Deutsche Schule Thessaloniki: German-Greek education to the DIA and Apolytirion

Deutsche Schule Thessaloniki, usually called DST, is a co-educational day school on the Thessaloniki–Thermi road. It provides German-Greek education from kindergarten through Grade 12.

The final route leads to the Deutsches Internationales Abitur (DIA) and the Greek Apolytirion, the Greek upper-secondary leaving certificate. The DIA is Germany’s international school-leaving qualification. It is not the International Baccalaureate Diploma.

DST suits families who want German to remain an academic language while their child also studies in Greek. Entry becomes more selective after the early years, so the child’s previous curriculum and German level matter.

Who it suits

The kindergarten accepts applications from children without German. The child must turn four by December of the entry year.

Older entry follows different rules. A pupil coming from Greek primary education may need the school’s two-year German preparation route before Grade 7. Later applicants can face tests in German, English and mathematics.

This makes DST more accessible to a young German beginner than to an older pupil seeking an immediate transfer. Families needing an English-medium curriculum should look elsewhere.

How the programme is organised

Kindergarten

The school describes two preschool years with German learned through play and everyday activity. Children take a school-readiness test before moving to Grade 1, but the public page does not explain its content.

The live page says German is not an entry requirement. However, its linked rules, dated December 2020, set an admissions order. German citizens come first, followed by children with good German, then those with little or no German.

The same rules also consider siblings and group composition. A lottery decides if those criteria do not separate applicants. Applications may be submitted from January, and the rules say places are allocated by 15 May.

After an offer, the rules require the admission fee and tuition, or the first instalment, within ten days. They also mention statutory and board-approved charges without naming the amounts. Ask whether these dated procedures still apply to the coming intake.

Grades 1–4

Primary follows a German curriculum. Modern Greek is taught for five hours each week under Greek Ministry of Education curricula. The school also states that pupils have at least three hours of physical education weekly.

Pupils who complete Grade 4 successfully move automatically into DST Grade 5. Families applying from elsewhere use the Grade 1 or Grades 2–4 pupil-information form.

Grade 1 applications include a kindergarten development report. Applicants from Grade 2 attach the previous year’s semester and annual reports.

Grades 5–9 and the preparation route

DST calls this stage the Integrierte Begegnungsschule, or integrated encounter school. It uses two routes based on the pupil’s previous schooling.

• Classes 5a–9a serve pupils who completed DST primary or transfer from another German school.
• Classes 7bc–9bc serve pupils coming from Greek primary education. They complete the preparation route and pass the entrance assessment at the end of Grade 6.

In Grades 7–9, the two routes usually study separately. The school says mathematics, sport and some electives may be taught together. A switch between the two groups is not planned during these years.

The preparatory programme runs from September to May on two afternoons each week. Joining in Greek Grade 5 is optional and creates a two-year route. For Thessaloniki residents seeking Grade 7, participation in the Grade 6 course is compulsory.

The school ranks Grade 7 candidates using the final examination and their written and oral performance during the course. Pupils living outside Thessaloniki may apply without attending, but the page says they take additional examinations.

Grades 10–12 and the two leaving certificates

The two lower-secondary routes join in Grade 10. This is the introductory year of the gymnasiale Oberstufe, the German academic upper-secondary stage. Grades 11 and 12 form the qualification phase and comprise four separately assessed semesters.

Pupils take at least ten subjects. German, Greek, English, mathematics, history, ethics, physical education and either art or music are compulsory. They add at least two language or science subjects, including one science.

Courses use Germany’s 15-point upper-secondary scale. Course results contribute to the final grade alongside five DIA examinations: three written and two oral. The fifth examination is a presentation.

Successful pupils receive the DIA and Greek Apolytirion. Grade 12 pupils may also sit the Panhellenic examinations for admission to Greek universities. DST offers optional preparation in relevant examination subjects.

