Secondary Education I at CDSC begins with an orientation phase in the 5^th grade. During this year, teachers carefully observe and differentiate, so as to be ready to give a recommendation for the continuing educational path of each student at the end of the school year. Parents can then choose whether to follow the recommendation or not, deciding between Hauptschule, Realschule or Gymnasium. Since there is only one class per grade at CDSC, all three education types will take place in the same classroom.

In the 6^th grade, students qualified for Gymnasium will begin to study French as a second language; students qualified for Realschule may choose between French and crafts/technical education. Students qualified for Hauptschule normally attend crafts/technical education classes.

Students will obtain their graduation certificates after examinations at the end of 9^th grade (for Hauptschule students) and 10^th grade (for Realschule students). The CDSC has received permission from the German Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs (Kultusministerkonferenz: KMK) to issue both kinds of graduation certificates. The examinations required to receive both Hauptschule and Realschule certificates are conducted by the examination appointee of the Federal Government-Federal States Committee for Schools Abroad (Bund-Länder Ausschuss für schulische Arbeit im Ausland – BLAschA).

A core examination procedure with written and oral examinations must be passed for the Realschule-certificate and Hauptschule-certificate. In the 10^th grade of Gymnasium, centralized class tests with special gradings are written in the main subjects.

The 10th grade plays a unique role at CDSC: It is the concluding year of the Realschule (based on the G8-system), i.e., secondary education I. It is also the first of the upper-level Gymnasium years (three years in total, making up secondary education II).

By being transferred to the 11th grade, Gymnasium students are entitled to attend the qualification phase of the Gymnasium upper school.