Secondary education

Accompanying pupils in achieving their aims

Luxembourg's education system aims to give all pupils the chance to gain the highest possible qualification in keeping with their abilities and interests, regardless of their origin. This is an ambitious task, given the social, linguistic and technological changes taking place in society, but the Grand Duchy intends to achieve it via a number of routes:

Luxembourg allows high schools themselves the opportunity to promote pedagogical innovation through its school projects. Each school project defines the objectives that a school sets for itself in the following years, such as a competency-based assessment, a stronger foothold in its region, a holistic approach or better student motivation. The aim is to enable the secondary schools to implement targeted and often innovative solutions that meet the school's specific requirements.

Some high schools offer courses in fields that are not taught elsewhere such as the Brevet de technicien supérieur (BTS) in Animationg at Lycée des Arts et Métiers. Are you a sports hopeful? The Sportslycée with its high-level programmes for sports talent has been designed for young people like you. Tempted by gastronomy or tourism? The Luxembourg School of Hotel Management and Tourism will prepare you for a career in the hotel and catering trades. So wherever their interests lie, all pupils can find the school career best matched to their plans.

How secondary education is organised

Secondary education covers seven school years, divided into two types:

Classic secondary education (enseignement secondaire classique - ESC)

The objective of Classical Secondary Education is to impart general knowledge in the fields of humanities and literature, mathematics and natural sciences.

This type of education prepares above all for higher and university studies; a secondary school leaving diploma (Diplôme de fin d'études secondaires) is awarded on completion.

General secondary education (enseignement secondaire général - ESG)

General secondary education essentially prepares for professional life, but also allows the pursuit of studies. On completion, students obtain a technical secondary school leaving diploma, which allows access to higher education.

Vocational training

Basic professional training allows students to acquire the necessary professional qualifications with a corresponding diploma:

• The technician's training scheme, which leads to the technician's diploma (diplôme de technicien - DT);
• The vocational scheme, which leads to a vocational capacity certificate (certificat de capacité professionnelle - CCP) or a vocational aptitude diploma (diplôme d'aptitude professionnelle - DAP).

There is also a preparatory scheme, which is a separate route for pupils whose performance at fundamental school is deemed inadequate.

Other offers

In addition to the State-run secondary schools, there are also several secondary schools in the Grand Duchy that offer schooling for specific needs, as well as a number of private schools. The website of the Ministry of Education, Children and Youth presents the entire offer of schooling in the Grand Duchy.

Offer of international schooling

Certain secondary schools and international schools in the Grand Duchy offer schooling leading to one of the international or European baccalaureates (in English, German or French) that match the specific needs of the various communities in the Grand Duchy.

Private secondary schools

There are ten State-subsidised private secondary schools in the Grand Duchy. Five operate according to the Luxembourg curriculum; the other five draw up their own curricula.

National school for adults (Ecole Nationale pour Adultes - ENAD)

The National school for adults, which is based on an innovative educational concept, is an integral part of the State-run school system.

The school is for all young people between the ages of 16 and 30 who, because of poor academic results or bad choices, have dropped out of school or are unable to find an apprenticeship. The ENAD offers these young people a different scheme to secondary schools, mainly by paying particular attention to supervision and personalised tutoring.