One in Two Children Starting School in Vienna Does Not Have Sufficient German
Newly released data on the language proficiency of children starting primary school in Vienna points to a deepening structural crisis in the education system. According to official figures dated 1 October 2025, 50.9 percent of first-grade students in Vienna’s public primary schools were classified as “critical students” because they do not have sufficient German language skills to follow classroom instruction.
This means that one out of every two school-age children is unable to fully participate in classroom learning. In 2020, this figure stood at 41 percent, but surpassing the 50 percent threshold within five years shows that the problem is not temporary but increasingly chronic.
Another striking finding is that the majority of these children were born in Austria. Around 60 percent of the pupils starting school were born in the country, and about one quarter hold Austrian citizenship. This indicates that the issue is not primarily driven by recent migration but is closely linked to shortcomings in Vienna’s early childhood and preschool language support systems.
The number of children receiving German language support in kindergartens also falls short of what is needed. In the 2024–2025 school year, more than 16,800 children were identified as needing German language support, yet around one third of them did not receive targeted assistance from qualified professionals. Education experts warn that this gap places children at a major disadvantage when they begin school.