Abstract
The German Olympic sport federation considers elite sport schools (ESS) to be beneficial for talented young athletes by offering school education and optimal training conditions, enabling pupils to perform at their best. An evaluation of ESS institutions systematically analyzed empirical data on ascribed and achieved aims with collected individual and collective data using questionnaires. On an individual basis, school performances and post-school occupational prospects, as well as competitive success of participants in the 2004 Summer Olympics and the 2006 Winter Olympics were compared among ESS and non-ESS student-athletes. Age differences between the categories `continuous at ESS', `in stages at ESS' and `never at ESS' were not found. The results show that there was no difference in athletic performances between ESS pupils and others in the 2004 Summer Olympics, while in the 2006 Winter Olympics, there was a significant difference. Furthermore, there were no differences in school performances between the groups. Pupils at ESS often go on to pursue careers in the federal police and the armed forces, while many more non-ESS pupils work toward earning a university degree. The available data suggest that attending an ESS results in higher individual social costs which are not matched by comparable success in athletic competitions.