Growing Up Multilingual in the Frankfurt Rhine-Main Region

A Region Where Multilingualism Is the Norm

Frankfurt and the Rhine-Main region are among the most international areas in Germany. If you live here, you notice it every day: on the playground, in the daycare group, among your children’s friends. The numbers for Frankfurt itself confirm this impression clearly: according to the City of Frankfurt’s Office for Statistics and Elections, 129,047 children and young people under 18 lived in the city in 2025. Of these, 96,715 either held a foreign nationality or had a “Migrationshintergrund” (a German statistical term meaning that the child, or at least one parent, was not born with German citizenship), while only 32,332 had neither. In other words, for every child in Frankfurt without an international family background, there were about three children with one.

Using data from the Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP, from 2019), this can be narrowed down a bit further, though only as an estimate, not an exact figure: roughly 66,600 children in Frankfurt, or just under 52 percent, are estimated to grow up in households where a language other than German is spoken exclusively or alongside German. In other words, multilingualism here isn’t the exception, it’s simply everyday life for more than half of all children.

This reality raises an important question: does our education system actually do justice to this diversity? And, more concretely, from a parent’s point of view: can my child reach the German Abitur (the qualification required for university admission in Germany) even without strong German skills?

The honest answer: there’s no one-size-fits-all response, it depends on several factors. That’s exactly what I want to walk you through here, so you can make an informed decision as a parent.

Multilingualism Is Good News to Begin With

Before we get to the challenges, one important point up front: children who grow up multilingual have a very practical advantage, it’s easier for them to learn additional languages later on. This is shown, for example, by the German DESI study: children who have already acquired a second language tend to find it easier to learn a third foreign language at school, such as English. On top of that: when a child’s home language is acknowledged and valued in daycare and at school, this has a positive effect on reading and writing skills, and it boosts engagement for the whole class, not just for multilingual children.

As for the often-cited “cognitive bonus” of multilingualism, meaning faster reaction times or better problem-solving skills, it’s only fair to say: the research here is far less clear-cut than many popular articles suggest. Large meta-analyses find, at best, small and not very stable effects. That doesn’t diminish the value of multilingualism, it just lies elsewhere: in identity, family connection, and that head start when it comes to picking up further languages.

Still, it’s important to know: these benefits unfold best when German is also actively supported alongside the home language. Because German remains the key that unlocks educational success within the German school system, a point also emphasized by Germany’s Standing Scientific Commission of the Conference of Ministers of Education (SWK) in its recent position paper on language education.

The Core Question: Can My Child Reach the Abitur Without German Skills?

Research paints a nuanced picture here. The 2022 IQB National Assessment Study shows that ninth-graders born abroad are, on average, about four school years behind their peers without a migration background in German reading comprehension; for children born in Germany to immigrant parents, the gap is about two years. That sounds discouraging at first.

At the same time, an analysis by Geis-Thöne based on SOEP data shows: if parents have good German skills, the likelihood that a child from a non-German-speaking family attends an academic-track secondary school (“Gymnasium”) at age 13 to 15 is almost identical to that of children without a migration background. So the decisive factor isn’t the home language itself, it’s the interplay of several factors:

Age at arrival. The younger a child is when arriving in Germany, the more time there is for natural language acquisition through daycare and school.
Parents’ German skills. These affect how well families can support their child’s educational journey.
Parents’ socioeconomic and educational background. A large share of what looks like “migration-related” disadvantage is really social disadvantage, which also affects German children from families with fewer educational or financial resources.
Quality of language support. Does the daycare or school offer qualified language support, including so-called “DaZ” support (short for “Deutsch als Zweitsprache,” German as a Second Language)? And is multilingualism treated as a resource rather than a problem?
Type of schooling. Children of primary-school age clearly benefit from being placed directly into a regular class and receiving additional language support alongside it, rather than being kept in separate support groups long-term.

