Choosing between Bonn’s two international schools

Bonn International School, or BIS, and Independent Bonn International School, or I.B.I.S., are separate co-educational day schools. Their similar names conceal a consequential difference: only BIS offers the full International Baccalaureate (IB) sequence through the Diploma.

Start with the years your child needs

BIS takes children from age three through Grade 12. English is the main teaching language, with German taught in every grade at different levels. Compare it first if an older child needs the IB Diploma or the family wants one school through the end of secondary education.

I.B.I.S. follows the British curriculum, with German based on the North Rhine-Westphalian curriculum. Optional German-taught social studies and mathematics in specified primary years can help a child prepare for a later German-school transition.

Its learning page describes provision through Year 7, while other school pages also mention Year 8 or age 13. Ask which final year is operating for the intended intake. It should not be treated as an IB Diploma or Abitur school.

Fees and support need separate confirmation

BIS publishes a tuition table, but it is not labelled with an academic year. Its admissions page also retains an August 2025 start date. Request a current offer and entry date rather than assuming those details describe 2026–27.

BIS includes English-language development in tuition, but its separate Learning Support Programme can attract additional tiered charges. A child needing English support should not automatically be assigned the learning-support price.

I.B.I.S. does not display a public fee amount on the reviewed pages. Ask for the support-association contribution, what it covers, and the separate costs of meals, uniform and paid activities. Fee transparency is a budgeting issue, not evidence that one school teaches better.

The Bonn school run

BIS is on Martin-Luther-King-Straße in southern Bonn; I.B.I.S. is on Tulpenbaumweg in Bad Godesberg. Check the relevant arrival and after-school collection times from the planned home.

For a permanent move, also compare local German primary and secondary routes through the Germany overview. Düsseldorf schools require a different housing and commuting decision; the Düsseldorf guide is useful only if that location is genuinely in scope.

The Bonn city page links both profiles.

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