalism and mini-statehood. Schools and education are the responsibility of the federal states in Germany.\"",
  "summary": "Die Zahl der Jugendlichen, die ohne Schulabschluss die Schule verlassen, steigt immer weiter. Wieder gibt es einen neuen Negativ-Rekord. Auch die Zahl der Schulabbrecher klettert auf Höchstwerte.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}