Willy-Brandt-Schule Warsaw: German and international routes to the Abitur

Willy-Brandt-Schule Warschau is a German-Polish encounter school and one of Germany’s recognised schools abroad. It began as the German Embassy school in 1978. The school’s current overview reports more than 430 pupils, plus about 80 children in its kindergarten.

WBS is a day school at ul. św. Urszuli Ledóchowskiej 3 in Wilanów. Its educational sequence runs from kindergarten through primary and secondary school to the German Abitur. This is not an English-medium international-school model: German and Polish are central to the programme.

Two entry routes

The distinction between the routes matters more than the word “international”.

The German-speaking programme expects sufficient German for the child’s lessons. For Grade 1, the school considers readiness, German, age, attendance at the WBS kindergarten and siblings at WBS. It also considers whether a newly arrived family has a German-speaking home environment. These are decision factors, not a guaranteed priority order. The head decides and there is no legal entitlement to a place.

Later entry is possible when space exists; the published maximum is 25 pupils per class. A non-native applicant to Grade 9 or 10 needs a B2 German certificate and a successful admissions interview. Grade 11 admission normally requires previous attendance in a German school system or the German branch of another German school abroad.

The Internationale Abteilung starts as the Polish-speaking route. German develops progressively until pupils can sit the Abitur at a native-language level. The 2026/27 financial rules explicitly say that German is not required at entry to this route. Admission remains a school decision.

Ask which subjects are taught in which language in the child’s actual grade. Also ask how much additional German support a newcomer will need outside normal lessons.

Applying

The dates currently published are for Grade 1 entry in 2026/27 and have passed. The German-speaking programme’s assessment process took place on 2–4 March 2026. Those dates should not be described as the entire application window. The school still allows later entry when a suitable place exists.

For the Internationale Abteilung, individual tests took place on 12–13 March, followed by a group session on 14 March. The group session combined physical, practical and storytelling activities. Results were due on 17 or 18 March. The process also set payment deadlines, a trial morning on 22 June and a parent meeting on 23 June.

Do not reuse these dates for 2027 entry. Contact the school for the next Grade 1 timetable or a current-year transfer.

2026/27 school fees

The official fee regulation dated 23 April 2026 sets out these charges:

• Annual tuition is PLN 31,922.60, including textbooks.
• Registration costs PLN 2,000 for the first child and PLN 1,000 for each additional child. It is non-refundable.
• Registration is not charged again if the child already paid it on entering the German kindergarten. Returning WBS or German-kindergarten pupils are also exempt from paying it again.
• The one-off family deposit is PLN 6,000 for one child or PLN 8,000 for two or more across the school, kindergarten and nursery. It is refunded without interest after the final child leaves and the clearance form is completed. Outstanding amounts and related costs are deducted.
• The Grade 1 assessment costs PLN 100 per child.

The oldest child pays full tuition. Each younger sibling receives a 10% tuition discount while the children attend WBS or its German kindergarten. A mid-year starter pays for the whole first month. The remaining charge is one tenth of annual tuition for each month through June.

Families may pay annually or in four equal instalments due on 15 September, 1 December, 1 March and 1 June. Voluntary Catholic religion in the international route costs PLN 100 annually for one weekly lesson or PLN 200 for two.

Care, clubs and leaving terms

The April regulation lists half-year after-school-care fees from PLN 600 for one day a week to PLN 3,000 for five days. This includes group care and up to three clubs; the same fee applies to a child attending only clubs. Occasional care costs PLN 70 per afternoon. Care runs until 18:00, with PLN 70 charged for each started 30 minutes of late collection. A 10% sibling reduction applies from the second child.

For Grades 5–12, paid clubs cost PLN 320 for one, PLN 430 for two or PLN 540 for three or more per half-year. Some activities contributing directly to school life are free. The regulation says both activity price lists are updated in August, so request the live schedule before budgeting. Absence does not produce a refund.

Ordinary parent-initiated withdrawal takes effect at the end of the school year. Notice must reach the school by 30 June. Leaving between 1 July and the first school day attracts a €1,000 contractual penalty, or its złoty equivalent. The board may waive it in a particularly justified case. Mutually agreed early departure can produce a refund for future full months. A separate route covers documented long-term illness.

Means-tested fee relief is discretionary. The rules set prior-year net household-income ceilings of PLN 104,500, or PLN 132,000 where two children attend WBS. Relief is capped at 50% of tuition and three years. Existing families apply by the end of May; new August entrants apply by the end of June. Good payment history, supporting evidence and the pupil’s school record also matter.

Our take

WBS is a strong fit for families seeking a German university-preparatory route in Warsaw and willing to make German a serious part of daily life. The Internationale Abteilung makes the school accessible without German at entry, but it is not an English-medium alternative.

The Warsaw guide puts WBS in the wider city-school context. The Poland guide explains the national landscape.

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