← Back to the rankingBavarian International School
Haimhausen, Germany · est. 1991 · Private
Illustration · Haimhausen
Bavarian International School (BIS) is a non-profit international school for ages 3 to 19, founded in the early 1990s; since 2018 it has been a gemeinnützige Aktiengesellschaft in which student families can become shareholders (one share per family). The school has two sites: the main campus in Haimhausen, 15 km north of Munich, with early childhood, primary, middle and high school, and the City Campus in Munich-Schwabing with early childhood and primary school (it has a separate card). It is the only school in Germany offering all four IB programmes: the PYP from age 3 to grade 5, the MYP in grades 6-10, and in grades 11-12 a choice of the Diploma Programme or the Career-related Programme. The language of instruction is English; all students learn German from grade 1 at any level, French, Spanish, Japanese and Mandarin are added from grade 6, and the Home Language Programme supports 17 more languages. About 1250 students of more than 70 nationalities attend, roughly three quarters from international families; 180 teachers come from more than 50 countries, with an average of seven students per teacher. The average IB Diploma score in 2026 was 35 against a world average of 31, although the school does not select students by grades.
Key facts
Tuition
≈ $20 900–28 074 a year
18 500–24 850 EUR
Programmes
IB · PYP, MYP, DP, CP · BTEC
Admits from
3 years · Pre-School
Languages of instruction
English
Languages taught
German, French, Spanish, Japanese, Chinese
Students per teacher
on average 7 students per teacher
Class size
up to 22 children per early childhood group, up to 24 students in grades 1-10 and up to 18 in grades 11-12 pupils
Registration fee
≈ $226
200 EUR
About the fees Annual fees for 2026-2027 are the same on both campuses: Early Childhood 18500 EUR, grades 1-5 18530 EUR, grades 6-8 21460 EUR, grade 9 22530 EUR, grades 10-12 24850 EUR. Fees can be paid at once, in two instalments (plus 2%) or in ten monthly instalments (plus 4%). Discounts: 10% for the third and 15% for the fourth child at the school. There is an income-based Fee Reduction Programme for grades 1-12 (for families whose main residence is in Germany) and scholarships for gifted students from the Friends of BIS association.
Admissions Applications are accepted year-round through an online portal, and students can join mid-year if places are available; a visit before applying is not required. Steps: application, a 200 EUR fee (non-refundable), testing and screening - applicants for early childhood and grades 1-5 are invited to trial guest days, with a German screening for German-speaking children; applicants for grades 6-12 take an online English placement test, a writing task and an interview (by video for long-distance applicants); then an admissions committee decision, usually within 10 working days. A place is confirmed after the contract is signed and fees are paid. When places are limited, children of expat families come first, then siblings of current students, then local German families; others go on a waiting list. English is not required in advance: there is language support up to grade 8 and a Newcomer Centre in grades 6-8, and from grade 9 intermediate English is expected. German is not required. The school does not assist with visas, and admission does not grant a student visa.
Stages and year groups The Early Childhood Centre (EC0-EC2, ages 3 to 6) and primary grades 1-5 follow the IB Primary Years Programme; the secondary school grades 6-10 follow the IB Middle Years Programme with a Personal Project in grade 10 (the KMK recognises the MYP as equivalent to the Mittlere Reife); grades 11-12 choose the IB Diploma Programme (recognised as equivalent to the Abitur with the right subject combination) or the IB Career-related Programme, which combines Diploma Programme subjects with a BTEC Level 3 International Subsidiary Diploma (Business, Marketing, Creative Media, Travel & Tourism) - the school is an approved BTEC centre. Diploma Programme subjects: English, German, Japanese A; English, German, Spanish, French B; German ab initio; self-taught languages; Business & Management, Economics, Geography, History, Psychology, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Environmental Systems & Societies, Sports, Exercise & Health Sciences, Computer Science, Design Technology, two Mathematics courses, Music, Visual Arts, Theatre Arts. 46% of the class of 2026 gained a bilingual IB Diploma. The Infinity Programme serves gifted students in grades 6-8.
Accreditations and programmes verified against official registries
IB · PYP, MYP, DP, CP · authorised programmeNEASC · accreditationThe school is listed in the IB register and runs the Primary Years, Middle Years, Diploma and Career-related programmes. The school is accredited by NEASC.
school is in an official registryconfirmed by a school document, by membership or by taking part in a networkclaimed by the school, no confirmation, not counted in the scoreGuide to all organisations → What stands behind each entry
IBInternational Baccalaureate
A Swiss non-profit, working since 1968. Its programmes are among the most widely recognised school programmes in the world. Authorisation is granted stage by stage, so a school with the final stage does not necessarily run the younger ones; which stages this school holds is set out in the line below.
What the badge means for this school. The school is allowed to run this programme and to award its certificate. This is a confirmation of the programme, not a judgement on the school as a whole. The entry stands in the organisation's public register - anyone can check it. At this school: PYP (ages 3-12), MYP (ages 11-16), DP (ages 16-19), CP (ages 16-19, with a vocational slant). PYP is the primary stage, ages 3 to 12. It is not a set of subjects but a frame for the whole school: learning is built around lines of inquiry, and there are no exams at the end. MYP is the middle stage, ages 11 to 16. There are no exams here either; at the end an optional electronic assessment of pupils' work is possible. DP is the final stage, ages 16 to 19: six subjects plus a compulsory core of theory of knowledge, an extended essay and CAS. The diploma is accepted by universities all over the world, and in a number of countries it counts for admission on the same footing as the local leaving certificate. CP is the final stage with a vocational slant, ages 16 to 19: some of the DP subjects plus an applied qualification. It is meant for those heading into a trade or an applied degree rather than an academic one.
