Willy Brandt Comprehensive School

What Willy Brandt Comprehensive School does

Willy-Brandt-Gesamtschule Übach-Palenberg is a German public comprehensive school (Gesamtschule) operating as a Körperschaft des öffentlichen Rechts under the municipal authority of the Stadt Übach-Palenberg in North Rhine-Westphalia. It serves students in grades 5 through 13, providing a continuous educational pathway from Sekundarstufe I (years 5–10) through the gymnasiale Oberstufe (years 11–13) leading to the Abitur. The school's stated model is a "school for all children and youth" (Schule für alle Kinder und Jugendlichen), educating students of varying abilities and backgrounds together, with differentiated instruction, structured method/communication/team training across all year levels, and explicit preparation for both university and vocational pathways.

The school operates a single campus at Comeniusstraße 16-18, 52531 Übach-Palenberg, with facilities including a Mensa (canteen), gymnasium, Pädagogisches Zentrum, teacher library, school gardens, and a climbing course. Its technology footprint is minimal: a WordPress public website and SchulManagerOnline for attendance/absence tracking. Curricular and extracurricular assets include a centralized Berufsorientierungsbüro (BOB), a biennial Berufsbörse career fair featuring 70+ regional employers, partnerships with RWTH Aachen / FH Aachen / Hochschule Niederrhein / Radboud Universiteit / Fontys Venlo, a "Gute gesunde Schule" health-and-movement initiative, an animal-assisted therapy project, and the award-winning "Pfad der Vielfalt" biodiversity trail.

The revenue model is non-commercial: the institution is publicly funded by the municipality, with parents paying a textbook contribution under the Lernmittelfreiheitsgesetz and purchasing cafeteria meals at €4.00 (Menu A) or €2.50 (Menu B). Supplementary project funding is raised through the Förderverein parent support association via membership fees and donations. Enrollment is managed through a formal municipal admission process, with priority for local residents and a lottery triggered when applications exceed capacity — the latter condition was met in March 2026, indicating the school has reached its structural demand ceiling.

Name

Willy Brandt Comprehensive School

Legal name

Willy-Brandt-Gesamtschule Übach-Palenberg

Website

https://gesamtschule-uebach-palenberg.de

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Willy-Brandt-Gesamtschule Übach-Palenberg is a German public comprehensive school (Gesamtschule) serving grades 5–13 in Übach-Palenberg, North Rhine-Westphalia, under the Stadt Übach-Palenberg. It delivers inclusive secondary education through the Abitur, supported by career orientation, a regional employer network, and parent-funded enrichment programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Übach-palenberg

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Public school funding: As a German public comprehensive school (Körperschaft des Öffentlichen Rechts) maintained by the municipality of Übach-Palenberg, the school is publicly funded. Parents pay a parental contribution (Lernmittelfreiheitsgesetz) for textbooks. The school's Förderverein (parent support association) generates supplementary funding through membership fees and donations to finance enrichment projects.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Willy-Brandt-Gesamtschule is a publicly funded German comprehensive school (Gesamtschule) that delivers secondary education from grade 5 through the Abitur (grades 11\u201313). It provides differentiated classroom instruction, structured method/communication/team training, a Berufsorientierungsb\u00fcro career guidance program, after-school AG-Angebot activities, and student support services including Schulsozialarbeit and a Gute gesunde Schule well-being program.

Product overview

Willy-Brandt-Gesamtschule Übach-Palenberg is a German comprehensive school (Gesamtschule) offering educational services for grades 5-13. The school provides general education, career orientation programs, a cafeteria (Mensa), after-school activities (AG-Angebot), and various extracurricular projects. It is not a technology product company.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Comprehensive Secondary Education (Sekundarstufe I, Grades 5\u201310) Mainstream secondary education offering for grades 5\u201310, including core subject instruction, elective courses (Wahlpflichtunterricht from grade 7), AG-Angebot after-school activities, modules, and central exit examinations (ZP 10). Serves local students in \u00dcbach-Palenberg and Baesweiler.
• Upper Secondary Education (Gymnasiale Oberstufe, Grades 11\u201313) Upper secondary education (EF, Q1, Q2) covering subject-specific coursework, Facharbeit and Projektkurs in Q1, and preparation for the Abitur university entrance qualification. Includes partnership-based support via Talentscouting with RWTH Aachen and FH Aachen.
• Berufsorientierungsb\u00fcro (BOB) Career Guidance Program Central career guidance hub providing structured career orientation from grade 8 onward, including monthly office hours with Agentur f\u00fcr Arbeit counselors, information sessions, assessments, and support with job placement and study decisions. Serves students from grade 8 through Oberstufe.
• Berufsb\u00f6rse Career Fair Biennial career fair where over 70 regional employers, universities, and institutions provide career information, apprenticeships, and dual study opportunities directly to students. Targets students preparing for vocational or academic transitions.
• Cafeteria / Mensa Meal Service Daily cafeteria meal service offering Menu A at \u20ac4.00 (yellow ticket) and Menu B at \u20ac2.50 (blue ticket), with healthy-cooking enhancements via the 'Sternek\u00fcche macht Schule' partnership with Knappschaft. Meals require purchase one day in advance.
• Schulsozialarbeit (School Social Work) School social work service offering counseling, crisis support, and social-pedagogical project work to enrolled students experiencing personal or social difficulties. Provided by two qualified social workers.

