← Back to the rankingBerlin Cosmopolitan School
Berlin, Germany · est. 2004 · Private
Illustration · Berlin
Berlin Cosmopolitan School (BCS) is a private, non-profit bilingual German-English all-day school in Berlin-Mitte, from kindergarten for children from age 1 to grade 12. The school grew out of a bilingual kindergarten opened in 2004; the primary school has run since 2007 and the secondary school since 2009; in 2013 the school was authorised by the IB for the Primary Years Programme and the Diploma Programme, and in 2014 the secondary school received state recognition. Grades 1-6 follow the IB PYP together with the Berlin framework curriculum, grades 7-10 the Berlin Gymnasium curriculum with the MSA exam in grade 10, and in grades 11-12 students choose one of two tracks: the bilingual German Abitur (in German) or the IB Diploma Programme (in English); the school says it is the only international school in Berlin offering this choice. About half of all subjects are taught in English by an international team, the rest in German; in grades 6-10 Mathematics is first taught in English and in grade 10 in German to prepare for the MSA. French or Spanish can be studied as a second or third foreign language. Classes have at most 22 students and at most two classes per grade; 45 nationalities are represented. Strengths include music and dance from kindergarten to the IB (the school was the first in Berlin to offer IB Dance), science and robotics, and outdoor learning on its own campus at Lake Müggelsee and in the school forest. Fees depend on family income. The IB Diploma average in 2024 was 35; in 2026 seven graduates achieved the top Abitur grade of 1.0 and one IB graduate scored 44 out of 45 points.
Key facts
Tuition
≈ $10 168–14 912 a year
900–1 320 EUR a month
The year is counted as ten payments: the school does not say how many payments it takes.
Programmes
IB · PYP, DP · National programme
Admits from
1 year · Pre-School
Languages of instruction
English, German
Languages taught
French, Spanish
Students
over 500 students in grades 1-12 on the City Campus and about 320 children in the kindergarten
Class size
18-22 students in grades 1-6, at most 22 in grades 7-12, 13-22 children with two or three teachers in kindergarten groups
Registration fee
≈ $56
50 EUR
About the fees Fees for the 2026-2027 school year are paid monthly, 12 instalments, and depend on the family's gross income and the school stage. The top bracket (income from 180000 EUR per year): 900 EUR per month in grades 1-6, 1160 EUR in grades 7-10, 1220 EUR in grades 11-12 on the Abitur track and 1320 EUR on the IB Diploma track. The lowest bracket (income from 30000 EUR): 231, 252, 265 and 293 EUR; with income up to 30000 EUR the oldest child pays 100 EUR per month and further children 75, 50 and 25 EUR. A family that does not submit income details by 1 June pays the rate without proof of income; self-employed parents pay at least 350 EUR per month, and with substantial assets the school may raise the fee by up to three brackets. Extra: after school care in grades 1-6 under the Berlin childcare co-payment law (20 to 243 EUR per month with a voucher, 480 EUR without), meals at 18 EUR per month in grades 1-5 (lunch is funded by the State of Berlin with a voucher), 30 EUR in grade 6 and 99 EUR in grades 7-12. Sibling discounts are 15%, 25% and 50%, or 25%, 50% and 75% in hardship. The daily bus to the Nature Campus is included. IB exams, trips, club materials and learning support are charged separately. The school keeps a quota of places for children from disadvantaged families with partial or full fee waivers.
Admissions Applications are made through an online form; for primary and secondary school there is a non-refundable 50 EUR fee. For grades 2-11 the last two report cards translated into English or German are required, for grade 1 a recommendation from a teacher or kindergarten head. After review the child is placed on an unnumbered waiting list, with priority for siblings. When a place becomes available, primary and secondary applicants are invited to an entrance test and, if necessary, a meeting and a trial day; kindergarten applicants to an introductory interview; if the test is passed but there is no place, the child moves to the top of the waiting list. The kindergarten accepts children from age 1, grade 1 starts in the year the child turns six. Primary school requires a district after-school care voucher until 18:00, and the kindergarten a Kita voucher: the contract becomes valid only once it is submitted. The school says it seeks students with diverse talents and backgrounds and wants to give talented learners access regardless of family means. Children with little English or German get separate lessons in English and German as additional languages; students from 45 nations attend.
