Contents

General introduction............................................................................................................................... 2
Schooling age ...................................................................................................................................... 2
Public and private education options ................................................................................................. 2
Home schooling .................................................................................................................................. 2
School year and holidays .................................................................................................................... 3
Transport............................................................................................................................................. 3
Public schools .......................................................................................................................................... 3
Luxembourgish primary and secondary education ............................................................................ 3
Primary education ........................................................................................................................... 3
Secondary education ...................................................................................................................... 3
International primary and secondary education ................................................................................ 4
Primary education ........................................................................................................................... 4
Secondary education ...................................................................................................................... 4
Private schools ........................................................................................................................................ 4
Primary education ........................................................................................................................... 4
Secondary education ...................................................................................................................... 4
Schools in detail ...................................................................................................................................... 5
European Schools of Luxembourg ...................................................................................................... 5
Ecole Internationale de Differdange et Esch-sur-Alzette.................................................................... 5
Ecole Internationale de Mondorf-les-Bains ........................................................................................ 6
International School Junglinster ......................................................................................................... 6
Over the Rainbow School.................................................................................................................... 6
St. George’s International School ....................................................................................................... 7
School structure .............................................................................................................................. 7
International School of Luxembourg .................................................................................................. 8
School structure .............................................................................................................................. 8
Athénée de Luxembourg..................................................................................................................... 9
International School Michel Lucius ..................................................................................................... 9

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Schooling in Luxembourg
General introduction
This document provides an overview of schooling in Luxembourg.

Schooling age

Early learning is available from the age of three, and it is especially helpful for the children of expat
families, helping the children to integrate properly. It is not mandatory but highly recommended.
Attending school is obligatory from the age of 4 to 16.

While your child may arrive to Luxembourg in the middle of school year or when the school year is
already ended in your home location - the schooling obligation applies based on Luxembourgish
schooling calendar. The school year runs from September until July each year – the exact start/end
date will vary per school. Kindly consult with your relocation agent in order to ensure you remain
compliant.

Public and private education options

The vast majority of schools are state-run and free. There are some non-public schools that teach
the same curriculum as state schools for the same diplomas, but charge tuition. The following five
private schools teach a different curriculum:

▪ Waldorf School (International Baccalaureate)

▪ International School of Luxembourg (International Baccalaureate)
▪ St. George’s School (National Curriculum of England, Wales and Northern Ireland)
▪ Lycee Vauban (French National Curriculum)
▪ Over the Rainbow School (International Primary Curriculum)

The European Schools are public schools in the sense that they accept the children of European
Union civil servants for free. The schools also accept children whose parents work for other
organizations with special agreement. Other parents may send their children to the schools paying
for the tuition, but special restrictions apply. The European School awards the European
Baccalaureate.

Note: Further details on special agreements and restrictions can be found under individual schools.

Home schooling

Home schooling is permitted in Luxembourg. Currently there are around 50 children of primary age
and hundreds of secondary level being homeschooled by their parents. Further information and
details of an educational inspector can be requested at the local commune. Under the 2009 law,
parents wishing to teach primary aged children at home must notify their commune and explain
their reasons to the school inspector who approves the homeschooling. Meanwhile, students should
achieve the minimum objectives set by the national curriculum and parents must supply evidence of
the learning.

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School year and holidays

The school year starts on the 15th September and ends on the 15th July.

The year is divided into three 12 - week terms by three holidays: Christmas holiday - 2 weeks, Easter
holiday - 2 weeks, summer holiday - 8 weeks.

Autumn term September 15th – Christmas holiday

Winter term January – Easter holiday
Spring term Easter holiday – July 15th

In addition, every term recognizes a 1-week short break around three festive days; All Saints,
Carnival and Whit Sunday.

Schools are closed on public holidays. Private schools have their own school terms and holiday
system which is provided by the school on application.

Transport

Both private and European school operate their own school bus system and fees may apply. There is
no school bus system in operation in primary schools in Luxembourg city however, many other
communes provide this service with no extra charges.

