Berlin British School (BBS) is a private, not-for-profit British international school in Berlin-Charlottenburg for ages 3 to 18. It opened in 1994 as Berlin's first British school in a former British military school building and today operates on three sites near the Olympic Stadium and the Grunewald forest. From grade 1 to 10 the school has two streams: a monolingual English stream (Ergänzungsschule, for embassy families, mobile families and children without German) and a bilingual English-German stream (Ersatzschule: a state-recognised bilingual primary school and a state-approved bilingual integrated secondary school) for German children and families staying in Berlin long term; both streams are taught together except in Maths, PE and German. The early years and primary school follow the IB Primary Years Programme combined with the Berlin curricula, all students take Cambridge IGCSE in grades 9-10 and the bilingual stream also the German MSA; in grades 11-12 all students take the IB Diploma Programme in English. The school does not offer the Abitur or A Levels. About 500 children from 60 to 70 countries attend, with almost 100 staff from 21 nations and no more than 20 students per class.
Key facts
Tuition
≈ $15 138–22 369 a year
13 400–19 800 EUR
Programmes
IB · PYP, DP · Cambridge · IGCSE
Admits from
3 years · Pre-School
Languages of instruction
English, German
Languages taught
French, Spanish
Class size
no more than 20 students; each year group has two classes of 10 monolingual and 10 bilingual students
About the fees Annual fees for 2026-2027 in the monolingual (international) stream: kindergarten K1 13400 EUR, K2 and K3 16300 EUR, grades 1-5 16900 EUR, grades 6-8 18000 EUR, grades 9-10 18900 EUR, grades 11-12 19800 EUR. In the bilingual stream (Ersatzschule): grades 1-5 16650 EUR, grades 6-8 17600 EUR, grades 9-10 18500 EUR; income-related fees are available for it: from 100 EUR per month at an income up to 29420 EUR to 935 EUR (grades 1-6) or 1025 EUR (grades 7-10) at an income up to 80000 EUR, with the regular fee above that. Fees include exercise books, materials, textbooks, special needs provision and the shuttle between sites; paying the year at once gives a 2% discount, and siblings get 2.5%. The Kita-Gutschein voucher is not accepted. Merit scholarships cover 20-50% of fees from grade 9 and 20-100% for the IB Diploma.
Admissions Families can apply from anywhere and at any time of year, free of charge; then, if places are available, there is an individual tour of the relevant site and a meeting with the head, followed by a free three-day trial visit (two mornings for kindergarten) during which teachers assess academic level and social fit and the learning support team assesses English and Maths. Decisions are made by teachers, the head of school and the principal. The school does not admit into grades 10 and 12, and mid-year entry into grades 9 and 11 is usually not possible (two-year IGCSE and IB courses). The monolingual stream is for embassy and mobile families; it requires grade-appropriate English and, for grades 1-10, an exemption from compulsory German schooling (Schulpflichtbefreiung), with which the school assists. The bilingual stream only accepts children fluent in German. Entry to the IB Diploma requires six IGCSEs at grade C or above (monolingual) or four IGCSEs at C or above and the MSA with an average better than 3,0 (bilingual), including English and Maths. Children with mild special needs are considered individually. The school does not assist with visas or provide accommodation.
Stages and year groups Early years K1-K3 follow a bilingual programme combining the Berliner Bildungsprogramm and the IB Primary Years Programme (teachers in English, educators in German); primary grades 1-5 follow the IB Primary Years Programme combined with the Berliner Rahmenlehrplan; grade 6 is on the secondary site; in grades 6-10 the monolingual stream follows the framework of the British National Curriculum, IGCSE and IB, and the bilingual stream the Berliner Rahmenlehrplan with an international curriculum (History, Ethics, Political Education, WAT and PE in German, Maths in both languages). Cambridge IGCSE (Cambridge International) in grades 9-10 is compulsory for all: English Language, English Literature, Mathematics, Co-ordinated Science (double award), German as a first or foreign language, plus three (bilingual stream) or four (monolingual) options from Economics, Geography or ICT; French or Spanish; Art, Design, Drama or Music; Geography or History; exams are taken in spring of grade 10, and the school is an authorised Cambridge exam centre. The bilingual stream also takes the German MSA in grade 10 (as a Nichtschülerprüfung). Grades 11-12 follow the IB Diploma Programme in English only (English A, German A, self-taught native language; German B, French B, Spanish B, German ab initio; Economics, Geography, History, Psychology; Biology, Chemistry, Physics, ESS; two Mathematics courses; Music, Visual Arts, Theatre Studies).
