What is required to go to Gymnasium and are there affordable private school options?

Question

Is it true that a Child can only go to gymnasium at the recommendations of a teacher? I  ask for a child that recently came to Germany and was put in the fourth class in Grundschule he was intimidated by the new environment, asyl issues  and the new language and was unable to catch up with his mates the teacher recommend he go to realschule.
Prior to coming to Germany he excelled and was top of his class in his country. His mother would really like him to go directly to Gymnasium. Are they affordable private school options that will allow the child to start in gymnasium or the teacher always has the final say?

Answer 1

Dear @Afromum, Dear Isa, first of all, we are specialized on education for adults and not on child education. But from all we know, we agree with Isa's answer that it depends on the federal state (Bundesland) where you live whether it's the parents' or the teacher's decision. The parents can ask for consultation at the Schulamt/school office of the state where they live. In Berlin for example you can find the consultaiton office on the website of the Senat, which ist the following: https://***.berlin.de/sen/bildung/unterstuetzung/schulpsychologie/artikel.411195.php If you are not located in Berlin, please search for Elternberatung/Schulberatung + your Federal State and you will get the same information. Please check if they have consultation in ohter languages or if you need to bring a translator (in case you don't speak German). All the best Lernladen Neukölln

Answer 2

Dear @Afromum,

Nice to hear from you again! 

From my personal experience of going to school in Berlin, being able to go to Gymnasium depended on my grades and not only on one teacher. 

Unfortunately, these school procedures can vary according to the federal state/ Bundesland. According to the source I found, there are some Bundesländer where the parents' decision counts and not the grades (in Niedersachsen, Rheinland-Pfalz). In others, a certain GPA (grade point average) decides if the child will be able to apply for Gymnasium (e.g. in Bayern, Baden-Württemberg). And sometimes, the parents who don't agree with the "Schulempfehlung" (school recommendation) can send their children to something like a "testing class" (Probeunterricht) to see how the children are doing in the new environment (e.g. in Berlin, Nordrhein-Westfalen). 

Maybe the experts from LernLaden Neukölln @BildungsberaterIn can help with this case? 

All the best, 

Isa