The Start Opportunities programme starts – BMBF

“I am certain that today marks the beginning of a turnaround in educational policy,” said Federal Education Minister Bettina Stark-Watzinger at the launch of the Startchancen program. “Because we are ensuring that the following applies again: you can make it if you try hard, no matter what family background you come from.”

Schools want to be involved

As of today, 2,125 schools in Germany, including 1,389 primary schools, are Startchancen schools. That is more than twice as many as originally planned for the start. This shows the enormous dynamism of the Startchancen program, says Stark-Watzinger, the schools want to be part of it.

The Startchancen program specifically supports schools with a high proportion of socially disadvantaged students. By the 2026/27 school year, there will be around 4,000 Startchancen schools throughout Germany. The schools will be designated in stages by the federal states. Support is intended to be provided where the challenges are greatest.

Which schools are Startchancen schools?

Clicking on the image opens a map on which you can find the individual Startchancen schools for the federal states:

Which Startchancen schools are there in your state? Click on the image to find out more about the individual schools in the Startchancen program.

Decoupling educational success from social background

The aim of the program is to decouple educational success from social background and to enable more equal opportunities in school education. The number of students who fail to meet the minimum standards in mathematics and German at the Startchancen schools is to be halved by the end of the program. This is not just about financial aid, but also about changing the education system.

Support for school development

In order to achieve the goals of the Startchancen program, the structures in the classroom and in the teaching staff at the Startchancen schools are professionalized and further developed. This includes money for modern learning spaces with high-quality infrastructure and equipment. The schools also receive their own opportunity budget that they can use as needed and money to strengthen multi-professional teams. These can be specialists in social work or psychological care, for example.

Scientific support and evaluation

The Start-Up Opportunities program is intended to have the greatest possible impact, serve as a role model for the future and develop a model character. The project is therefore scientifically monitored and evaluated as a learning program.