Register to check for yourself, and the full guide →NEASCNew England Association of Schools and Colleges
An American accreditation working since 1885. For international schools it uses an approach where the visitors look first at live lessons rather than at folders of paperwork: the team works in the school for about a week. It is the only one here whose public directory honestly separates accredited schools from candidates.
What the badge means for this school. The school has been through this organisation's accreditation. It was judged as a whole: governance, safeguarding, staff, premises, teaching. The entry stands in the organisation's public register - anyone can check it.
Register to check for yourself, and the full guide →BTEC
A British vocational qualification from Pearson: not an academic course with an exam at the end, but a programme of practical assignments in a particular trade, from engineering and business to art and sport.
What this means for this school. Teaching and assessment work differently from A-level: instead of written exams there is a run of practical assignments marked by the school, while Pearson checks the school itself and samples the work. British universities do accept BTEC, but not all of them and not for every course: level 3 carries the same UCAS points as A-level, and that is what a family aiming at a particular university should look at. For a child who needs the classic academic route, BTEC is not a replacement for A-level but a different path.
Exams and destinations from the school's official website
Average IB score
35 (world average 30.88)
Exam results IB Diploma 2026: a senior class of 86, of whom 76 took the Diploma Programme, average score 35 against a world average of 31, pass rate 98% (world 83%), highest score 44 of 45; 12% scored over 40, 43% over 36 and 76% over 33; 46% gained a bilingual diploma. All 8 Career-related Programme students passed. In 2025, 96 candidates averaged 34.3 points with a 98% pass rate, and two scored 45.
Where leavers go: Technical University of Munich · Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (LMU) · University of Amsterdam · Erasmus University Rotterdam · Utrecht University · Maastricht University · Bocconi University · IE University · King's College London · University College London · London School of Economics and Political Science · Imperial College London
and others, 14 universities in the school's list in allGraduates of 2026 went to universities in Germany (24.4%), the Netherlands (11.6%), the UK (9.3%), Italy, Spain, the US and other countries; 19.8% took a gap year. The most popular fields are business, finance and management, medicine, design and architecture, economics and law. The counselling team works with students from grade 10: a university fair at school, a careers day, interview training, work experience in grade 10 and the Unifrog platform.
Facilities from the school's official website
·Swimming poolnot stated on the website
✓Sports hall
✓Laboratories
✓Theatre or assembly hall
✓Library
✓Catering
✓School transport
·Boardingnot stated on the website
Also on site: Sports ground or field · Art studio · Playground · Makerspace
Clubs and activities: Model United Nations · The Duke of Edinburgh's International Award · BIS Entrepreneurship Club · The Green Team · BIS Alpine Ski Race Team · Football · Basketball · Volleyball · Swimming · Tennis · Golf · Rugby · Karate · Gymnastics · Cross Country · Ballet · Irish Dance · Robotics · Coding · Girl/Boy Scouts
Teaching staff from the school's official website
·Teachers listed by namenot published
✓Teacher qualifications
·Number of teachersthe school does not say
✓Students per teacher or class sizein the key facts above
What the listings show: All staff provide a clean police record and complete a certified ECIS child protection course; teachers receive regular professional development, including on supporting gifted students.
The 2026-2027 school profile lists 180 teachers from more than 50 countries (the overview page gives 170 teachers from 29 nations and 250 staff in total). The school itself states an average ratio of seven students per teacher. Each secondary year group has a head of year, and four homeroom teachers per grade are trained as mentors; there are learning support and EAL teachers, school counsellors and university counsellors. The site names the school leadership, IB programme coordinators and teachers featured in its staff spotlight.
Safety and wellbeing from the school's official website
·CCTVnot stated on the website
✓Security staff
·Access controlnot stated on the website
✓Nurse or medical room
✓Counsellor
✓Child protection policy
✓Staff training
✓Anti-bullying policy
Safeguarding is based on the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, German law and the International Taskforce on Child Protection; the school has a Child Protection Policy and Safeguarding Handbook, a designated safeguarding lead and an anonymous whistleblowing channel. Security staff work on both campuses. Nurses care for illness and injuries and for children with chronic conditions, and keep health records. School counsellors help with transitions, stress, conflicts and crises; the PSHE programme covers bullying, digital safety and sex education. Mobile phones are prohibited at school.
Reviews
No reviews yet. The community rating counts towards the score once a school has five verified reviews - until then we do not show a zero, so as not to mislead.
Criteria breakdown criterion weight in brackets
Academics and programmes (16%)95 Community rating (16%)no dataparent reviews are needed: the criterion switches on at the fifth verified one Exams and destinations (12%) scored on disclosed data80 Safety and wellbeing (12%) scored on disclosed data90 Accreditation and verifiability (10%)90 Teaching staff (10%) scored on disclosed data55 Facilities (10%) scored on disclosed data85 Clubs and activities (8%) scored on disclosed data78 "Scored on disclosed data" stands where we count only what the school has written about itself on its own site: exams and destinations, safety and wellbeing, teaching staff, facilities, clubs and activities. A low score here means the school does not write about this, not that the school does not have it: a school with good security and a sparse site will score low. A school can fill in its profile, and the score will be counted again.
The score is counted from 8 of the 9 criteria.Only those with checkable data count: programmes and accreditations from official registers, the fee from a published price list. Where it says "scored on the median", the school has no data and the middle of the list is put in its place, so that a gap gives no advantage. Admissions, teaching staff and reviews come in as their data arrives.
The full methodology → Similar schools in the country