← Back to the rankingBerlin International School
Berlin, Germany · est. 1998 · Private
Illustration · Berlin
Berlin International School (B.I.S.) is a private, non-profit, non-denominational all-day school in Berlin-Dahlem, established in 1998 to provide an education predominantly in English for children of Berlin's international community and globally mobile families; it also serves local Berlin families. The school teaches grades 1 to 12 and is an Ersatzschule recognised by the State of Berlin, so its curriculum combines the Berlin framework curricula with IB programmes. Grades 1-5 follow the Primary Years Programme, grades 6-10 the school's own bilingual programme with the MSA exam in grade 10, and grades 11-12 the IB Diploma Programme in English. The languages of instruction are English and German: English is taught from grade 1 and is the shared community language, and some subjects use an integrated bilingual approach. Students come from over 70 nationalities; the primary school has over 50 staff and the secondary school over 60. In 2026 the IB Diploma average was 35.26, the highest score 45 points, and 98% of candidates passed. On the same campus the Kita International kindergarten for children aged 3-6 prepares children for the school. As subjects the school names English and German, plus an unspecified modern foreign language in grades 6-10.
Key facts
Tuition
≈ $13 896–20 606 a year
12 300–18 240 EUR
Languages of instruction
English, German
About the fees Fees for the 2026-2027 school year are paid in twelve monthly instalments from August to July and include all-day schooling with a hot lunch: grades 1-6 12300 EUR per year (1025 EUR per month), grades 7-10 13560 EUR (1130 EUR per month), grades 11-12 18240 EUR (1520 EUR per month). For grades 1-6 the full fee is 13500 EUR per year (1125 EUR per month), but the State of Berlin currently reimburses lunch at 6.33 EUR per day, so the family pays 12300 EUR; if the reimbursement ends, the lunch cost will be added to the fee. In grades 7-12 lunch at 100 EUR per month is included. Sibling discounts apply within the same operator's institutions; low-income families may apply for income-related fees. Not included: special needs support, excursions and class trips, after-school activities, the school bus and external exams where applicable.
Admissions Applications are made through the school's online platform; there is no application fee. Copies of the last two or three report cards and the birth certificate are uploaded, and the form is signed by both parents. The family then completes further items: a reference from the current school and proof of measles vaccination. Subject to available places, applicants for grade 6 upwards take online entrance tests and an interview; trial days may be held for grades 1-5. For grade 1, available places and a positive impression at the interview decide; for higher grades the last two report cards and, if needed, placement tests of general level and language skills are also required. The school states that families demonstrably living in an international environment are given priority. English or German is an advantage but not a requirement, although very good English is essential in higher grades; it is assessed in the entrance test. English and German as additional languages are offered to newcomers. Promotion into the IB Diploma Programme requires passing grades in at least six subjects, including English, Mathematics, one Science, German and one Humanities subject.
Stages and year groups Grades 1-12. Primary school (grades 1-5, ages 6-11): the IB Primary Years Programme complemented by the Berlin framework curriculum; Mathematics, English, German, Science, Social Studies, Art, Music and PE, with homeroom teachers teaching most subjects. Middle school (grades 6-10): the school's own bilingual programme based on the Berlin framework curriculum - Mathematics, Science, English Language and Literature, German Language and Literature, Social Studies (History, Geography, Ethics, Political Studies), Modern Foreign Language, PE, Music and Drama, IT and Business in grades 9-10; the state MSA exam at the end of grade 10, the BBR certificate is also possible. High school (grades 11-12): the IB Diploma Programme with external exams in English; the IB Diploma is a university entrance qualification, and German universities require certain exam subjects. The school does not offer the German Abitur. The school website lists no Cambridge International courses.
Accreditations and programmes verified against official registries
IB · PYP, DP · authorised programmeCIS · accreditationMSA · accreditationThe school is listed in the IB register and runs the Primary Years and Diploma programmes. The school is accredited by CIS. The school is accredited by MSA (Middle States Association).
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 →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 →MSAMiddle States Association of Colleges and Schools
One of the oldest American accreditations, working since 1887 in more than a hundred countries and linked to the Office of Overseas Schools of the US State Department. It judges the school as an institution across twelve areas, including finances, governance, premises and student support.
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
Average IB score
35.26 (world average 30.88)
Exam results IB Diploma 2026: average score 35.26, highest score 45 points, 98% of candidates passed. In grade 10 students take the state MSA exam.
Facilities from the school's official website
·Swimming poolnot stated on the website
✓Sports hall
·Laboratoriesnot stated on the website
·Theatre or assembly hallnot stated on the website
✓Library
✓Catering
✓School transport
·Boardingnot stated on the website
Also on site: Makerspace
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 sizenot stated
What the listings show: teaching qualification checked by the Berlin education authority for every teacher
The primary school has over 50 staff and the secondary school over 60, all proficient speakers of English; teachers come from many countries, and native speakers serve as English language models. As a recognised Ersatzschule, every teacher must hold a teaching qualification: the school reports each new teacher to the Berlin education authority, which checks qualifications and issues teaching permits; teachers take part in regular professional development.
Safety and wellbeing from the school's official website
·CCTVnot stated on the website
·Security staffnot stated on the website
✓Access control
✓Nurse or medical room
✓Counsellor
✓Child protection policy
·Staff trainingnot stated on the website
✓Anti-bullying policy
The school has a Welfare Office staffed by a full-time professional and a counselling team for students, parents and teachers; during the day students are supported by social workers and first aiders. All visitors sign in at the main reception; students in grades 6-10 may not leave campus during the day, and older students sign out and back in. There is a crisis management team, evacuation and lockdown drills, a code of behaviour with a staged system of measures and rules against bullying and harassment; traffic and safety personnel staff the crossing in front of the 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 data85 Accreditation and verifiability (10%)95 Teaching staff (10%) scored on disclosed data55 Facilities (10%) scored on disclosed data75 Clubs and activities (8%) scored on disclosed data55 "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