School offer

Over 40,000 students currently attend public and private schools teaching the national education curriculum in:

40 public secondary schools (lycées publics);
five private secondary schools (lycées privés);
the École nationale pour adultes;
two national centres for professional training (Centres nationaux de formation professionnelle continue, CNFPC);
the socio-educational centre (Centre socio-éducatif de l’État, CSEE);
the speech therapy centre (Centre de logopédie).

The schooling offer is becoming more and more diversified in order to match the diversity of the students and their needs.

Public schooling offer

40 public secondary schools (lycées publics) and five private secondary schools (lycées privés) teach the official curriculum of the ministry with regard to the subjects, the assessment, the organisation and the schedule. Details about the training provided by each school can be found on the digital platform www.mengschoul.lu and in the brochure "Que faire après le 4^e cycle de l’enseignement fondamental ?".

While implementing the ministry’s official curriculum, each secondary school may, within the frame of its autonomy, propose a pedagogical approach, specific classes or measures tailored to the needs and the expectations of its pupils.

Classical secondary education

Classical secondary education (enseignement secondaire classique, ESC) is a 7-year course with the objective to convey general knowledge and skills in human sciences and literature, mathematics and natural sciences. It prepares students for higher education or university studies and leads to the General Certificate of Secondary Education.

Classical secondary education is divided into two structures:

lower classes (7^e, 6^e, 5^e);
higher classes (4^e to 1^re).

In a 7^e class, the teaching language for all subjects is German, with the exception of mathematics and French, which are taught in French.

In a 6^e class, pupils choose English, Latin or Chinese (the latter only being offered at the Athénée de Luxembourg). Pupils who choose Latin or Chinese in 6^e will start learning English a year later, in 5^e class.

The 4^e class is a transition year, with a focus on consolidating the linguistic knowledge acquired in the lower classes, and of guiding the pupils towards one of the sections of the specialisation cycle.

At the end of the class of 4^e, pupils choose one of the following 11 sections:

section A : modern languages;
section B : mathematics – information technology;
section C : natural sciences – mathematics;
section D : economic sciences – mathematics;
section E : arts;
section F : music;
section G : humanities and social sciences;
section I : informatics – communication;
section N : entrepreneurship, finance and marketing;
section P: cognitive science and humanities;
section R: politics and sustainable development.

All sections share a basic education that is supplemented by optional courses and specialisation disciplines. Optional courses may vary from one secondary school to another. The specialisation disciplines characteristic of each section occupy an important place in the timetables.

At the end of the 1^re class, the pupil takes an exam to obtain the diplôme de fin d’études secondaires classiques (secondary school leaving diploma). This diploma gives access to higher and university studies.

General secondary education

The aim of general secondary education is to provide general knowledge in areas such as languages, human and social sciences, mathematics and natural sciences. It prepares pupils for higher and university studies, the brevet de technicien or the brevet de maîtrise.

General secondary education is structured in:

lower classes (7^e, 6^e, 5^e) of the orientation or pre-vocational education;
higher classes (4^e to 1^re).

The pre-vocational education (voie de préparation) is structured along modular lines allowing each student to progress at his/her own pace.

Based on the promotion decision at the end of the class of 5^e of the pre-vocational education (5P class) students may be able to access:

basic or initial vocational training;
a 5AD class (classe d’adaptation)
a CIP class (classe d’initiation professionnelle)

Based on the promotion decision at the end of the 5G class or the 5AD class, students can continue with the initial vocational training in one of the following streams:

administration and commercial stream;
health and social professions stream;
general technical stream;
arts stream;
hotel management and tourism stream.

Each stream may include several subject areas.

In each stream students will take a school leaving exam at the end of the 1^re to obtain the general secondary school leaving diploma.

Four high schools provide training in very specific areas :

École d'hôtellerie et de tourisme du Luxembourg (hotel management and tourism);
Lycée technique agricole (agriculture);
Lycée technique pour professions éducatives et sociales (social professions);
Lycée technique pour professions de santé (health professions).

