Bonn vs. Chicago vs. NYC vs. Berlin: People & Education By the Numbers
- Gabrielle Benoit
- Sep 27, 2022
- 3 min read
Traveling to Germany to "explore education" is such a grand task- where to start? Though I will use this blog to explore the anecdotal experiences that will I arise, I want to start by digging deeper and comparing Bonn and Berlin with the two cities that I consider home here in the United States; Chicago, and New York City. `
| Bonn | Chicago | NYC | Berlin |
Date founded | 1st Century BCE | 1833 CE | 1624 CE | 1237 CE |
Size of city (square miles) | 54.46 | 234.5 | 302.6 | 344.3 |
Population | 327, 258 | 2,699,000 | 8,380,000 | 3,645,000 |
Amount of schools | 52 | 649 | 1,859 | 900+ |
Amount of children attending school | unclear | 341,382 | 1,050,649 | ~350,000 |
Racial Demographics | 70% German nationals; European 87%, Asia (All) 9%, Black/AfGerm 1.2%, American 1%, Other 2% | White 31%, Latine 30%, Black/AfAm: 29%, Asian: 7%, 2+ races: 3% | White 43%, Latine 29%, Black/AfAm: 24%, Asian: 14%, Other: 15% | 71% German nationals; European 82%, Middle Eastern 9%, Asian 3%, Black/AfGerm 2%, Other 4% |
Top 5 Migration Backgrounds | Syria, Turkey, Poland, Morroco, Italy | Ireland, Poland, Germany, Italy, China | Puerto Rico, Dominican, Italian, Irish, German | Turkey, Poland, Italy, Bulgaria, Syria |
Average cost of public college | FREE + 300 Euro administration fees per semester; | City Colleges of Chicago: ~$12,000, but ~3,000 after financial aid | City University of NY (CUNY) schools: $7,000 instate tuition + dorm fees extra | FREE + 300 Euro administration fees per semester; |
A glimpse into private college | Private schools ~$30,000 per year | U of Chicago: $82,000 per year | NYU: $78,000 per year | Private schools ~$30,000 per year |
Spending Per Pupil | unclear | $16,418 | $28,004 | $20,612 |
Amount of students in CTE (Vocational) programs | 1/3 of all secondary-level students | ~15,000 | ~32,500 | 1/3 of all secondary-level students |
Rate of Teen Pregnancy | 25/1000 (Germany) | 41/1000 | 36/1000 | 25/1000 (Germany) |
Students who receive free/reduced lunch | Unclear | ~78%, but lunch is free for all students | ~80%, but lunch is free for all students | Unclear |
Rate of Poverty | 16% | 17.3% | 17.9% | 16% |
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Based on Bonn's size, I have found it more difficult to find information more readily available about some metrics (see above, labeled "unclear"). Moreover, many metrics are not available, potentially due to the constraints of German data on American internet.
Analysis and Discussion
Schooling is compulsory (mandatory) for all German children aged 6-15. Personal, private homeschooling is not an option. In America, there is a strong value for "school choice" which empowers families with the option to home school their students, send them to private school, utilize the public school system, etc.
Bonn, though a larger city than Chicago, has a generally similar amount of students, though a larger budget for per pupil spending. Whereas, New York City, the largest in population spends by far the most per pupil. Having visited schools in Bonn, Chicago, and New York City, I cannot express any stark differences between the resources provided to students. For example, in New York and Chicago, many schools have access to technology, but may not offer 1:1 technology. Additionally, in Bonn, there was less access to technology, but it was still available as needed. I would assume that differences in per pupil spending may account for the cost of living and associated teacher salaries in each city- but that is an unconfirmed supposition.
Another interesting point of comparison is something that came up quite a bit during my cohort's exploration of schools in Germany; teenage pregnancy. Of all the schools we've visited there were a total of 5 known pregnancies amongst all of the teachers I spoke with (over the course of their entire careers). In Chicago, I lost count of the number of students that I have taught who have either become pregnant, impregnated someone else, or were active parents. In Germany, we spoke with teachers about sex education. The German teachers expressed that open and honest dialogue about sexual education occurs early and continues to scaffold in complexity as students age. We also learned that birth control is free for Germans under the age of 18. Conversely, in America, access to contraception for females is difficult without parental consent (and possible health insurance obstacles). Male contraception is readily available at most drugstores and grocery stores. Some schools in NYC and Chicago will also have free access to male contraception available as well. However, health and sexual education is not widespread in America. This is sometimes politicized within communities as they seek to impose their religious beliefs about sexuality unto the education system. In short, Germany has proven that sex education and access to contraception works in curtailing teenage pregnancy.
Additionally, as explored in the seminal capstone post about vocational education, these numbers reflect a deep commitment to vocational training in Germany. Whereas, 1/3 of all german students at the secondary level will enter into vocational training. Comparatively, only 4% of students in Chicago will enroll in vocational training, and 3% of students in New York.*
Finally, one major life-changing indicator is free access to public universities in Germany. In America, there is no truly free education, even public education, at the post-secondary level. Ways in which Americans have free or reduced access to education is through financial aid provided to low-income families. Whereas, in Germany, students have access to free public universities. This demonstrates the country's prioritization of education. This is even linked to their proliferation of vocational training. Germany cares about its workforce, especially the skilled and educated workforce, as demonstrated by their financial support for these endeavors. In America, the university system is a business, even at the public level. Furthermore, the American federal student loan system is severely broken, whereas the government issues student loans with interest rates that usually end up with students repaying double the amount of their original loans.** Further confirming that America is a country with capitalist interests over their interest in education and a skilled workforce.
* = A limitation to this comparison rests in the New York and Chicago's numbers reflecting the total student body of the city and Germany's 33% reflects secondary students only.
**= Recent presidential legislation is forgiving $10,000-$20,000 in federal loans for select borrowers who meet specific income criteria now and at the time of their original loan disbursement
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