Bonn International School (BIS) is a private, non-profit international all-day school in Bonn for children aged 3 to 18, opened in August 1997 by merging three schools with roots in the 1950s - an American elementary school, an American high school and a British high school - when the capital moved to Berlin and the city needed a school for UN families and international companies. Today it has over 800 students from 78-80 countries: about 20% from UN families, the rest from families of over 100 companies, and 15-20% from long-term Bonn families. The school runs all three IB programmes: the Diploma Programme since 1997, the Middle Years Programme since 1999 and the Primary Years Programme since 2001, and calls itself the most experienced IB school in the Bonn-Cologne region. The language of instruction is English; German is compulsory for all from early learning to grade 12 at four levels, from native to beginner; in secondary French or Spanish and mother tongue can also be studied. In 2026 the IB Diploma average was 34 against a world average of 31, and 93% of candidates earned the diploma. There are 110 teachers from 25 countries, almost half with master's or higher degrees; the average class has 18 students. The school is financed entirely by fees paid by families and organisations and receives no public subsidies.
Key facts
Programmes
IB · PYP, MYP, DP
Admits from
3 years · Pre-School
Languages of instruction
English
Languages taught
German, French, Spanish
Class size
18 students per class on average, at most 22 in grades 1-5, up to 20 children in early learning
About the fees The fee schedule on the website does not state a school year: annual fees are 12967 EUR in EL3 and EL4, 17503 EUR in EL5, 19938 EUR in grades 1-5, 22525 EUR in grades 6-10 and 23457 EUR in grades 11-12. Fees include day trips, iPads up to grade 7, university and careers advice, counselling, English as an additional language, access to labs, books, instruments and materials. Payment can be made in full, quarterly or monthly from a German bank account, or in full by a third party (for example an employer). A financial assistance programme supports families who can demonstrate need. The school is financed entirely by fees and receives no public subsidies.
Admissions The school is open to all children aged 3-18 - from the Bonn region and with international roots; admission runs all year with no deadline, subject to places, and some grades are full. Applications are made online with a copy of the child's passport, a measles immunisation record, a confidential recommendation from the current school (for grades 1-12) and two years of school reports. Early learning admits children from age 3 (toilet trained), grade 1 from age 6 by 1 September, and higher grades by age and successful completion of the previous grade. Secondary applicants may be asked to take tests in Mathematics, English and German. Not speaking English is no obstacle: many students join without it, and a specialised team helps them acquire English quickly. Students must live with their parents or guardians; most families live in the 531 postcode area. The school states that no student should feel marginalised because of gender, nationality or religion.
Stages and year groups Grades EL3, EL4, EL5, 1-12. Early learning (ages 3-6): EL3/4 and EL5 groups of up to 20 children with a teacher and an assistant, following the IB PYP. Primary school (grades 1-5, ages 6-11): the IB Primary Years Programme, up to 22 children per class, with a teaching assistant up to grade 3. Middle school (grades 6-10, ages 11-16): the IB Middle Years Programme - English, German, Mathematics, Sciences, Individuals and Societies, PE, Design, Music and Arts, with French or Spanish, mother tongue, coding and other options; at the end of grade 10 MYP eAssessment and the MYP certificate (bilingual possible), with which students can obtain the German Mittlere Reife in Cologne. High school (grades 11-12): three tracks - the IB Diploma Programme plus the school's US-style High School Diploma; individual IB courses plus the High School Diploma; the High School Diploma only. DP courses: English Language and Literature, English Literature, German Language and Literature, Spanish Language and Literature, self-taught literature, English B, German B, German and Spanish ab initio, Economics, Geography, History, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Sports, Exercise and Health Science, two Mathematics courses, Visual Arts, Theatre. The school does not offer Cambridge International courses.
Accreditations and programmes verified against official registries
IB · PYP, MYP, DP · authorised programmeNEASC · accreditationThe school is listed in the IB register and runs the Primary Years, Middle Years and Diploma 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). 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.
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
34 (world average 30.88)
Exam results IB Diploma 2026: average 34 out of 45 against a world average of 31, 20% of graduates scored over 40 points, and 93% of candidates earned the diploma (world 82%). 12% of students sit IB exams with accommodations. In grade 10 MYP eAssessment: according to the school, all subject averages are above world averages.
Where leavers go: University of Oxford · University College London · King's College London · University of Edinburgh · University of St Andrews · ETH Zürich (ETH Zurich) · Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) · Technical University of Munich · Frankfurt School of Finance & Management · Bocconi University · IE University · Leiden University
and others, 22 universities in the school's list in allGraduates of 2025 chose universities in the Netherlands (32%), the UK (22%), Germany (15%), Italy (7%), Spain (5%) and the US (5%), as well as Australia, Belgium, Canada, Croatia, France and Switzerland. The list of universities that admitted graduates is in the school fact sheet.
Facilities from the school's official website
·Swimming poolnot stated on the website
✓Sports hall
✓Laboratories
✓Theatre or assembly hall
✓Library
✓Catering
·School transportnot stated on the website
·Boardingnot stated on the website
Also on site: Sports ground or field · Art studio · Playground · Makerspace
Clubs and activities: Model UN · TEDxBISYouth · Odyssey of the Mind · Coding · Choir · Bands and Ensembles · Theatre · Creative Writing · Art Club · Textile Club · Basketball · Cricket · Football · Golf · Track & Field · Swimming · Volleyball · Softball · Badminton · Dance · Tumbling
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: almost half of teachers hold master's or higher degrees
110 teachers from 25 countries and about 180 staff in total; 43 teachers hold master's or higher degrees; average tenure is 6.5 years; over 60 teachers coach teams or lead activities; all take part in continuous professional development and annual safeguarding training.
Safety and wellbeing from the school's official website
·CCTVnot stated on the website
✓Security staff
✓Access control
✓Nurse or medical room
✓Counsellor
✓Child protection policy
✓Staff training
✓Anti-bullying policy
A closed, fenced campus with entrances monitored by a long-standing security team. The child protection policy is based on the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, German child protection law and NEASC expectations; there are safeguarding leads, procedures, safe touch and intimate care policies, a whistleblower policy and a code of conduct for adults. All staff, volunteers and coaches undergo extended police checks, international checks for overseas recruits, verification of qualifications and references, and annual training. Counsellors work at all levels, a nurse is on campus all school day; phones are banned during the school day.
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 data95 Accreditation and verifiability (10%)90 Teaching staff (10%) scored on disclosed data55 Facilities (10%) scored on disclosed data80 Clubs and activities (8%) scored on disclosed data78 Value for money (6%) scored at the median95 "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 7 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
Bonn, Germany · est. 1997 · Private