The present school system, introduced in 1929, underwent major reforms in the early 1970s.

In 1974, the compulsory primary school attendance period was lowered from eight years to five, beginning at age seven.

Kindergarten, offered to children ages five to seven, is optional, followed by five compulsory years of primary school.

Secondary education is divided into three tracks: Oberschule; Realschule, which offers vocational and, in some cases, university preparatory education; and Gymnasium, which provides an eight-year program to prepare students for a university education, with concentrations in either the classics and humanities or economics and mathematics.

Liechtenstein also has an evening technical school, a music school, and a children's pedagogic-welfare day school.

While there are no universities in Liechtenstein, students continue their education at universities abroad, especially in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.