In Hamburg parents have the free choice of school, when they enroll their child at a primary school or at a secondary school. Parents do not have to choose a particular school for their child but can freely choose between all the schools in the city. For secondary school, parents have the choice between the school types District School or High School/Gymnasium. At school registration parents can specify three desired schools. If, due to lack of school places, the child cannot be admitted to the first desired school, he / she participates in the admission procedure for the second or third choice school. If none of the three wishes can be fulfilled, the child will be enrolled in a school at a reasonable distance from the place of residence.