"Andreas is absolutely correct in his analysis of the social aspect of schooling in Germany.Hauptschule is, and is seen, as the basement bucket collection for kids without the background to go somewhere better. Only 10% of German kids go to a Hauptschule, not 30% as stated in the article. And of those, 40% are still unemployed 2 years after leaving, a catastrophic balance in a country with unemployment rates as low as Germany's, and with such robust methods to ensure that all school-leavers find some kind of apprenticeship. More (in German, selbstverändlich, here: http://www.sueddeutsche.de/karriere/abschaffung-der-hauptschule-wider-die-stigmatisierung-1.190732 )A better explanation for the exceptional, young talent as described here is, however, rooted in the German school system. Neither the Realschule nor the Gymnasium are as homegenous as described. In both school types, there are specialist schools such as Werksgymnasium, Sozialgymnasium, and Werksrealschule which churn out students who have spent 7-9 years specializing in vocational training.The General-Grammar-School (Algemeinbildendesgymansium) is, however, geared entirely towards academic study, where fact-learning is valued, but not seen to be of a higher value than the pursuit of academic enquiry for itself.Another factor, often missed, is that German teachers are not employees, as a rule. They have a special status of "Beamte" - which is an employment category, a social status, and a mark of achievement unto itself. The closest translation I can think of is "Career - chartered - civil servant". As they aren't employees, they can't be released from an employment contract. Besides gross misconduct, they have a job for life. This system gives the state an unusually direct line of control in how education is delivered. A system intended to prevent the rise of indoctrinated (nazi) children, it is also unusually effective in ensuring consistently high teaching standards.Hope this helps!"