Quantifiable outcome

• 2nd place at Ideenwettbewerb des Kreises Heinsberg with prize of €1,000 for the 'Pfad der Vielfalt' biodiversity project
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Agentur für Arbeit (Employment Agency)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Employment Agency provides regular career counseling sessions at the school through both Udo Pristat (Berufsberatung Sek I) and Herr Biernath (Berufsberatung Sek II). They conduct monthly office hours in the BOB (Berufsorientierungsbüro), run information sessions, assess students, and support with job placement and study decisions.
• Förderverein der Willy-Brandt-GesamtschulecoreOthersThe parent support association provides critical supplementary funding for school projects including the 'Pfad der Vielfalt', social learning training modules, and the 'Lernen lernen' seminar week. It also finances cultural events, instruments for student bands, and financial aid for school trips for students in need.
• AOK Rheinland/HamburgminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAOK supports the 'Fit durch die Schule' program and the 'Anstoß fürs Leben' initiative at the school. This partnership funds a weekly football AG (taught by trainer Aleks Vuko) and the 'Willys Kick & Fun Cup' football tournament for local elementary school students.
• Kreis Heinsberg (District of Heinsberg)coreOthersThe district authority coordinates placement of students with special educational needs (sonderpädagogischer Förderbedarf) and runs the Ideenwettbewerb (idea competition) in which the school won 2nd place. The district's Kommunale Koordinierungsstelle Übergang Schule–Beruf supports career orientation programs.
• Various regional employers (70+ companies)coreOthersOver 70 regional companies and institutions participate in the school's biennial Berufsbörse career fair, including RWTH Aachen, FH Aachen, Aurubis Stolberg, Neuman & Esser, Schwarz Produktion, and the Bundeswehr. These partners provide career information, apprenticeships, and dual study opportunities directly to students.
• Stefan Marquard / Sterneküche macht SchuleminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTV chef Stefan Marquard visited the school as part of the 'Sterneküche macht Schule' prevention project run by the Knappschaft health insurance. He trained the school canteen team and home economics teachers on healthy, vitamin-rich cooking.
• Talentscouting RWTH Aachen / FH AachenminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Talentscouting program provides individual counseling and support for gifted students to help them access higher education opportunities at RWTH Aachen and FH Aachen.
• Various higher education institutionsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnerships with FH Aachen, RWTH Aachen, Hochschule Niederrhein, Radboud Universiteit (Netherlands), Fontys Venlo, and others provide students with information on study programs, dual study options, and international study opportunities.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• AcadeMedia: AcadeMedia is one of the largest education operators in the Nordics, running public and independent schools. It is comparable as an established multi-site school operator with similar vertical integration of K-12 educational services.
• Nord Anglia Education: Nord Anglia operates premium international schools worldwide, including collaborations with top universities. It is comparable as a global incumbent offering K-12 education with strong higher-education pathways, similar in trajectory to the Willy-Brandt-Gesamtschule's RWTH/FH Aachen partnerships.
• GEMS Education: GEMS is a global K-12 school operator with a broad portfolio of premium and mainstream schools. It is comparable as a large-scale operator in the same product category (K-12 schooling), though it operates at far greater scale and geographic breadth than a single-site German public school.
• Cognita: Cognita is a global schools group operating K-12 institutions across multiple countries. It is comparable as an established incumbent in the broader private/independent schools space, with overlapping curriculum and operational models.

Regional players

• SIS Swiss International School: SIS operates international K-12 schools in Switzerland and Germany with comparable grade structures and career/upper-secondary pathways. It is comparable as a school operator serving German-speaking regions, though it focuses on private international families.
• International School of Düsseldorf: ISD is an international K-12 school in NRW serving expatriate and German families. It is comparable as another secondary education operator in the same German federal state (NRW), competing for similar upper-secondary and university-prep students in the region.

Others

• Cornelsen Verlag: Cornelsen is Germany's leading educational publisher providing textbooks and learning materials to schools. It is comparable as an adjacent enabler serving the same German school ecosystem, though it operates as a supplier rather than a school operator.
• Stiftung Bildung: Stiftung Bildung is a German education foundation supporting schools and learning initiatives. It is comparable as an ecosystem participant that funds and develops German school programs, analogous to how the school's Förderverein supplements public resources.

Direct peers

• Helene-Lange-Schule Wiesbaden: Helene-Lange-Schule is a German Gesamtschule offering the full grade 5-13 pathway with Abitur preparation. It is the closest structural peer, sharing the comprehensive-school model, public funding base, and full secondary-to-university-prep track.
• Phorms Education: Phorms Education operates private bilingual K-12 schools across Germany, including in NRW. It is directly comparable as another school operator in the same German market, serving similar secondary-age students with a comparable structured curriculum and career orientation focus.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/willy-brandt-gesamtschule

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Willy Brandt Comprehensive School