Zeulenroda is situated in the south east of Thuringia in the district of Greiz and is also known as the ‘town in the heights’. Our school is a state grammar school which comprises two buildings, both of which are fairly old but have been redesigned inside and out and are filled with young life. You can see this for yourself on our homepage.
General information as well as facts and figures can be found under Fact and Figures.
Under ‘Chronicle’, you can discover information worth knowing about almost one hundred years of our school’s history. A book on this topic has also been published; ‘Vivat Gymnasium’ by Wolfgang Theilig.

Facts and Figures -General Information

497 pupils from Zeulenroda and the surrounding villages attend our school (99 of which are in Years 11 and 12). They are taught by 41 teachers and 3 trainee teachers. In addition to the teaching staff, our school employs two administration staff, two technicians, a liaison teacher and two school counsellors.
The following foreign languages are taught at our school: English, French, Latin, Spanish and Russian.
The Grammar School System
Grammar schools in Thuringia prepare pupils for the general leavers’ qualification (Hochschulreife) during (at least) eight years of schooling, which equips them with the necessary knowledge, skills and attitudes in preparation for further study at a university, college, technical college or for job-specific training.
Level 5-6
In these two years, the pupils of Friedrich Schiller Grammar School are introduced to the performance requirements of the Middle School Level (Years 7-9). In this period, a particular level of support for the pupils and a strong relationship between parents and school are necessary. The first school year is classed as a ‘trial year’.
To make the transition from First School to Grammar School easier, we begin with a few ‘taster days’, to allow for the getting to-know-each-other process.
Level 7-9
The aim of the Middle School Level is to prepare the classes for the demands of the Sixth Form. Here, new subjects are added to the curriculum:
in Year 7: Physics, Chemistry
in Year 9: Social Studies, Economics & Law, and an elective subject (either a third language, Drama & Performing Arts or another of the sciences).
Sixth Form, 10-12
The Sixth Form, known in Thuringia as ‘Thüringer gymnasiale Oberstufe” leads to the Abitur exams (similar to British A Levels) at the end of three years of study. In Year 10, lessons are taken in the same classes as previously. From Year 11, ‘Kurse’ (courses) are offered at intermediate and advanced level, allowing pupils to choose courses which suit their own inclinations and skills. However, certain subjects are compulsory for all pupils, namely: German, Maths, and History, as well as two foreign languages, two sciences, and Seminarfach (a long-term coursework project).
Subjects offered at advanced level in addition to Maths, German and English, are:
Biology, Physics (and for some, Chemistry).
Geography, Social Studies, History and Economics & Law.
The languages French, Latin and Russian are offered at intermediate level, along with Physics, Biology, Chemistry, IT, Economics & Law, History, Music, Art, Drama & Performance, Religion and Ethics.

Guiding Principles of Friedrich Schiller Grammar School, Zeulenroda

Our aims:
Ethos and Attitude
• As teachers, pupils and parents, we work together towards the organisation and development of our school. In this way, we develop strong morals and treat each other with respect.
• We are committed to upholding the whole-school, and class-specific agreements and rules.
• We support environmental awareness in various different ways.
Teaching and Learning
• We promote and require a positive attitude to learning and working, and seek to develop interests and the joy of learning through true-to-life, job-oriented and practical teaching.
• We support the individual and independent learning of our pupils and allow independence through the structuring of the learning process.
• We face differences of ability by supporting and challenging both the strong and the weaker pupils through specific opportunities and targeted measures.
• We continually prepare our pupils for the demands of further study and the world of work.
Cooperation
• We strengthen our cooperation with local business and prepare our pupils purposefully and systematically for the demands of the world of work.
• We are committed to working in cooperation in partnerships and teams. We regularly exchange experiences in order to further develop lessons and the school, in which communication should be direct and efficient.

Building One

Building One of the former Schiller School houses the classrooms of Years 5 – 10. Also to be found in this building are the school’s administration, our small sports hall and our canteen, where three choices of lunchtime meal are offered. For those who still can’t find what they’re after, additional snacks are also available.

For teaching use, we have modern science labs and a computer room. Two large school yards belong to Building One, which provide comfortable seating areas for relaxing at break time, and which can also be used in a number of ways for outdoor lessons. In the school library, the extensive range of books, learning CDs and computers can be used by pupils for lessons as well as to complete other set homework tasks.

Building Two

Building Two houses the level 11-12 since 2022.
The organisation of teaching is supported by a small administrative office.