These Schools Show How Great Education Works

The Bertha-von-Suttner-Schule in Mörfelden-Walldorf, Hesse, has won the German School Award 2026, which comes with €100,000 in prize money. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz presented the top award at Studio Berlin in Adlershof.

Five other schools received awards worth €30,000 each: Ferdinand-von-Steinbeis-Schule in Tuttlingen, Baden-Württemberg; Hans-Leipelt-Schule Donauwörth in Bavaria; Georg-Christoph-Lichtenberg-Oberstufengymnasium in Bruchköbel, Hesse; Oberschule Berenbostel in Garbsen, Lower Saxony; and Staatliche Grundschule Tannroda in Thuringia.

An additional €30,000 Jury Award for Social Cohesion went to Stadtteilschule Wilhelmsburg in Hamburg. The remaining finalists each received a €5,000 recognition award.

This year marks the 20th time that the Robert Bosch Stiftung and the Heidehof Stiftung have presented the German School Award to recognize outstanding schools. ARD and the ZEIT publishing group are cooperating partners.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz presented the top award today at Studio Berlin in Adlershof: “There are many excellent schools in our country with innovative ideas, dedicated teachers, and curious students. Schools characterized by enthusiasm and optimism. Schools that successfully respond to social change. Schools that nurture every talent. The German School Award shows just how many outstanding schools there are.”

With more than 2,000 students, the Bertha-von-Suttner-Schule is one of Germany’s largest comprehensive schools. To continuously improve its teaching, the school relies on clear structures: Dedicated departments systematically develop and refine its “core product,” teaching. Their work is guided by systematically analyzed data that informs educational decisions.

At the same time, personal support plays a central role. Designated “Hausleitungen” serve as consistent points of contact for students, giving them a sense of belonging on the school’s expansive campus.

“The Bertha-von-Suttner-Schule demonstrates how effectively a well-designed concept and personal support can work together. Nothing here is left to chance,” says Prof. Dr. Thorsten Bohl, spokesperson for the German School Award jury and director of the Tübingen School of Education.

What began 20 years ago as an initiative to save the school’s upper secondary level has become a model for educational equity across Germany. The school participates in the German federal government’s Startchancen program, which supports schools in socially challenging environments. Although only 15 percent of its students enter the school with a recommendation for Germany’s academic-track Gymnasium, two-thirds ultimately earn the Abitur, the qualification required for university admission.

“This school powerfully demonstrates that achievement and well-being are not mutually exclusive. Rigorous teaching and a strong culture of community go hand in hand, ensuring that every student leaves school with opportunities for the future. That is an important message for the entire education system,” says Bohl.