In short: yes, children from international families without German skills can absolutely reach the Abitur, but it doesn’t happen automatically. It takes the right conditions, and as a parent, you can actively help create them.

Recommendations by Age

Arrival at nursery or daycare age (0 to 4 years). This is the most favorable window, because language acquisition happens almost effortlessly at this stage. The earlier a child enters a German childcare setting, the more time it has to acquire the language before starting school. However, children from families with weaker German skills attend daycare less often (65.3 percent of 3- to 4-year-olds) compared to children without a migration background (84.3 percent). When choosing a daycare, pay special attention to whether the facility has experience with linguistic diversity: some daycares were part of the former federal “Sprach-Kitas” (“Language Daycares”) program or a similar state-level program, and therefore have additional staff trained in language education. In the state of Hesse, this support model is currently being restructured: instead of funding a limited number of selected daycares, a new statewide competence center called “Kinder.Sprachen.Zukunft” (“Children.Languages.Future”) is set to offer guidance and training on language education to all daycares. It’s worth asking your daycare directly how language support is actually implemented day to day, rather than relying on a program name alone.

Arrival shortly before school starts. In Hesse, so-called “Vorlaufkurse” (“preparatory courses”) are a key tool here: a mandatory, one-year language support program before school starts, run either at a daycare or a primary school. According to Hesse’s Ministry of Education, around 95 percent of children go on to start first grade directly afterward.

Whether your child needs such a course is determined during the school enrollment health and development check (“Schuleingangsuntersuchung”), used nationwide to assess a child’s development and German language skills before school starts. It’s worth taking a critical look here: these assessments focus almost exclusively on German. While it’s usually recorded whether a child speaks additional languages, actual proficiency in those other languages is rarely assessed. As a result, the true linguistic abilities and developmental level of multilingual children tend to be underestimated. In Hesse, the relevant language assessment takes place as part of the school enrollment procedure, roughly one and a half years before school starts. It’s best to raise this early with your local primary school, they can also give you the exact dates.

Arrival at school-start age or later. The later a child arrives, the more important intensive, additional language support becomes alongside regular classroom instruction. In practice, there are broadly two settings in which this support happens: either the child is placed in a regular class from day one and receives extra German lessons for a set number of hours per week (often called “DaZ” support, short for “Deutsch als Zweitsprache,” German as a Second Language), or the child first attends a so-called “Intensivklasse” (“intensive class”), a separate class for so-called “Seiteneinsteiger” (children and young people who join the German school system partway through their school career, literally “side-entrants”), before transitioning into a regular class. Teachers with DaZ training generally work in both settings, the real difference isn’t who teaches, but whether the language support happens alongside the regular class or before joining it. When choosing a school, it’s worth asking specifically: how exactly is language support organized, how many hours per week does it involve, and after what period is a transition into the regular class planned? I’ll come back to why this matters in the section on Intensivklassen below.

Older children and teenagers. Here, the key question becomes: should your child continue their education in Germany, or are you aiming for an international qualification? This is a decision your family should make consciously and as early as possible, since it strongly shapes which type of school makes sense.

Across all age groups, one thing holds true: continuing to support your child’s home language, whether at home or through outside-school programs, does not harm their German skills. Both can grow side by side, without one getting in the way of the other.

Which Type of School Fits Which Goal?

Public school, German-only. The most direct route into the German school system, free of charge and usually close to home. It requires a solid level of German preparation beforehand, otherwise there’s a risk of falling behind academically before the language catches up.

Public school with a bilingual track. Combines access to a German qualification with structured support in a second language. Often a good middle ground for families who plan to stay in Germany long-term but want to actively nurture multilingualism.