European education

Several international state schools follow the curricula of the European school system. They are available to all students and free of charge. They follow the European secondary education curricula (7 years) in a French speaking, English speaking and German speaking stream leading to the European baccalaureate. These schools are:

Other streams in the mother tongues of the member countries of the European Union are available in the European schools that are not included in the public education system.

International English curriculum (Cambridge)

The International School Michel Lucius (LML) offers English speaking classes leading to the British diplomas:

International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE);
Advanced Subsidiary level (AS-levels);
Advanced level (A-levels).

International education

International secondary education covers seven years with the last two years corresponding to 1^st and 2^nd year of the curriculum of the international baccalaureate.

Access to the international baccalaureate is available:

at the Lycée technique du Centre (BI in French);
at the Lycée Mathias Adam (BI in French);
at the Lycée technique d’Ettelbruck (BI in French);
and at the Athénée de Luxembourg (BI in English).

This is an education available in over 5 600 schools in 160 countries around the world, with their Baccalaureate recognized by Luxembourgish law as equivalent to the General Certificate of Secondary Education (cf. Schooling of foreign pupils).

German-Luxembourgish education

The Schengen German-Luxembourgish secondary school ("Schengen-Lyzeum") proposes bi-national and cross-border training combining the elements of the German and the Luxembourgish educational systems. This German-Luxembourgish education leads to a diploma of the German system (allgemeine Hochschulreife) and to a secondary school leaving diploma (Abitur).

More information: International schooling

Special language options

Some secondary schools offer classes to develop language and vehicular language skills. These classes are intended for pupils:

who are more comfortable with a language other than German;
who do not yet have sufficient mastery in one of the languages of schooling (French, German);
who have a linguistic profile different from what is expected at the end of elementary education;
who are attending a welcome course;
who arrived in Luxembourg during the school year in cycle 4 of elementary education;
who recently arrived in Luxembourg.

“ALLET” classes (German as a foreign language): These classes are available to students of the lower classes (7^e to 5^e) with a very good level in French and mathematics but some weaknesses in German. Lessons focus on the acquisition of skills in the German language.

“Français Plus” classes : These classes are available to students with a good general skill level but with some weaknesses in French. In 7^e, 6^e and 5^e classes, students attend additional French lessons in support of the normal lessons.

LVF classes (French as main teaching language): In these classes, all subjects are taught in French. German is taught at the same level as in the regular classes. These classes were designed for students from the national elementary education who prefer to continue their studies in French.

Classes for newly arrived students (classes d’accueil et classes d’insertion): These classes are available to students aged 12 to 15 who have recently arrived in the country and have no or insufficient skills in the languages of the national education system. They attend intensive training in French or German and initiation courses in the Luxembourgish language (see Schooling of foreign pupils).

Classes taught in a specific language (classes à régime linguistique spécifique): These higher classes of general secondary education are available to students having good knowledge in French but insufficient mastery of German language.

More information: Schooling of foreign pupils

Alternative structures

The following structures of classical secondary education and general secondary education have a specific status with the objective of pedagogic innovation while providing the same curricula and leading to the same diplomas as traditional high schools:

Lycée Ermesinde, full-time school ;
Schengen-Lycée or "Deutsch-Luxemburgisches Schengen-Lyzeum", bi-national cross-border school located in Perl, Germany ;
Sportlycée, for students practicing a sports activity at a high level;
École nationale pour adultes, for adolescents and young adults who dropped out of school without a recognized qualification or who are not following any training while meeting the conditions to access vocational training.

Secondary qualification track

The secondary qualification track (2^e voie de qualification) is part of the adult training and vocational training. It enables people who did not finish their initial studies and who wish to acquire the basic skills, to obtain a general secondary school leaving diploma, a General Certificate of Secondary Education or a vocational training qualification/certificate. Distance education courses are available for classical secondary education on the website portail eCampus.

Private schooling offer

Five private schools financially supported by the State, provide the official curricula:

Four schools, also financially supported by the State but to a lesser extent, provide different curricula:

The European Schools are mainly available to the children of European officials and provide complete education curricula in their mother tongue leading to the European baccalaureate. Children of other intergovernmental institutions or private companies having entered into a special agreement may also be admitted as far as spots are available and against payment of tuition fees.