Schulpflicht

The (Allgemeine) Schulpflicht (English: (General) Compulsory Schooling) is a statutory regulation in Germany that obliges children and adolescents up to a certain age (which is 18 in all federal states) to attend a school. The Schulpflicht includes not only regular and punctual school attendance, but also participation in lessons and other school events, as well as doing homework.

Simple laws, the so-called Schulgesetze (School Laws), regulate the implementation. The police are often used in this process. Children whose parents refuse to have them vaccinated must also go to school.

The German courts have generally interpreted the law as dictating that all school-aged kids in Germany must attend school until their 18th birthday, and that any unreasonable absence from lessons under the age of 18 is a crime. It is considered one of the very few compulsory school attendance laws in a developed, non-dictatorial country, since most democracies have compulsory education laws, meaning that education may also take place independent from school, as recorded in the article Homeschooling international status and statistics. Its justification, supposed benefits and motivations are disputed and controversially discussed.