From near-closure to a national model.
Nanhe Elementary's enrollment had shrunk to just 22 students, putting the small Gongguan school on the edge of closure — until it pivoted in 2015–2016 to a Germany-inspired "Jena Plan" model of mixed-age experimental education. Rebranded "南河耶拿實驗小學" (Nanhe Jena Experimental Elementary School), it now offers mixed-age classes, mountain and wilderness education, and STEM experiences. The turnaround has been covered by national media as a model for how small rural Taiwanese schools can avoid closure by reinventing themselves.
南河國小一度因生員銳減至僅22人，面臨廢校危機，直到民國104至105年（2015至2016年）轉型採用源自德國的「耶拿計畫」混齡實驗教育，並更名為「南河耶拿實驗小學」。學校現提供混齡教學、山野教育與STEM課程，這場轉型故事更受到全國媒體報導，被視為偏鄉小校免於廢校的典範。
What makes this school worth knowing.
🎓 Taiwan's Jena Plan Pioneer
耶拿計畫先驅學校
In 2015–2016, Nanhe adopted Germany's "Jena Plan," an approach built around mixed-age classes rather than traditional single-grade classrooms, rare among Taiwanese public schools.
🏕️ Mountain and Wilderness Education
山野教育課程
The school integrates mountain and wilderness education into its curriculum, giving students hands-on outdoor learning experiences tied to Gongguan's rural landscape.
📰 A Nationally Covered Turnaround
全國媒體報導的轉型故事
Having shrunk to just 22 students before its reinvention, Nanhe's rescue from closure has been featured in national media as a model for saving small rural schools.
🔬 STEM Alongside Mixed-Age Classes
STEM課程結合混齡教學
Alongside its mixed-age Jena Plan classrooms, the school offers STEM experiences, blending experimental pedagogy with modern science and technology learning.
A Hakka village school reinventing itself.
A small Hakka farming-village school whose radical shift to Jena Plan mixed-age education reflects a broader movement among Gongguan's rural Hakka communities to keep local schools alive as populations age and children move away. See the Miaoli county page for more on the region.
Find the school.
Nanhe Village, Gongguan Township, Miaoli County, Taiwan
363苗栗縣公館鄉南河村
School's Official Website (Chinese) ↗
Last updated: July 2026 · Content adapted and condensed from the school's official Chinese-language website by the Taiwan Bilingual Hub team, not yet reviewed by the school. If you're from Nanhe Jena Experimental Elementary and would like to correct or expand this page, please contact us.