Public schools

Luxembourgish primary and secondary education

Primary education

▪ Cycle 1 – elementary school (ages 3-5) Attending the first year is optional, but pre-school
education (ages 4-5) is compulsory. The language of instruction is Luxembourgish.

▪ Cycle 2, 3, 4 (ages 6-12) The main language of instruction is Luxembourgish and German.
Reading, writing and mathematics are taught in German. Children begin to learn French in
the second year of this cycle.
Newly arrived children of elementary school and 1st year of primary school (ages 3-6) are
integrated into regular primary classes, where they learn Luxembourgish and German. From
the 2nd year of primary school (age 7) they learn German and/or French intensively (15
lessons per week) in special “welcome” insertion classes. These classes are provided by the
Ministry of education free of charge. The number of hours set aside for teaching German
and/or French depends on the age and language skills of the pupil. The objective is to
integrate the pupils into a regular class as quickly as possible.

Secondary education

At the end of primary school (age 12) pupils are oriented towards classic or technical secondary
education. All newly arrived pupils aged 12 or older must contact the reception desk for newly

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 arrived pupils at the Ministry of Education - Cellule d'accueil scolaire pour élèves nouveaux
arrivants (CASNA) - to start the assessment and placement procedure.

Please consult their Information for foreign parents and students guide for further explanation.

International primary and secondary education

Primary education

▪ Francophone school: Ecole Internationale de Differdange, Ecole Internationale de

Mondorf-les-Bains (new)
▪ Anglophone school: Ecole Internationale de Differdange, International School Michel
Lucius, Ecole Internationale de Mondorf-les-Bains (new), International School Junglinster
(new)
▪ Germanophone school: Ecole Internationale de Differdange, International School Junglinster
(new)

Secondary education

▪ Francophone schools: Ecole Internationale de Differdange, Ecole Internationale de

Mondorf-les-Bains (new), Lycee Technique du Centre
▪ Anglophone schools: Ecole Internationale de Differdange, Ecole Internationale de
Mondorf-les-Bains (new), Athenee de Luxembourg, International School Michel Lucius,
International School Junglinster (new)
▪ Germanophone school: Ecole Internationale de Differdange, Ecole Internationale de
Mondorf-les-Bains (new), International School Junglinster (new)

Private schools
Primary education

▪ Francophone schools: European School of Luxembourg, Ecole Francaise, Ecole

Charlemagne, Ecole Ste Sophie, Over the Rainbow School, Waldorf School
▪ Anglophone schools: European School of Luxembourg, International School of
Luxembourg, Over the Rainbow School, St George’s International School
▪ Other languages: European School of Luxembourg

Secondary education

▪ Francophone schools: European School of Luxembourg, Lycee Vauban, Waldorf School

▪ Anglophone schools: European School of Luxembourg, International School of
Luxembourg, St George’s International School, Lycee Technique prive Emile Metz
▪ Other languages: European School of Luxembourg

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Schools in detail

European Schools of Luxembourg

http://www.euroschool.lu/esluxone/Home/home.html
http://www.eel2.eu/en

The European Schools of Luxembourg are private-authority schools, which emphasize a multilingual
and multicultural pedagogical approach to the teaching of nursery, primary and secondary students,
leading to the European Baccalaureate as their secondary leaving qualification. All applicants fall
under the following three categories depending on their parents’ employer:

Category I: parents work for EU institutions based in Luxembourg

Category II: parents work for a company that have signed an agreement with the European School
Category III: any other applicants who would like to study in the European School

Category I and II have different advantages, such as tuition fees being covered by the employer in
full or part, the possibility of mid-year admission or a guaranteed place in school.

Note: Amazon falls under Category III.

Category III does not have an advantage of guaranteed places compared to Category I and II where
applications are treated with priority, and Category III is not entitled to mid-year admissions.

The Ministry of Education reserves some places in the main language stream every year. If a pupil is
rejected by other international schools or is unable to enroll in their system due to lack of language
skills, CASNA (see page 3) can be contacted. CASNA will make an appeal for a place in the European
School in one of the main language sections: German, French or English. However, all decisions are
made by the school board.

