Office of the Secretary-General of the European Schools

Background

​The very first young Europeans​ (S1 1954)

​The very first young Europeans​ (S1 1954)

​​​​​​​The European Schools began in October 1953 in Luxembourg, on the initiative of officials of the European Coal and Steel Community, with the support of the Community’s institutions and the Luxembourg Government. This experiment in education, side by side, of children of different mother tongues and nationalities quickly took shape as the six different governments and Ministries of Education co-operated in matters of curricula, appointment of teachers, inspection and recognition of levels attained.

In April 1957, the signing of the Protocol made the Luxembourg School the first official European School. The first European Baccalaureate was held there in July 1959 and the qualification was recognised as fulfilling basic entrance requirements by all the universities of the member states.
The success of this educational experiment encouraged the European Economic Community and Euratom to press for the establishment of other European Schools at their various centres.


Today there are 13 European S​chools in six different countries:

School

Member State

Creation

First Baccalaureate

Luxembourg I

Luxembourg

1953

1959

Brussels I

Belgium​​

1958

1964

Mol

Belgium

1960

1966

Varese

Italy

1960

1965

Karlsruhe

Germany

1962

1968

Bergen

The Netherlands

1963

1971

Brussels II

Belgium

1974

1982

Munich

Germany

1977

1984

Culham

United Kingdom

1978
closed Aug 2017

1982

Brussels III

Belgium

1999

2001

Alicante

Spain

2002

2006

Frankfurt

Germany

2002

2006

Luxembourg II

Luxembourg

2004

2013

Brussels IV

Belgium

2007

2017


Based on the recommendation of the European Parliament, the European Schools have opened up their curricula and European Baccalaureate since 2005 for national Schools.

Accredited European Schools are schools which provide European schooling, of the same type as that currently provided in the European Schools, but within the framework of the Member States’ national schools and hence outside the administrative and financial framework to which the European Schools are subject.

At present there are 24 Accredited Europ​ean Schools​​ and other ones are planned to open.​

 

=> See also: Publications and Reports and Statistical data