# Austria to Trial Six-Year Primary Education

October 21, 2026 at 09:25 AM

> Over 40 schools apply for a new pilot program extending Austrian primary education to six years, delaying early secondary school tracking.

More than 40 schools have expressed interest in a new school trial to extend primary education to six years, according to the **Austrian Ministry of Education**. The trial, set to begin in 2027/28 or 2028/29, received applications by the October 16 deadline.

Currently, primary school in **Austria** lasts four years, forcing ten-year-olds to choose between middle school and **AHS lower secondary school**. Education Minister **Christoph Wiederkehr** aims to select five pilot locations across at least three federal states.

For the trial to proceed, **school partnership committees** must approve the plan with a two-thirds majority from parents and teachers. The Ministry will now select five primary schools and matching partner schools to launch this new educational structure.


#AustriaEducation [#SchoolReform](<https://austriareport.com/hashtag/schoolreform>) #PrimarySchool #EducationMinister [#ChristophWiederkehr](<https://austriareport.com/hashtag/christophwiederkehr>)

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