Ecole Internationale de Differdange et Esch-sur-Alzette

http://portal.education.lu/eid/Home
http://portal.education.lu/Portals/37/downloads/DEP_EiDE_Differdange_Esch.pdf

One of the newest international schools in Luxembourg has opened its gates to the public in
September 2016, and in order to comply with the huge demand, in the 2018/19 school year the two
school sites will provide an even wider selection of primary and secondary classes. Teaching in
English, German and French languages, the school offers free education to the children of
international families living in the southern part of the country. The education system is similar to
the one of the European schools, but no tuition fees.

2018/19 Primary Secondary

P1 P2 P3 P4 P5 S1 S2 S3 VP1 VP2
English Dd/Esch Dd/Esch Dd/Esch Esch Esch Dd Dd Dd Dd Dd
French Dd/Esch Dd/Esch Dd/Esch Esch Esch Dd/Esch Dd/Esch Dd Dd Dd
German - - - - - Esch Esch - Esch Esch

Dd = Differdange
Esch = Esch-sur-Alzette
Dd/Esch = Differdange and Esch-sur-Alzette schools both have these classes
VP = Preparatory classes

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Ecole Internationale de Mondorf-les-Bains
http://portal.education.lu/eimlb/

There are two new international schools opening their gates to the international families in the
2018/19 school year, one of them is located 20 kilometers south-east of the capital in Mondorf-les-
Bains, the other 12 kilometers north-east in Junglinster. They provide multilingual and multicultural
education centered on the European school system.

The EIMLB offers the following classes from September 2018:

• Primary 1: English, French
• Secondary 1: English, French, German

International School Junglinster

http://lensterlycee.lu/offre-internationale/

The international department of the Lenster Lycee Junglinster is open to all students, without any
registration fees. It complies with the European School’s ethos of multilingual and multicultural
education.

They offer the following classes from September 2018:

• Primary 1: English, German
• Secondary 1: English, German

Over the Rainbow School

http://otrinternationalschool.lu/

The Over the Rainbow School is a private establishment and adheres to the objectives set forth in
the Luxemburgish National Education Program published by the Ministry of National Education. The
establishment welcomes children from preschool to the end of primary school in a multilingual
context. The preschool cycle and primary school are an inherent part of the school system and aim
to the full development and fulfilment of each student.

The school offers a precise language project with French and English as main working languages. This
multilingual education let the families choose the main language that their children will use every
day supported by a specialized teacher whose mother tongue is the specific chosen language.

Preschool English and French classes made up of children aged 3-5.

Primary school English and French classes for children aged 6-12.

The school follows the English and French national curriculum with the support of various programs
and approaches (International Primary Curriculum, Montessori, mathematical approach to
Singapore). Particular significance is given to the study of the second language since one of the
school’s main goals is to provide students with fully bilingual foundations. New students who don’t
know English or French have daily support.

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St. George’s International School
www.st-georges.lu

St. George’s International School provides an outstanding education in English for approximately 700
pupils of over 50 nationalities aged 3 to 18+. The school takes up to 60 new pupils every year from
the age of 3.

Pupils entering Early Year are not required to have English skills prior to starting.
Older Primary students are assessed on an individual basis to determine their needs and the school’s
ability to accommodate them academically.
Secondary students are required to have fluency in English, both spoken and written, in order to
cope with the demands of the rigorous academic program.

Students are placed in year groups based on their age on the 1st of September.
Average class size in Foundation is 20, Key Stage 1 and 2 classes vary from 20-24 students.
Tutor groups in Secondary are no larger than 23 students, although at I/GCSE and A-Level the
numbers in subject specific classes can be substantially less.

