Wondering how this Kant-Gymnasium came to be? Let me tell you its story. The Kant-Gymnasium opened its doors on October 19 1863. Back then, it was known as a higher Bürgerschule. The school started at the vorderen Zirkel. A total of 270 students enrolled. Seven teachers and some assistant teachers taught them.
This new type of school proved successful. Student numbers steadily increased. By October 1868, it expanded into a Realgymnasium. Only three years later, the Realgymnasium later named Humboldtschule became independent. The higher Bürgerschule continued on its own path.
Initially, the school was provisionally housed in the Ritterstraße. In November 1873, the higher Bürgerschule moved. Its new building was on Englerstraße. The building was expanded in 1888. A four-story side building was added. A significant change occurred in the 1892-93 school year. The school expanded to become an Oberrealschule with nine grade levels.
From the 1951-52 school year, the Kantschule began admitting girls. It transitioned from an all-boys school. It became a coeducational institution. In the 1953-54 school year, the school gained the right to call itself a Gymnasium. The earlier differentiation of higher schools ended due to progressive democratization.
The Kant-Gymnasium enjoyed growing popularity. Student numbers continued to rise. By February 1956, there were 953 students. The two sixth grade classes were the largest. Each had 46 students. By 1968, the Gymnasium had a considerable 1450 students. One factor in the school’s popularity was Russian lessons. From 1964, students could choose Russian as a third foreign language. To this day, the Kant-Gymnasium is the only Karlsruhe Gymnasium. It offers Russian as a foreign language.
Growing student numbers brought increasing space shortages. The city responded to this development. In 1966, six classes moved to the Volksschule in the Rintheimer Feld. These measures led to the creation of an independent Gymnasium. From 1970, it was named the Otto-Hahn-Gymnasium.
At the end of the seventies, specifically from 1978, the redesigned upper school system entered the Gymnasien. Subsequent development of the Kant-Gymnasium was shaped by school reforms. These reforms occurred in ever shorter intervals. Shifts toward new care systems also played a role. These included afternoon care, open all-day school, and integration of youth support programs. The change from curriculum to educational plan brought changes. Standard orientation and the integration of new teaching methods. These all equally altered the core of teaching.
And that’s a brief history of the Kant-Gymnasium. From its humble beginnings to its current form. It has continuously evolved to meet the changing needs of its students and the community.