Stages and year groups Grades Kita, Preschool, 1-12. Kindergarten and preschool (from age 1 until school): 18 groups by birth year, 13-22 children with two or three teachers each, bilingual immersion - at least one teacher per group speaks German and English. Primary school (grades 1-6, 18-22 students per class): the IB Primary Years Programme as the framework for the Berlin curriculum, ICT from grade 1; grades 1-4 study either on the City Campus or on the Nature Campus at Müggelsee. Secondary school - Gymnasium (grades 7-12, up to 22 students): the Berlin framework curriculum; in grade 10 the MSA exam (students with less than two years at a German school may replace the German exam with an English Science exam) and media project work; Economics as an elective from grade 9. In grades 11-12 two tracks: the bilingual Abitur (two advanced and eight basic courses, exams in German) or the IB Diploma Programme (six subjects, three at Higher Level, Extended Essay, Theory of Knowledge and CAS, in English); a bilingual IB Diploma is possible. The school lists no Cambridge International courses.
Accreditations and programmes verified against official registries
IB · PYP, DP · authorised programmeThe school is listed in the IB register and runs the Primary Years and Diploma programmes.
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 →National programme
The state school programme of the country the school stands in: it is set by that country's ministry of education, which also licenses the school and awards the leaving certificate. That certificate is used for entry to local universities, and abroad it is matched to the local one.
What this means for this school. This entry does not count towards the score, and that is deliberate. Every lawful school in a country works to the national programme, so on its own it tells one school apart from no other - unlike the French, German or Russian programmes, which are carried abroad and confirmed by the register of their organisation. We show it because a parent needs to know what programme their child is taught and what certificate the child will get. Counting it would lift the whole ranking at once and still tell nobody apart.
Exams and destinations from the school's official website
Average IB score
35 (world average 30.88)
Exam results IB Diploma 2024: average 35 out of 45 against a world average of 30, highest score 42 points; the same year 30 Abitur graduates achieved an average grade of 1.73. In 2026 seven graduates achieved the top Abitur grade of 1.0 and one IB graduate scored 44 out of 45 points. The school reports the best Abitur average in Berlin in 2016, 2019, 2022 and 2025.
Facilities from the school's official website
·Swimming poolnot stated on the website
·Sports hallnot stated on the website
✓Laboratories
✓Theatre or assembly hall
✓Library
✓Catering
✓School transport
·Boardingnot stated on the website
Also on site: Sports ground or field · Art studio · Makerspace
Clubs and activities: A-Cappella-Choir · Bands · Cosmic Creator Studio · Jazz & Improv Ensemble · Music without Borders · Young Producers · Debate/Model UN · Creative Writing · Mathematics · Natural Sciences · Programming · Robotic/ Lego Mindstorms · Technology Maker · Ballet · Basketball · Cheerleading · Flag Football · Football · Judo · Parkour · Tap dance · Street Dance / Hip Hop · Circus · 3D Print · Digital Art · Woodwork · Creative filmmakers · Sewing · Chinese · Italian
Teaching staff from the school's official website
·Teachers listed by namenot published
·Teacher qualificationsnot stated
·Number of teachersthe school does not say
✓Students per teacher or class sizein the key facts above
The school describes an international team of teachers from around the world who teach about half of all subjects in English, with continuous professional development; in every kindergarten group at least one teacher speaks German and English. The website does not give the number of teachers or their qualifications.
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
✓Counsellor
·Child protection policynot stated on the website
·Staff trainingnot stated on the website
✓Anti-bullying policy
The school has a Child Support Team led by the school psychologist: monthly grade level meetings with teachers, individual support plans and special needs support, mentors for students, workshops on stress management, conflict resolution and resilience; outside specialists are involved where needed.
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 data65 Accreditation and verifiability (10%)85 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