School structure

The Primary School is divided into three sections:

▪ the Foundation includes the Early Year and Reception Class and serves children ages 3-4
▪ the Key Stage 1 includes Year 1-2 and serves children ages 5-6
▪ the Key Stage 2 includes Year 3-6 and serves children ages 7-10

The Secondary School comprises three divisions:

▪ the Key Stage 3 comprises Year 7-9 and serves students ages 11-13
▪ the Key Stage 4 comprises Year 10-11 and serves students ages 14-15
▪ the Key Stage 5 comprises Year 12-13 and serves students ages 16-17

Section Division Age Class Availability

Primary School Foundation 3-4 Early Years
Reception Class
Key Stage 1 5-6 Year 1
Year 2
Key Stage 2 7-10 Year 3
Year 4
Year 5
Year 6
Secondary School Key Stage 3 11-13 Year 7
Year 8
Year 9
Key Stage 4 14-15 Year 10
Year 11
Key Stage 5 16-17 Year 12
Year 13

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International School of Luxembourg
www.islux.lu

The ISL exists primarily to meet the needs of expatriate families whose children require an English-
speaking education. The school also takes children with an absence of the local language that other
schools cannot accommodate. A child’s ability to benefit from the school’s academic program is the
prime criterion when the school board is making admissions decisions.

A combination of factors and applicant categories are considered when making decisions in relation
to the Waiting Pool. These include:

▪ Moving or local family

▪ English language proficiency
▪ Space availability in relevant course subjects
▪ Siblings already enrolled at the school
▪ Date of application completion and/or submission

School structure

The Lower School is divided into two sections:

▪ the Early Years Program includes the Preschool, Kindergarten and Grade 1 and serves
children ages 3-7
▪ the rest of the Lower School Program includes Grades 2-5 and serves children ages 7-11

The Upper School comprises two divisions:

▪ the Middle School includes Grades 6-8 and serves students ages 11-14
▪ the High School includes Grades 9-12 and serves students ages 14-18

Section Division Age Class Availability

Lower School Early Years 3-7 Preschool
Program Kindergarten 1
Kindergarten 2
Grade 1
Lower School 7-11 Grade 2
Grade 3
Grade 4
Grade 5
Upper School Middle School 11-14 Grade 6
Grade 7
Grade 8
High School 14-18 Grade 9
Grade 10
Grade 11
Grade 12

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High School students in Grades 9 and 10 follow the IGCSE program in core subjects and then move
on in Grades 11 and 12 to the High School Diploma with 90% of the students also pursuing the
prestigious International Baccalaureate Diploma. As a result, ISL students are able to obtain
admission to many of the world’s finest universities and colleges.

Athénée de Luxembourg
http://www.al.lu/index.php/ib/presentation

The International Baccalaureate (IB) diploma program at the Athénée de Luxembourg school
enables students with an excellent command of English to follow academically challenging and
balanced secondary studies (with English as a mother tongue) focusing on languages, arts and
sciences, which gives them an excellent preparation for university studies in Anglo-Saxon countries
and Europe and life beyond.

The Athénée offers a 7 - year study program, which encompasses three different cycles: following
the three successful preparation years (7th ,8th and 9th grades) and the two intermediate years (10th
and 11th grades), students automatically enter the actual IB Diploma Program (12th and 13th grades).

Although they may join the program at any time (given there are still places available) we advise
students to join the program in grade 7 or 10 to adapt to the standards.

Every applicant will be requested to hand in a portfolio containing different documents (information
regarding the portfolio will be send to the candidates after reception of the registration form).
Submission of a complete portfolio is imperative, and it carries significant weight in the application
process.
In addition, every applicant will be asked to sit admission tests in the following subjects:

7th: English, Math

10th: English, French, Math

International School Michel Lucius

http://www.lml.lu/

Lycee Michel Lucius has been offering free, high quality public secondary education, entirely taught
in English, since 2011. English is the vehicular language in all subjects with the exception of French
and German, which are taught as foreign languages. Students are assigned to classes based on
language level.

In response to a rapidly growing international student population, International School Lycée Michel
Lucius has opened a new feeder primary school for its established secondary school from September
2017.

Enrolment is done by application only. Certain level of English commend is required. The older the
child, the more important a strong command of the English language is.