HAUPTSCHULE

(German: head school), in Germany, five-year upper elementary school preparing students for vocational school, apprenticeship in trade, or the lower levels of public service. First introduced in West Germany in 1950, and enrolling 65 to 70 percent of the student population, the Hauptschule was one of three basic kinds of West German secondary school, complementing the Gymnasium (a nine-year classical university preparatory school) and Realschule (a six-year preparatory school for higher business and technical schools or civil service). The Hauptschule and the Grundschule (the elementary school), usually in the same building, made up the Volksschule providing primary- and secondary-school preparation for vocational training. Sometimes a final year of vocational education was provided. In Austria the Hauptschule consists of roughly the same grades (five through eight) as its German counterpart but is considered to be a lower-level secondary school.