The Luxembourg school system explained: public, European and international schools

Luxembourg offers one of Europe's most multilingual school systems, and families moving here quickly discover there is more than one route through it. This guide explains how the public, European and international schools work, how to enrol, and how to choose.

Compulsory schooling: from age 4 to 16 — soon to 18

Schooling in Luxembourg is compulsory from the age of 4 to 16. Under a law adopted in July 2023, that obligation is being extended to 18 from the start of the 2026/2027 school year, as part of the country's strategy against early school leaving. We cover that change in detail in our separate report on the school-reform; this guide is the evergreen overview for parents.

Public education is organised in two main stages. Fundamental education (enseignement fondamental) runs in four cycles from roughly age 3 to 11: cycle 1 is preschool (préscolaire), cycles 2 to 4 are primary. Secondary education (lycée) follows, lasting six to seven years on the classical or general track.

The multilingual public system

Language is the defining feature — and the main challenge — of Luxembourg's public schools:

• Préscolaire (cycle 1, ages 3–5): teaching is in Luxembourgish.
• Primary (from age 6): children learn to read and write in German; French is introduced the following year, while German remains the language of instruction.
• Secondary (lycée): German continues at first, then French becomes the language of instruction for most subjects in the upper classical years. English is added as a further compulsory language.

This system works well for children raised locally, but it can be difficult for newcomers who speak neither German nor French. Older arrivals in particular may struggle to switch quickly into German-based literacy and later French-language instruction.

A reform is gradually changing this: under the ALPHA programme, from the 2026/2027 school year parents of cycle 1.2 children can choose literacy in German or in French, with the option being phased in across the other cycles through to 2032/2033. The aim is to ease learning for the many children who speak neither Luxembourgish nor German at home.

Free public European and international schools

To serve its international population, Luxembourg has built a network of tuition-free public schools that follow the European school model and lead to the European Baccalaureate, with English-, French- and German-speaking sections. These include:

• École internationale Differdange et Esch-sur-Alzette (EIDE)
• École internationale Gaston Thorn (EIGT)
• École internationale Edward Steichen (Clervaux)
• École internationale Mersch Anne Beffort (EIMAB)
• École internationale Mondorf-les-Bains (EIMLB)
• Lënster Lycée International School (Junglinster)

International School Michel Lucius offers an English-language Cambridge pathway (IGCSE, AS/A levels) rather than the European Baccalaureate. Separately, the two European Schools — ESL1 in Kirchberg and ESL2 in Mamer — primarily serve children of EU-institution staff (Category I, exempt from fees); external pupils may enrol subject to places and, unless exempt, pay fees (roughly €4,400–€8,200 per year depending on level; Category III, 2025/26, indicative).

Private, fee-paying international schools

Luxembourg also has private international schools offering British, American or International Baccalaureate curricula in English. Fees vary widely — broadly €5,000–€25,000 per year. For example, St George's International School quotes roughly €14,750–€19,550, and the International School of Luxembourg (ISL) around €20,000–€23,000 per year (figures are indicative; confirm with each school).

How to enrol, and how to choose

For public fundamental schools, enrolment is handled through your commune. By around 15 April, the communal administration writes to parents of children turning 4, and the child is automatically registered at the school in the district of residence. You complete enrolment at the commune's office, typically providing the family record book, the child's birth certificate and an enrolment form.

Choosing well depends on language and length of stay:

• Long-term / integrating locally? The trilingual public system gives children Luxembourgish, German and French.
• Short or uncertain stay, or English-speaking? A free public international school or a private international school keeps continuity in English, French or German.

Last reviewed: June 2026. School offers and fees change; always confirm with men.public.lu, guichet.public.lu and the individual school.