Accreditations and programmes verified against official registries
IB · PYP, DP · authorised programmeCambridge · IGCSE · authorised programmeCIS · accreditationCOBIS · accreditationThe school is listed in the IB register and runs the Primary Years and Diploma programmes. The Cambridge register names the school as its centre; it teaches Cambridge IGCSE. The school is accredited by CIS. The school is an accredited member of COBIS.
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), DP (ages 16-19). 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. 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.
Register to check for yourself, and the full guide →CambridgeCambridge International Education
Part of the University of Cambridge. It allows a school to teach the Cambridge programmes and to enter pupils for the exams. There are four stages and they are authorised separately: primary, lower secondary, IGCSE and A Level. If the stages are known they are named in the line below; if that line is missing, the school does not publish them, and the Cambridge registry does not show stages either - it gives only the name of the centre, the country and whether private candidates are accepted. Cambridge calls what it does registration rather than accreditation, and the network holds about ten thousand schools.
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: IGCSE (ages 14-16). IGCSE means exams at around Year 10 or 11, the British counterpart of a lower secondary leaving certificate.
Register to check for yourself, and the full guide →CISCouncil of International Schools
It accredits international schools and is a paying association at the same time. It examines governance and ownership, the curriculum, teaching, student wellbeing, staff and premises; a team of volunteers from other CIS accredited schools visits the school. Membership and accreditation are different things here, and schools confuse them more often than anything else.
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 →COBISCouncil of British International Schools
An association of British schools abroad with a quality inspection of its own. It has nine membership categories, and the word "accredited" appears in seven of them, although COBIS does its own inspection in one: in the rest it recognises an accreditation granted by somebody else.
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 →Exams and destinations from the school's official website
Where leavers go: Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin · Free University of Berlin · University of Freiburg · ETH Zurich · University of St. Gallen · University of Oxford · University of Cambridge · Imperial College London · London School of Economics and Political Science · King's College London · University of Warwick · University of Nottingham
and others, 19 universities in the school's list in allThe school supports graduates with university applications, sends grade 10 and 12 students on a three-week work placement with Berlin companies, media and academic institutions, and runs a career month; graduates have gone on to universities in Germany, the UK, the US, Switzerland and the Netherlands, as well as dual study programmes at large companies.
Facilities from the school's official website
·Swimming poolnot stated on the website
✓Sports hall
✓Laboratories
·Theatre or assembly hallnot stated on the website
✓Library
✓Catering
✓School transport
·Boardingnot stated on the website
Also on site: Sports ground or field · Art studio · Playground
Clubs and activities: Model United Nations · Duke of Edinburgh Award · GISST Football (football in GISST tournaments) · Varsity Boys Basketball · GISST Varsity Badminton (badminton in GISST tournaments) · Volleyball · Table Tennis · Robotics Club · Photography Club · Woodworking Club · Chess · Singing, Dancing & Acting · Instrumental Ensemble/Band · Green Prefect/Eco Club · Gaming/Esports Club · Gardening Club · Choir · Ballet · Tennis · Self Defence Club
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: The school speaks of highly qualified British, German and international teachers; the early years team includes early years trained teachers and German educators (Erzieher); all staff receive regular child protection training.
Almost 100 staff from 21 nations. The site names the heads of section, the PYP, IB Diploma, CAS and IGCSE coordinators, heads of faculty, librarians, the careers adviser and the learning support coordinator. English support is given in small groups and by teaching assistants in class.
Safety and wellbeing from the school's official website
·CCTVnot stated on the website
·Security staffnot stated on the website
·Access controlnot stated on the website
·Nurse or medical roomnot stated on the website
·Counsellornot stated on the website
✓Child protection policy
✓Staff training
✓Anti-bullying policy
The school has a written child protection policy in English and German in line with German law, a safeguarding committee and deputy designated leads on each site; all staff are trained regularly. There is an anti-bullying policy and a strict cyberbullying policy, plus social media and IT use policies. Class teachers and form tutors are responsible for wellbeing together with the pastoral head; a learning support coordinator works with children with special needs.
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%)97 Community rating (16%)no dataparent reviews are needed: the criterion switches on at the fifth verified one Exams and destinations (12%) scored on disclosed data70 Safety and wellbeing (12%) scored on disclosed data70 Accreditation and verifiability (10%)100 Teaching staff (10%) scored on disclosed data55 Facilities (10%) scored on disclosed data80 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
Berlin, Germany · est. 1994 · Private