Jul 06, 2026
“We didn't just learn how to solve problems.” — University School Dresden celebrates third graduating class
Maxi Heß describes the dandelion on the Class of 2026’s report card folders: “Many little umbrellas gathered in one place. But really, it’s clear: They’re ready. Ready to break free. Ready to fly away. Ready to put down new roots elsewhere.”
On July 3, the third class to graduate from University School Dresden (USD) met with members of their school community to celebrate their graduation from school education. In the 2026–27 school year, a new chapter for University School Dresden will begin, with about 40 pupils launching the University School’s first ever 11th grade class. Meanwhile, space constraints currently prevent the full implementation of this ambitious concept.
A third successful graduating class
On July 3, 7 proud graduates received their Hauptschule school leaving certificates, and 44 students received their Mittlere Reife school leaving certificates. Parents, siblings, and, of course, the learning facilitators attended the celebration, as did Dr. Eva-Maria Stange, representing the Advisory Board of the Dresden University School. Former Minister of Science for Saxony, she was instrumental in launching the school pilot project. “A school like the University School doesn’t come about solely through educational concepts, but because people believe in a VISION OF A NEW SCHOOL,” said Principal Maxi Heß as she thanked the members of the Advisory Board.
After the summer break, some students will move on to vocational training or an orientation year, for example, undertaking volunteer work. Some will start at the school's new upper secondary level. While others will prepare for it with their Realschule leaving certificate in hand.
Martha, a 2025 graduate, looked back on her time at the University School with some perspective: “You remember the people who made you feel seen. Maybe that’s exactly what makes this school so special: Here, we didn’t just learn how to solve problems. We also learned how to get along with one another.” She emphasized in particular: “Here, you are allowed to be yourself—with interests that don’t always fit into a box, with ideas, insecurities, and talents that others sometimes recognized before you did. I never felt like I just had to function here. Instead, it was a place that allowed me to grow.”
In her remarks to the graduating students, Principal Maxi Heß emphasized: “Learning often begins when a genuine question arises: What does this have to do with me? What don’t I understand yet? Why is that the case? How could it be different? What can I contribute? These questions are valuable. And I very much hope that you’ll hold on to them for the rest of your lives." She bid farewell to the third graduating class with an encouraging message: "The world you’re now stepping into doesn’t need people who just wait for someone to tell them what to do. It needs courageous people who think for themselves and take on social responsibility—people who recognize the bigger picture, who can tolerate contradictions, and who don’t give up right away when things get confusing.”
Preparatory year for Abitur studies
For about 20 10th-grade students, this academic year also marked the end of their GYM10 preparatory year. This preparatory course for upper secondary school is a prerequisite for the Abitur for those students who began their studies in the 5th grade at what was then known as the Universitätsoberschule. There will be another preparatory year in the 2026–27 school year, which will allow students who have earned their Oberschule certificates to review and deepen their understanding of curriculum content and skills to a Gymnasium level. About 10 young people have opted for this route.
In August, some 40 young people will make up the first 11th-grade class in which the project-based teaching concept will continue – within the framework provided by Saxony’s School Act and the relevant administrative authorities. They are in close communication with school principal Maxi Heß regarding this matter. After establishing the elementary, middle, youth, and qualification levels using innovative teaching methods that place greater emphasis on individual learning paths, self-regulated learning, and learning guidance, the pilot program wants to show how these concepts can also be put into practice as students continue their education toward the Abitur. At the end of the 2027–28 school year, the first high school graduates will leave the Gemeinschaftsschule.
Rooms for a growing school with a unique concept
Pupils at Dresden University School have been studying in an old GDR building since 2019 and in an additional container building since 2022. Capacities are once again over-utilised.
The school community will then have grown to comprise approximately 1,100 pupils. The old GDR-era building, which the school community moved into in August 2019 with 200 children, has been supplemented by mobile classroom units since 2022. In the upcoming 2026–27 school year, classroom capacity will again be exhausted due to the expected increase in enrollment. In collaboration with the City of Dresden, which is the school's governing body, the school was able to find a good solution by temporarily using a daycare center located in the immediate vicinity.
The container building (on the left) houses the classrooms for grades 1 through 6 and the cafeteria. The older GDR-era building houses the classrooms for grades 7 through 10. There are plans to expand the school to accommodate students through grade 12.
“Since 2019, the school community has grown and had to adapt to and overcome spatial challenges,” said Principal Maxi, explaining: “This upcoming academic year will also be marked by constant change." She is impressed by the flexibility and willingness to compromise that the students, parents, and learning facilitators show in implementing the solutions they found, and adds: “This makes us look forward even more to moving into our future premises, even if we have to wait a few more years.”
The plan is to build a school where, starting in the 2029–30 school year, approximately 1,100 children and students in grades 1 through 12 will learn under one roof.
Preparations for the new building, which was approved by the Dresden City Council in 2025, are currently underway not far from the Cämmerswalder Straße site. Construction work at the Höckendorfer Weg site will begin with the start of the new school year. Starting in the 2029–30 academic year, the entire school community will experience and explore the future of schooling under one roof—in a school building that will make it possible to implement the “space as the third educator” concept.
New approaches to teacher education at TU Dresden
In learning journals, students record learning goals for the day and reflect on their learning process. The learning journal is used at the USD to promote self-regulated learning, which becomes increasingly important as students advance through the grades
At University School Dresden a new approach to teacher training at TU Dresden took it’s first steps: Thanks to the openness of the school community, the school’s proximity to the university, and its status as a pilot project, it was possible test a teaching placement that runs alongside the semester. Since the 2024–25 school year, the ALSO project – an alternative teaching placement program – has been implemented at selected schools in eastern Saxony. Unlike the traditional Block Internship A, which takes place during the break between semesters, the focus here is not on classroom observation; instead, future teachers can gain practical classroom experience in teams of four over the course of nearly an entire school year. They work with their own 5th grade class every week during a joint learning day. On this day, the focus is on classroom management and learning how to learn.
The trainee teachers are supported by the ALSO team at the Chair of Education / Inclusive Education. As part of the ALSO transfer project, trainee teachers also incorporate teaching methods from University School Dresden into their placement days.
In the 2026–27 school year, students who have already completed the A internship while attending their regular classes will also be able to complete the B internship at a school in a rural area in an extended format that spans nearly an entire school year.
About the University School Dresden
Dresden University School is a joint project of the City of Dresden and the Dresden University of Technology. It is a free, public community school run by the city, where innovative forms of teaching and learning are tested under scientific supervision. In addition, it is a training school for future teachers and, in the future, a further education school for teachers. The school trial is being scientifically supported by the ForUS Research Unit at TU Dresden.
Read more about TU Dresden’s research project: tu-dresden.de/gsw/unischule
Read more about University School Dresden: universitaetsschule.org
You can catch a glimpse inside the research project and daily school life on various social media channels at: Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and LinkedIn. There are also regular updates on University School Dresden in the School of Humanities and Social Sciences newsletter.
Media contact:
Maria Neuland Agüero
Communications Manager
University School Dresden Project
TUD Dresden University of Technology
School of Humanities and Social Sciences
Faculty of Education
Chair of Inclusive Education
Tel.: +49 351 463 41229
Email: