Luxembourg's Ministry of Education, Children and Youth has confirmed that 5,382 primary pupils will be progressing to secondary education in the new school year.

At the end of the 2020-21 school year, orientation decisions were taken for 5,411 primary school pupils.

Of these pupils:

  • 39.9% were directed to a first-year classical secondary education class (7e C);
  • 47.1% were referred to a first-year general secondary education class (7e G);
  • 12.5% were directed to the preparation route (voie de préparation; 7e P);
  • 0.5% (i.e. 29 pupils) will stay in primary school for another year (cycle rallongé).

The referral rate to classical secondary education remained stable compared to previous years, at 39.9%.

As in previous years, the rate of agreement between the opinions of parents and teachers was very high, at 99.7%

The referral rate to formal secondary education is 39.9%. It is stable compared to previous years.

93.5% of pupils (i.e. 5,061) were guided according to the orientation procedure in force in cycle 4. This largely involves the parents of the pupils. The first discussion on the child's guidance perspectives takes place at the end of cycle 4.1. At the end of cycle 4.2, the teacher and parents make a joint orientation decision. This is based on:

  • the pupil's work collected during cycle 4 which reflect their learning as well as their interests and aspirations;
  • the results of the evaluation of the pupil's learning;
  • the pupil's results in tests organised at the national level by the Education Ministry; 
  • information collected by the school psychologist, if the parents have opted for his / her intervention.

Unlike in 2020, the cycle 4.2 tests could actually take place on the dates scheduled for March 2021 despite the COVID-19 crisis. For pupils who were sick or in quarantine during one or more test days, the orientation decision is based on their work and immediate assessments during cycle 4 as well as the information collected by the school psychologist.

350 of the 5,411 pupils (i.e. 6.5%) were referred to a first-year secondary class before the regular end of primary education as a result of their academic progress. 44 of these pupils came from cycle 3.2, 53 pupils from an extended cycle 3 and 253 pupils from cycle 4.1.

In 2020-21, orientation decisions matched the parents' opinion in 5,394 cases (i.e. 99.7%). The procedure provides that in the event of disagreement between the parents and the teacher, a guidance committee takes a final decision on the orientation of the pupil concerned. This was the case for seventeen pupils. For sixteen of these pupils, the committee sided with the teacher and directed the pupil towards a different educational path than that proposed by their parents. In one case, the committee agreed with the parents' referral advice.