Since the so-called PISA-shock of 2001, when German students scored disappointingly in an international comparison of skills test results, German parents have been increasingly looking to alternatives to the state school system. Although most of the private schools in Germany are either Waldorf schools or run by churches, an increasing number are being founded by innovators with an entrepreneurial spirit and a willingness to experiment.

For instance, at the Kinderkosmos Elementary school in Esslingen, students and teachers are not bound by fixed schedules or grades. Teachers are referred to as "Guides" and students may address them by their first names. The founders, Rebeca and Mauricio Wild, told Stern that the school functions on the premise that healthy children will naturally pursue their own drive to learn if they are placed in a stimulating environment.

In the Phorms school in Berlin, every child receives a tailored curriculum, and classes are held in English so that the students will learn to speak without an accent. The school, which stresses rules and achievement, has a waiting list – enrolment has already begun for the 2011 school year.

The private school boom is predicated on increased willingness on the part of parents to get involved in their children’s education, and to pay tuition, which averages about 300 euro ($387) per month. At the Kinderkosmos school, parents also play the role of janitor and secretary, putting in a required 20 hours a month to make the school work.