Choosing a school in Germany

Cities: Berlin, Munich, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Düsseldorf, Bonn, Karlsruhe

A private or international school can be a good choice in Germany, but it needs a clear reason: continuity in English, boarding, a particular teaching approach, or support that fits your child. The local public school belongs in the comparison, especially if your family expects to stay.

Germany’s sixteen federal states, the Länder, are responsible for their school systems. School types, transfers, holidays and admissions procedures can differ. Advice from a family in another state may help you form questions, but it does not establish the rules for your child. The Standing Conference of education ministers (KMK) explains the overall structure.

Private-school status: what parents need to know

An Ersatzschule is a privately run school approved to replace a corresponding public-school provision. Attendance can fulfil compulsory schooling, or Schulpflicht. Private schools require State approval and remain under State supervision. This category includes many church schools, alternative-pedagogy schools and bilingual schools. KMK guidance on privately run schools.

Do not confuse genehmigt—approved—with staatlich anerkannt—State-recognised. Recognition concerns further rights, including the school’s authority to hold examinations and issue equivalent school-leaving certificates under the relevant state rules. A school may be approved without having that additional status. Ask where your child would take examinations and who would issue the final certificate. Brandenburg’s ministry sets out the distinction in its private-school guidance.

An Ergänzungsschule offers education outside the corresponding public-school provision. Some international schools have this status. It does not automatically answer whether attendance meets compulsory-schooling obligations for a particular pupil. Ask the school and the responsible education authority to confirm the applicable arrangement in writing. Rules and exemptions depend on the state and the pupil’s circumstances; do not improvise a second enrolment to solve the question.

The status may also differ by age group within one school. BBIS, for example, describes its provision through Grade 10 as an Ersatzschule and Grades 11–12 as an Ergänzungsschule. That is why the useful question is the status of your child’s programme, not merely the school’s overall label.

Internat means boarding school or boarding provision. A Tagesinternat normally provides an extended supervised day without overnight accommodation. Neither term tells you whether the teaching leads to the Abitur, IB Diploma or another qualification.

Religious and pedagogical identities need a separate conversation. At a church school, ask which religious activities are compulsory and how children of other faiths or none participate. At a Waldorf or Montessori school, ask how its teaching approach connects to the examinations and transfer options your child may need.

Age groups and the secondary-school transition

Children generally begin school around age six. Grundschule, primary school, usually covers Grades 1–4; in Berlin and Brandenburg it covers Grades 1–6. Specific earlier-transfer routes can exist, so check the local procedure rather than treating the usual structure as an absolute rule. KMK explanation of primary schooling.

The move to secondary school is therefore commonly around ten, or around twelve in Berlin and Brandenburg. A Gymnasium leads towards the Abitur, the German general higher-education entrance qualification. Other school types, including Gesamtschule, Realschule and Gemeinschaftsschule, offer different combinations of routes and qualifications depending on the state. A later move towards higher qualifications may be possible; ask about the actual progression routes rather than judging the child by the first secondary-school decision.

International schools may use different year names and entry ages. Give admissions your child’s birth date, current curriculum and reports. A Grade 6 in one system is not necessarily equivalent to a Year 6 in another.

For German-language schooling, ask how a new pupil learns the academic German needed for essays, mathematics explanations and examinations. Conversational fluency is helpful but not the same as being ready to study every subject in German. Ask how language support fits into the timetable and how progress is assessed.

Abitur, IB or European Baccalaureate?

The IB Diploma and European Baccalaureate are distinct from the German Abitur. An Abibac route combines the French baccalauréat and German Abitur. Decide which programme fits both the child’s current education and their likely next step.

An IB Diploma can qualify a pupil for German university admission, but the subject combination, levels and other recognition conditions matter. Confirm them before choosing subjects for the final two years. The KMK publishes its current higher-education recognition agreements, including the IB agreement. Universities may have additional course and language requirements.

At an IB school, PYP and MYP mean Primary Years Programme and Middle Years Programme. They describe earlier stages, not additional university-entry qualifications. If a school says it offers the full IB continuum, still check which programme and subjects are available at the campus your child would attend.

If you may leave Germany in a few years, ask the possible receiving school how a transfer would work. If you may stay through age eighteen, give German-language qualifications serious consideration alongside the international options. Neither route is automatically more suitable for every mobile family.

Organise applications around the actual school

There is no national private-school deadline. Begin with the relevant state’s transition calendar, then the school’s own application and assessment dates. For a move, include the planned arrival month, languages and current curriculum in the first enquiry.

Starting research in the autumn before the intended school year leaves time to compare programmes and collect records. That is a planning suggestion, not a promise that applications remain open until spring. Rolling admissions also depend on places in the particular year group.

For boarding, check separately whether a school place and a boarding place are available. Ask about trial visits, weekend supervision, required trips home and school holidays. A room being available in summer does not establish whether the academic programme is suitable.

Request a complete fee schedule for the intended year. Separate tuition from transport, additional language support, trips, registration charges and capital contributions. For an extended-day school, confirm what lunch, homework supervision and clubs cost. You need a budget that remains manageable after the first year.

