Germany · Munich
European School Munich offers a multilingual route to the European Baccalaureate, with kindergarten and primary in Fasangarten and secondary in Neuperlach. Category I pupils have an admission entitlement and pay no tuition. Other families need to establish eligibility, available places and fees.
European School Munich, or ESM, belongs to the intergovernmental European Schools system as a Type 1 European School. It leads to the European Baccalaureate, a different qualification from the International Baccalaureate (IB). Kindergarten and primary are in Fasangarten; secondary is in Neuperlach, both in south-east Munich.
ESM is particularly worth considering for families entitled to Category I admission who want a multilingual education. Other families need to establish their admissions route before relying on a place. Check the language section and journey to the relevant campus alongside eligibility.
The school is a day school without boarding. The parents’ association organises school buses; ask it about current routes and prices.
The school’s forty-year brochure records its foundation in 1977, at the request of the European Patent Office, initially with kindergarten and primary in the French lycée on Berlepschstraße. Its July 2026 news reports that more than 200 pupils received the European Baccalaureate that year. That graduation count does not establish a pass rate or comparative academic ranking.
The admission criteria distinguish three routes:
For Category III, a visit is useful for assessing fit but does not establish availability. Obtain confirmation for the child’s year group and language section.
Fasangarten serves kindergarten and primary. Its postal address is Auguste-Kent-Platz 3, 81549 Munich; kindergarten also lists Cincinnatistr. 81. School buses and suppliers approach from the north at Lincolnstraße 94. The nearest suburban railway station is Fasangarten, on the S3. The school recommends public transport or the parents’ association bus.
Neuperlach serves secondary at Elise-Aulinger-Straße 21, 81739 Munich. The directions name bus 55, Putzbrunnerstraße stop, and U5 station Therese-Giehse-Allee, using the exit towards Putzbrunnerstraße. They also mention visitor parking or parking on Putzbrunnerstraße.
Test the school journey at the expected arrival time. Families with children in both stages need to account for two sites. A tour should include the year group and section your child would join.
Kindergarten begins in September of the calendar year in which the child turns four and lasts two years. Primary Year 1 begins in the year the child turns six, followed by five years of primary and seven years of secondary. The European Baccalaureate comes at the end of Secondary Year 7, abbreviated S7.
Most teaching is in the child’s dominant language, known as Language 1 (L1). A first foreign language, Language 2 (L2), starts in primary. A third language begins in Secondary Year 1 (S1); fourth and fifth languages are later options.
From Secondary Year 3 (S3), L2 also becomes a teaching language for subjects. The school’s 2026 subject-choice information names human sciences, history, geography, economics, religion and ethics within this progression. Ask which subjects your child will study in L2 in the proposed year.
The school says native-speaking teachers teach the official languages of all EU countries. This includes L1 provision for Students Without a Language Section (SWALS): pupils whose language does not have its own section. It does not mean every language has a full section through S7.
The German-section page confirms German provision in kindergarten, primary and secondary, and says German proficiency is usually tested. The 2026 secondary note lists German, English, French, Italian and Spanish as third-language choices. Irish or Maltese nationals may take Irish or Maltese as options. Confirm the section and language timetable available for your child this year.
Start with the online declaration of interest; the school says it will then contact you. The German-section page requests the child’s full name, date of birth, dominant language and employer’s name. Employer information helps establish the admission category.
The reviewed pages do not establish a current application window or waiting-list process. Ask the secretariat for the relevant intake dates and any assessment requirements.
The school-fees page publishes these annual Category III fees, set by the Board of Governors. Category I pupils are exempt from tuition.
| Cycle | Annual tuition |
|---|---|
| Kindergarten | €4,457.80 |
| Primary | €6,129.55 |
| Secondary | €8,358.46 |
The payment schedule has two deadlines:
Already enrolled children must be deregistered in writing by 15 May, or the deposit for the following year becomes due.
The June 2026 deadline has passed. The October balance is 75% only if the family paid the minimum 25% initially; do not add it to a fee already paid in full.
Families can request a reduction from the Director. The page describes the income limits as very low; even with a reduction, tuition cannot fall below 25% of the regular fee. Canteen and bus costs are additional; ask the parents’ association for current prices.
If your priority is an English-medium IB route, compare Munich International School and Bavarian International School. Compare their programme and language provision at your child’s age, as well as their journeys, rather than treating them as interchangeable with ESM.
Official pages and documents we read. If a figure matters to your budget or your application, open the link and confirm it is still current.
Friendly orientation, not an application. Dates, fees, and programme details move. Confirm everything with the school.
BIS is an English-medium day school with primary provision on both campuses and secondary provision in Haimhausen. It offers all four IB programmes, but its Grade 11–12 routes do not carry the same recognition. Admissions are rolling and capacity-led.
StarnbergMIS offers English-medium IB education at Schloss Buchhof in Starnberg, with German for every pupil. Check older-year English requirements, the commute and tuition plus three years of entrance fees.
KleinmachnowBBIS offers English-language education from age three through Grade 12, with boarding from Grade 9. Its Kleinmachnow location and the separate tuition, registration and boarding charges are central to the decision.
BonnBonn International School offers the full IB continuum in English, with German taught in every grade. It is a day school in southern Bonn, not a Düsseldorf campus. Its current online fee table is undated, so families planning for 2026–27 should confirm the figures in writing.
Munich International, Bavarian International and the European School serve different locations and admissions routes. Start with eligibility, qualification and the actual campus.
10 minStart by identifying the school’s system. Similar names do not mean the same admission rules, language arrangements or leaving diploma.
7 minStart with the qualification your child would actually receive. Then check its subjects, language demands, and recognition in the countries where they may study next.
7 minStart with your child and the family's likely plans. Define the non-negotiables, verify the school's claims, compare three realistic options and visit with specific questions.