Later secondary entry

The current overview says entry may be possible to Grades 8, 9 or 10. Applicants take oral and written German, oral and written English, and written mathematics assessments.

The detailed later-entry page provides study material for Grades 8 and 9 but not a full Grade 10 procedure. Ask the school to set out the exact route for the proposed grade before preparing for tests.

Applying

Secondary applicants submit the Schülerauskunftsbogen, or pupil-information form, as a PDF. The school asks for semester and annual reports from the previous two school years.

The school then invites the family to a meeting, usually between January and March. Families living abroad should explain when they can visit. This meeting period is not a published application deadline.

No general 2026/27 or 2027/28 closing date appeared on the pages checked. Start with the correct stage page because kindergarten, primary, Grade 7 preparation and later secondary entry use different evidence.

Language and pupil support

German and Greek are both teaching languages. The school’s life page says pupils who are not native Greek speakers can study Greek as a foreign language through the end of Grade 10.

The same page lists free psychological counselling for pupils, parents and staff. It also describes trusted teachers, school mediation, and academic and careers guidance.

The linked kindergarten rules require families to disclose behavioural or developmental information that may call for specialist support. Withholding it can be grounds for exclusion from the kindergarten.

These are pastoral and guidance services. They do not establish what specialist learning provision is available in a particular class. Families needing learning, disability or examination accommodations should discuss the child’s documentation before applying.

Day, care and transport arrangements

DST does not advertise boarding. Its current visiting address is 9th km Thessaloniki–Thermi, 55535 Thessaloniki. The contact page lists a separate post-office box in Kalamaria for correspondence.

The kindergarten rules give core hours of 07:45–13:10. They say afternoon care runs to 15:00, while the 2025/26 fee sheet prices care to 15:15 and 16:00. Obtain the current collection time in writing.

The dated fee sheet lists primary homework care, clubs, lunch and a bus for Grades 7–12. It does not publish bus routes or a younger-pupil service. Check the journey before choosing housing.

Latest published fees: 2025/26, not 2026/27

The most recent fee sheet linked from a live admissions page is for 2025/26. Treat the figures below as dated evidence only.

Stage	2025/26 tuition	Annual enrolment fee	First-time admission fee
Kindergarten	€4,410	€120	€300
Grades 1–4, 5–9 and 12	€4,607	€120	€900
Grades 10–11	€4,907	€120	Not stated in this row

The kindergarten admission fee is credited against the later Grade 1 admission fee. Grades 10–11 include use and support of the Digital Class iPad and digital textbooks.

The sheet says DST offers a sibling reduction across school sections. It does not print the percentage and instead refers to rules dated 13 April 2022. That linked document was unavailable when checked.

Optional 2025/26 charges were:

Service	Dated charge
Primary care to 15:15	€400 a year; clubs charged at 50%
Primary care to 16:00	€600 a year; clubs included
One-hour weekly club	€60 a year
Two-hour weekly club	€100 a year
Kindergarten care to 15:15	€400 a year
Kindergarten care to 16:00	€500 a year
Bus for Grades 7–12	€980 a year
Lunch	€5.15 a meal

The German page of the bilingual PDF mistypes the bus year as 2025/56. Its Greek page says 2025/26, consistent with the rest of the document.

Before paying, request the 2026/27 or later schedule and the full fee rules. Check instalments, sibling reductions, withdrawal notice, refunds, late-entry charges, transport and the Grade 10–11 admission fee.

Our view

DST is a strong match when a family wants German-Greek education and values both the DIA and Greek Apolytirion. The preparation route can make entry from Greek primary education possible, but it is a substantial language commitment.

It is a weaker fit for a short transfer if the child cannot meet the German assessment or needs specialist support the school has not confirmed. The outdated public fee sheet also makes a written quotation essential.

Use the Thessaloniki guide for local comparisons and the Greece country guide for the wider admissions context.

Friendly orientation, not an application. Dates, fees, and programme details move. Confirm everything with the school.