← Back to the rankingBerlin Metropolitan School
Berlin, Germany · est. 2004 · Private
Illustration · Berlin
Berlin Metropolitan School (BMS) is a private, non-profit international all-day school in Berlin-Mitte, founded in 2004; the school describes itself as the oldest and largest international school in Mitte. It has 1135 students from kindergarten to grade 12 from about 65-69 countries and 200 employees from 42 countries. The school takes children from kindergarten (ages 3-5) through primary school (grades 1-6) and secondary school (grades 7-12): kindergarten and primary follow the IB Primary Years Programme together with the Berlin curriculum, grades 7-8 a bespoke BMS programme, grades 9-10 Cambridge IGCSE and the Berlin MSA exam, and grades 11-12 the IB Diploma Programme; a US High School Diploma is also available. The main language of instruction is English, and all students study German with the aim of academic proficiency; in 2026, 49% of graduates earned the IB Bilingual Diploma. In grades 1-10 the school is an Ersatzschule recognised by the State of Berlin, and in grades 11-12 an authorised one. Fees depend on family income. The IB Diploma average in 2026 was 33 against a world average of 31; the school reports that 98% of graduates are admitted to their first or second choice university.
Key facts
Tuition
≈ $11 399–17 149 a year
1 009–1 518 EUR a month
The year is counted as ten payments: the school does not say how many payments it takes.
Programmes
IB · PYP, DP · Cambridge · IGCSE
Admits from
3 years · Pre-School
Languages of instruction
English, German
Languages taught
French, Spanish
Class size
12-20 children per group in kindergarten, 22-24 students in grades 1-12 pupils
About the fees Fees from 1 August 2026 are monthly and depend on the family's gross income. A family that does not submit income details pays the maximum rate: 1009 EUR per month in grades 1-6, 1449 EUR in grades 7-10, 1518 EUR in grades 11-12. The scale starts at 210 EUR per month for incomes from 30000 EUR per year; below 30000 EUR the oldest child pays 100 EUR per month and further children 75, 50 and 25 EUR. Sibling discounts are 15% for the second child and 25% for the third; the fourth and further children attend free. For kindergarten and after school care in grades 1-6 the family obtains a district voucher and pays the income-based contribution under the Berlin childcare co-payment law; without an after school care voucher the fee rises by 500 EUR per month, with a voucher only until 16:00 by 80 EUR. Lunch is free in grades 1-6, 23 EUR per month in kindergarten and 5.10 EUR per day in grades 7-12, paid to the caterer. IGCSE and IB exams, trips and extra activities are charged separately; MSA and BBR exams are free. Financial aid is available on application.
Admissions Applications are accepted all year through an online form, and a waiting list is kept. From grade 2 the last two school reports are attached; reports not in English or German must be translated with an explanation of grades. If there is a place and the child meets the criteria, the family is invited to a 60-minute meeting and tour (also online); the academic team then reviews the documents, younger children may have trial days, and secondary applicants take placement tests in Maths, English and, where applicable, German. All children whose native language is not English entering grade 7 or above take an oral and written English assessment that decides admission; support in English and German as additional languages is available. The admissions policy gives priority to students with an international background, students with strong English and siblings of current students; the school calls itself non-selective and welcomes international and German families. Entry age for grade 1 follows the State of Berlin rules. Promotion from grade 10 into the IB Diploma Programme requires five IGCSEs at A*-C including Maths, English and Science, and B or higher for Higher Level subjects. Families moving abroad can keep their place for a holding fee.
Stages and year groups Grades Kita, Preschool, 1-12. Early Learning Center: a Kita group for ages 3-4 and a preschool group for age 5, following the IB Primary Years Programme with the Berlin early education programme. Primary school (grades 1-6, ages 6-11): IB PYP and the Berlin framework curriculum. Secondary school: grades 7-8 a bespoke BMS programme based on Cambridge and the Berlin curriculum, with compulsory French or Spanish; grades 9-10 Cambridge IGCSE across six subject groups (First Language English or English as a Second Language, First Language German or Foreign Language German, International Mathematics Extended or Core, Geography, History, Co-ordinated Science, Biology, French, Spanish, Business Studies), with Cambridge exams for all, plus the Berlin BBR certificate in grade 9 and the MSA exam in grade 10; grades 11-12 the IB Diploma Programme (English and German Language and Literature, English Literature, German Literature, English B, French B, German B, Spanish B, German ab initio, Economics, Geography, Global Politics, History, Philosophy, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Environmental Systems and Societies, two Maths courses, Visual Art, Theatre, Film) and an optional US High School Diploma. The school does not offer the German Abitur.
Accreditations and programmes verified against official registries
IB · PYP, DP · authorised programmeCambridge · IGCSE · authorised programmeCIS · accreditationNEASC · 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 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), 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 →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 →Exams and destinations from the school's official website
Average IB score
33 (world average 30.88)
Exam results IB Diploma 2026: 59 students, 55 full diploma candidates, average score 33 against a world average of 31, Bilingual Diploma 49% (world 27%), subject grades 4 or higher 94%. 2025: 58 students, 57 full diploma candidates, average 34 (world 30), highest 42, pass rate 98% (world 81%), Bilingual Diploma 48%. IGCSE 2026: 91% of students achieved five or more A*-C grades; 2025 also 91%, with 14% A* and 24% A grades.
Where leavers go: University of Oxford · University of Cambridge · University of St Andrews · University of Edinburgh · University of Warwick · Yale University · Columbia University · Cornell University · University of Pennsylvania · University of Chicago · New York University · Humboldt University of Berlin
and others, 25 universities in the school's list in allThe school profile lists universities where graduates enrolled in 2016-2026, in the US, the UK, Germany, France, the Netherlands, Scandinavia, Spain and Canada. The school reports that 98% of the class of 2026 received a place at their first or second choice university; since the first graduating class of 2016, about 50 students a year on average apply to universities worldwide.
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 transportnot stated on the website
·Boardingnot stated on the website
Also on site: Art studio · Playground
Clubs and activities: Model United Nations · SDG Club · Economics Club · The Berlingual · Hawks Chess Team · Yoga · CrossFit · Cheerleading · Soccer · Parkour · Fencing · Skateboarding · Basketball · Handicrafts · Hip Hop · Theater (theatre) · Ballet · Photography · Cartooning · Science Lab · Minecraft Club · Creative Coding · Mandarin Chinese
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 has 200 employees from 42 countries. The student support team has 17 members: three school counsellors, two nurses, a speech therapist, an integration specialist and a university and career counsellor; in grades 7-12 each pair of grade levels has a progress leader responsible for academic and pastoral success.
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 room
✓Counsellor
✓Child protection policy
✓Staff training
·Anti-bullying policynot stated on the website
The school has two fully trained child protection officers who work with school leadership, the counsellors and external services of the Berlin education authority; there is a child protection policy. Two school counsellors work in the primary school and one in the secondary school, plus two full-time school nurses.
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 data80 Safety and wellbeing (12%) scored on disclosed data75 Accreditation and verifiability (10%)100 Teaching staff (10%) scored on disclosed data55 Facilities (10%) scored on disclosed data75 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