Planning your school career in canton Aargau - it's 5th grade that counts

As early as the second semester of primary school year 5, pupils and parents are informed by the class teacher as to which type of upper secondary school the pupil is likely to be suitable for in terms of performance.

The problem: anyone who wants to go to grammar school later on - i.e. the cantonal school (Kanti) - should have already qualified for the district school by the end of Year 5, at least in terms of ability. Otherwise, it will be difficult to attend grammar school later on, especially if you don't make it to the three-year district school, the so-called Progymnasium or Undergymnasium, due to a lack of recommendation after primary school. A pupil's later school career is therefore decided early on in Aargau and should already be planned in primary school.

In the following article, we explain the transition from primary school to upper school - in particular to district school - as well as the transition from district and secondary school to middle school or cantonal school. We also explain why it is so important to make the transition to district school in primary school if you want to go to grammar school later on, and what challenges need to be overcome.

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Table of contents :

Transfer from primary school to upper secondary school in Aargau
- When does one enter the district school? (Admission requirements)
Change from the performance type in the upper school
Transfer to cantonal school in Aargau
Conclusion on school career planning in Aargau

Transfer from primary school to upper secondary school in Aargau

In the canton of Aargau, the six-year primary school is followed by the upper school, where there are three different types of school: District school, secondary school and intermediate school. The question of which of these three types of school a pupil transfers to from primary school is based on the recommendation of the primary school class teacher. This recommendation is made on the basis of the interim report from year 6 or the assessment dossier, in which the pupil's assessments are documented, for example through meaningful work, examinations, documentation of oral performance, etc. The class teacher explains and justifies their transfer recommendation to the pupil and their parents on the basis of the documents in the assessment dossier.

Approximately one year before the final transfer recommendation is made, pupils and parents are informed by the class teacher during the second semester of Year 5 about the pupil's performance and learning progress. This information is provided again during the first term of year 6. The teacher also provides an assessment of which type of upper school the pupil tends to be based on their performance and provides information about possible support measures that could be provided in the classroom.

The decisive transfer interview between parents, pupil and class teacher then takes place in the second semester of year 6 between February and April. If the parties involved cannot agree on the recommended type of school, the type of school will be decided by the responsible authority in the municipality.

When does one enter the district school? (Admission requirements)

Many people ask themselves: ‘What grades do you need for the district school?’, i.e. ask about the admission requirements for the district school. The canton does not stipulate a specific average grade to be achieved for the district school. However, according to the Department of Education, Culture and Sport of the Canton of Aargau, the following requirements must be met in order to be recommended by the class teacher for transfer from primary school to district school in the Canton of Aargau:

good to very good performance in the core subjects (based on the assessment in the 6th grade interim report)
predominantly good performance in the extension subjects (based on the assessment in the 6th grade interim report)
special distinction of the pupils in terms of independence, problem-solving ability and comprehension skills
favourable development prognosis for remaining in district school

Change from the performance type in the upper school

Those who do not make it directly from primary school to district school can also transfer from the other school types - i.e. from secondary school or intermediate school - to district school during upper school. However, it is only ever possible to transfer to the next higher type of school, i.e. from the intermediate school to the secondary school and from the secondary school to the district school. These transfers also take place within the framework of a recommendation procedure.

Pupils who perform exceptionally well in the core subjects in the first semester of the first year of secondary school can already transfer to the next higher achievement level after this first semester based on the recommendation of the class teacher. In this case, it is not necessary to repeat the school year. An additional change of achievement type is possible at the end of each school year on the recommendation of the class teacher. A change at the end of the school year without repeating the school year is dependent on the decision of the competent authority of the municipality.

Transfer to cantonal school in Aargau

Transfer to the Gymnasium, i.e. the cantonal school (Kanti) in Aargau, is possible without an examination after the district school if the specified grade requirements are met. Students who do not achieve the required grades can only transfer to the grammar school in Aargau by passing an entrance examination. It is not possible to transfer from intermediate school or secondary school to Gymnasium without passing an examination, nor is it possible to transfer with an entrance examination.

However, secondary school pupils can transfer to the WMS, IMS, FMS or BMS without an examination, provided that these pupils fulfil the following requirements in the 3rd secondary school year:

they must receive at least a grade 4 in maths and German in the interim report or annual report
they must receive at least an average grade of 5.33 in the subjects relevant for transfer in the interim report or annual report

Anyone who does not fulfil these requirements must pass an entrance examination for transfer to WMS, IMS, FMS or BMS from secondary school.

Students from district school who wish to transfer to the Gymnasium without taking an exam must fulfil the following requirements in the third year of district school:

In the interim report or annual report, you must receive at least a grade 4 in maths and German
In the interim report or annual report, you must receive at least an average grade of 4.71 in the subjects relevant for transfer.

Anyone who does not fulfil these requirements must pass an entrance examination to transfer to the grammar school from the district school.

You can find more information on the grammar school entrance exam in our article: ‘Kanti entrance exam in the canton of Aargau in certain cases’

If district school pupils wish to transfer to the WMS, IMS, FMS or BMS without having to take an examination, these pupils must fulfil the following requirements in the 3rd district school year:

In the interim report or annual report, they must receive at least a grade 4 in maths and German
In the interim report or annual report, they must receive at least an average grade of 4.4 in the subjects relevant for transfer

Anyone who does not fulfil these requirements must pass an entrance examination for transfer to WMS, IMS, FMS or BMS from the district school.

All of the above-mentioned transfers to secondary schools show that inadequate maths and German grades cannot be compensated for by other subjects, which is why it is essential that students have a sufficient command of maths and German.

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Conclusion on school career planning in Aargau

If pupils want to go to grammar school later on, their school career in Aargau should be planned early on. From the very first years of primary school, pupils must study consistently and perform consistently well in order to receive a recommendation for the district school from the class teacher in year 6. In the canton of Aargau, pupils can only transfer to grammar school from the district school. There is no longer an entrance exam for the district school in the canton of Aargau; pupils are therefore extremely dependent on the judgement of the class teacher in primary school.

Unfortunately, it also happens time and again that class teachers make their transfer recommendation dependent on social background, i.e. they tend to send children of parents with a higher professional and educational level to the district school because these teachers assume that these parents are better able to support their children on the way to the grammar school Matura. In the case of children with parents with a lower level of education and training, these teachers fear that the children will be downgraded to another type of school at some point if they are allocated to the district school due to a lack of help from their parents with learning.

This is because anyone who does not fulfil the promotion requirements in the district school and secondary school, i.e. the conditions for transferring to the next class, is assigned directly to the next lower school type. Only in the intermediate school can you repeat the year if you do not fulfil the promotion requirements.

As we have explained, it is generally possible to transfer to a higher upper school type (performance type) if recommended by the class teacher (partly depending on grades), i.e. from intermediate school to secondary school and then to district school, or directly from secondary school to district school. However, here too, the pupils are extremely dependent on the class teacher, which is exacerbated by the fact that the class teacher is often reluctant to let good pupils leave, but rather wants to keep them in the class. The parents then have to exert a lot of pressure on the teacher to make the necessary recommendation to change to the upper school type.

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