Regional comparisons

The schools below are useful starting points, not a ranking or a claim about which schools parents typically tour together. City guides provide more local detail. Stuttgart, Cologne, Leipzig and Dresden also need their own local research; the examples here are not a complete map of German schooling.

Frankfurt and Rhine-Main

Frankfurt International School is worth considering for an international IB education. Compare it with European School Frankfurt in Praunheim if your family meets the European School’s admission conditions. The latter leads to the European Baccalaureate, not the IB.

Traditional European Schools use admission categories linked to the family’s institutional or employment circumstances. Category I generally covers eligible staff families, Category II pupils covered by an agreement, and Category III other fee-paying applicants where admitted. These are not academic ability groups. Check eligibility, language sections and capacity under the school’s current rules. See the Frankfurt guide.

Munich and its surrounding area

Munich International School, at Schloss Buchhof, and Bavarian International School are IB options. Compare the campus assigned to your child and the school-bus journey from your possible home. “Munich” in a school name does not mean a central-city commute.

European School Munich, with sites in Fasangarten and Neuperlach, offers the European Baccalaureate. Its institutional admissions context includes European Patent Office families. Use its current rules to determine the relevant category and site. The Munich guide explains the regional choices.

Berlin and neighbouring Brandenburg

John F. Kennedy School is a tuition-free public German–American bilingual school from entrance class through Grade 12. Admission has specific nationality and language conditions; it is not a fee-paying international school with unrestricted access.

BBIS Berlin Brandenburg International School is in Kleinmachnow, Brandenburg, outside Berlin. It teaches in English and offers IB programmes, with boarding from Grade 9. Its 2026–27 fees are published. Check the school-status distinction explained above for your child’s grade.

Canisius-Kolleg, near the Tiergarten, is a Jesuit Gymnasium. It suits a different search: German schooling and a religious ethos rather than English-medium IB continuity. A new fee regulation took effect on 1 August 2026; ask which amount applies to your family. The Berlin guide covers these three options across two federal states.

Boarding in southern Germany

Compare Schule Schloss Salem and Kolleg St. Blasien if boarding is central to the decision. Look at qualification choice and language requirements before comparing the accommodation.

St. Blasien is a Jesuit Gymnasium with boarding in the High Black Forest. It leads to the Abitur, not the IB, and publishes 2026/27 charges for day pupils and boarders. Ask about an ordinary weekend, not only lessons and organised activities. See the St. Blasien guide.

Hamburg

International School of Hamburg, in Groß Flottbek, offers an IB route. The public fee PDF located for the profile was not current; request the schedule for your intended year.

Phorms Campus Hamburg, on Wendenstraße, offers bilingual German–English education leading to the Abitur. Its public fee information uses monthly amounts. It is the more relevant comparison if you want bilingual teaching within a German qualification route. See the Hamburg guide.

Düsseldorf and Neuss

International School of Düsseldorf offers the full IB continuum. Its published 2026–27 fees include a separate one-time admission charge, which belongs in the first-year budget.

ISR International School on the Rhine, in Neuss, offers IGCSEs followed by the IB Diploma. It describes itself as an Ergänzungsschule funded through tuition. The pages reviewed do not publish a fee table; request a quotation and confirm the applicable compulsory-schooling arrangement. See the Düsseldorf guide.

Bonn

Bonn International School, on Martin-Luther-King-Straße, is an IB school. The public fee table reviewed did not state its academic year, and an admissions page still referred to 18 August 2025. Those details need confirmation rather than being treated as a current offer.

Independent Bonn International School, on Tulpenbaumweg, combines British and North Rhine-Westphalian educational requirements and reports in both languages. Its public pages reviewed did not publish tuition. Compare its age range, progression and language arrangements with BIS, then obtain the relevant fees. See the Bonn guide.

Karlsruhe

European School Karlsruhe is a traditional European School with three language sections and category-based admissions. The central 2026/27 fee decision and the school’s own sheet labelled 2025/26 must not be treated as one current quotation. Ask the school to confirm your category and applicable amount.

Fichte-Gymnasium Karlsruhe, on Sophienstraße, is a municipal Gymnasium with a French route that can lead to the Abibac. Its March 2026 application window for Grade 5 has passed. It is a useful alternative for a pupil seeking German schooling with an advanced French component, rather than a European School programme. See the Karlsruhe guide and the official European Schools directory.

What to ask during a visit

Then ask about the daily experience. Ganztag means all-day provision, but the balance of compulsory lessons, lunch, clubs and supervised homework differs. Check the finish time and what happens if your child struggles socially or academically. Ask whom they can approach and how parents are contacted.

Our take

Choose a German public, private or bilingual route if your family expects to stay and the school can support your child’s German. Choose an international programme when language and curriculum continuity make the move more manageable. Boarding may widen the geographic choice, but it adds a separate decision about care and family life.

Friendly orientation, not formal admissions advice. Always confirm dates with the school.