Private school using the immersion method. With immersion, a foreign language isn’t taught as a separate subject but is instead used as the language of instruction for other subjects, the child is “immersed” in it (hence the name) and picks up the language through content, similar to how first languages are naturally acquired. In practice, this can look quite different from school to school, some follow a “one person, one language” principle, where each staff member consistently speaks only one language with the children, sometimes with two teachers per class, sometimes with one main teacher supported by an assistant in the second language. Two schools in the Rhine-Main area that use immersion are the Erasmus Schule in Frankfurt and the Phorms schools, but since the exact setup varies, it’s worth looking into each school’s specific concept yourself rather than assuming they all work the same way. These schools have their own educational concept but are usually fee-based. Class size and level of individual attention vary a lot from school to school, so it’s worth visiting the specific school in person.

International school. Instruction, daily life, and social interaction mostly happen in English, the whole system is deliberately built around an international outlook. For families who live transnationally or move frequently, and who are aiming for an international qualification followed by English-language university study, this is a strong advantage. For families who want to prepare their child for the German Abitur or university study in Germany, an international school usually isn’t the right fit, since daily life doesn’t offer enough exposure to German. That said, most qualifications earned at international schools still allow access to German universities.

European School. A distinct model, different from the classic “international school” and in high demand across the Rhine-Main region. Instead of an English-only daily life, there are several parallel language sections (for example German, English, French, Italian, Spanish), where children are initially taught in their own home language and gradually add further languages. The explicit goal is multilingualism, not single-language immersion, and the program leads to the European Baccalaureate.

So the most important question isn’t “Which school is the best?” but rather: Where should our child continue their educational journey long-term, and which language does that journey require most urgently?

One practical point that many international parents aren’t aware of: in Hesse, primary schools are assigned by catchment area (“Schulbezirk”), meaning you generally have to attend the school responsible for your address. If you want a different school, for example one with a bilingual track or stronger language support, you need to apply for what’s called a “Gestattungsantrag” (an official request to attend a school outside your catchment area, under Section 66 of Hesse’s School Act in conjunction with Section 4 of the relevant school-placement regulation). This is only approved for a “compelling reason,” general preferences aren’t enough. However, “significant educational reasons” are explicitly recognized as valid grounds, and a well-documented, specific need for language support can qualify as one. This is not automatic, and school authorities review each case fairly closely, but it’s worth knowing this route exists and building a solid case for your application, rather than assuming you’re simply bound to your assigned school.

A Closer Look: Intensivklassen

One topic that deserves a nuanced look is separate language-support models such as Intensivklassen, where so-called Seiteneinsteiger are initially taught apart from the regular class. Karakayali and colleagues studied comparable separate support models (referred to there as “Vorbereitungsklassen,” or “preparatory classes”) and concluded that these classes are not structurally designed to prepare children for integration into regular classes. Their finding: this practice has little to do with inclusion, in essence, it amounts to a separating and discriminatory practice.

The research evidence points fairly clearly toward time-limited, additive support models rather than long-term separation: children who are placed directly into a regular class and receive additional language support several times a week show better results in German and math, and transition to Gymnasium more often, than children in permanently separated models. So it’s well worth asking schools directly: how long is a given language-support measure meant to last, and when is a transition into the regular class planned?

Looking Ahead: What’s Working, and What’s Coming

Hesse’s Vorlaufkurse are showing measurable results. According to Hesse’s Ministry of Education, the number of children held back from starting school purely for language reasons has dropped significantly, as has the rate of grade repetition. Hesse is now among the German states with the fewest young people leaving school without any qualification, an effect that particularly benefits young people without German citizenship. According to the Ministry, the link between social background and educational success is also weaker in Hesse than the national average, meaning background matters somewhat less for a child’s chances there than elsewhere in Germany.

Looking further ahead: new AI-powered tools such as LATILL (Level-Adequate Texts in Language Learning) point to where things might be headed, namely toward learning materials that aren’t tied to rigid grade levels but instead adapt to each child’s actual language level. This technology is still being developed, but it suggests that language support could become far less one-size-fits-all and much more precisely tailored in the future.

Not sure which educational journey is right for your child? In a personal consultation, we’ll look at your family’s individual situation together. Learn more about FutureKids Consulting’s Services.

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