There are different regulations in each state as to when compulsory school attendance ends or when a pupil can be released prematurely from compulsory education upon application by the school board.
In Berlin, full-time compulsory schooling lasts ten years and is accomplished by attending a primary school and a secondary general education school. After full-time compulsory school attendance, mandatory vocational schooling begins until the end of the vocational training relationship. Education in a vocational school is also mandatory if young people take part in a pre-vocational course and have not yet reached the age of 20.