When he reached school age, Einstein proved to be a gifted student. He first began public education at age six, in 1885, though he was given private tutoring a year earlier to help him get ready for school. German schools at the time were not geared toward a Jewish education or Jewish children, but Einstein excelled regardless, again showing his determination and ability to self-motivate. He did some amount of self-teaching as well; science and math classes were minimal in his early school years, but Einstein spent time outside of school teaching himself physics and math.

Einstein's Early Education

When he was nine years old, Einstein transferred to the Luitpold-Gymnasium, another school in Munich. His best subjects were said to be math and languages, particularly Latin. He was reputed to revel in his studies, but was less fond of the structure and apparently arbitrary discipline at this strict German school. He had difficulties in getting along with the form-master there, and he ended up never graduating. Einstein left the school in 1894 without a degree.

Incorporating Humanities into Einstein's Coursework

By the time he was eleven years old, Einstein was reading philosophy and religion, in addition to his regular school courses. Laying the foundation for later struggles, he was already starting to think about the dichotomy between science and religion, creationism versus evolution.

The religious atmosphere in the Einstein home also contributed to the ways in which Albert would come to formulate his theories later in life. His parents were nonobservant Jews, meaning they were Jewish but did not observe all the rituals and ceremonies of the religion. They did not keep a kosher household, nor did they attend synagogue services regularly. They did, however, respect Judaism, and they instilled that same respect for religion in their children.