← Back to the rankingHeidelberg International School
Heidelberg, Germany · Private
Illustration · Heidelberg
Heidelberg International School (H.I.S.) is a private, non-profit international school in Heidelberg that, it says, has more than 25 years of experience. It runs all three IB programmes: the Primary Years Programme for ages 4-10, the Middle Years Programme from grade 6 to 10 and the Diploma Programme in grades 11-12; all subjects except languages are taught in English. The school is single-stream: the 2026-2027 profile lists 232 students from 44 countries and 45 teachers, with classes of about 23. The largest groups come from the USA, Germany, the UK and India; for most students English is the first or one of the main languages. All students learn German, from German as an additional language to advanced level, and Spanish is taught in grades 6-10. The school is recognised by the Baden-Württemberg Ministry of Education and accredited by CIS and NEASC. In 2026 all 12 graduates received the IB Diploma with an average of 37.5 and a top score of 44 out of 45; two out of three earned the bilingual diploma. The programme includes forest trips for young children, residential trips, the Duke of Edinburgh Award, Model United Nations and charity projects in Namibia and with Habitat for Humanity.
Key facts
Tuition
≈ $19 431–26 955 a year
17 200–23 860 EUR
Programmes
IB · PYP, MYP, DP
Admits from
4 years · Pre-School
Languages of instruction
English
Languages taught
German, Spanish
Students per teacher
1 to 5
Class size
about 23 students per class
Registration fee
≈ $446
395 EUR
About the fees Annual tuition for 2026-2027: Early Primary 1-2 17200 EUR, grades 1-4 19480 EUR, grades 5-8 21730 EUR, grades 9-10 23660 EUR, grades 11-12 23860 EUR; payable up front or in 10 monthly instalments. In addition: an annual administration fee of 395 EUR, an entrance fee of 3200 EUR in the first year and 3000 EUR in the second, and a technology fee of 300 EUR per year in grades 8-12. Tuition covers residential trips (forest trips for young children, an annual residential week in grades 3-10, the Exordium trip in grade 11). Not included: lunches, after school care, activities, local trips, graphic calculators, Pamoja online courses and IB exam fees. Families paying privately without employer support get discounts: 10% for the third child, 15% for the fourth, 10% after four consecutive years, and an income-based reduction of 20-90%.
Admissions The school admits students who can benefit from its programme; special consideration is given to siblings and to applicants from the international community. Applications are made online at any time of year and processed first come, first served subject to space; PYP and MYP students can join mid-year. Steps: online form, document upload and payment of the administration fee, application review (optional interview), offer by email, signing the contract and payment. The last two school reports are required (for young children kindergarten reports, a family drawing and work samples), and school-age applicants submit work in English and mathematics. Additional English and academic requirements may apply for the MYP and DP. Placement is by age on 1 October: Early Primary 1 from age 4, grade 1 from 6, grade 11 from 16. The school addresses families moving from another city or another continent directly.
Stages and year groups Grades Early Primary 1-2, 1-12. IB Continuum in English: PYP - Early Primary 1-2 (from age 4) and grades 1-5, with the PYP Exhibition in grade 5; MYP - a five-year programme from grade 6 to 10 (arts, design, individuals and societies, English, German, Spanish, science as a combined biology, chemistry and physics course, mathematics, physical education), the Personal Project in grade 10 and the MYP certificate; Diploma Programme - grades 11-12: Language and Literature (English, German), Language Acquisition (German), History, Business Management, Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science, Physics, Mathematics (Analysis & Approaches, Application & Interpretation), Visual Art, plus Theory of Knowledge, the Extended Essay and CAS; exams in May. All students pursue the full IB Diploma, while some opt for subject certificates or the H.I.S. Diploma. The IB Diploma is recognised in Germany as equal to the Abitur under KMK conditions, and grade 10 as equal to the Mittlere Reife. The school does not teach Cambridge International or Pearson courses.
Address Wieblinger Weg 7, 69123 Heidelberg
Accreditations and programmes verified against official registries
IB · PYP, MYP, DP · authorised programmeCIS · accreditationNEASC · accreditationThe school is listed in the IB register and runs the Primary Years, Middle Years and Diploma programmes. 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), 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 →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
37.5 (world average 30.88)
Exam results IB Diploma 2026: all 12 candidates received the diploma (global rate 82.61%), average 37.5, top score 44 out of 45; nine of twelve scored 39 or more, and two out of three earned the IB Bilingual Diploma. The school calls these its best results ever. The school profile gives 2022 results: 100% pass, average 37.7 against a world mean of 30.9, mean subject grade 5.89.
Where leavers go: Heidelberg University · University of Mannheim · Technical University of Munich · Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (LMU) · Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) · RWTH Aachen University · Technical University of Darmstadt · Trinity College Dublin · Leiden University · University of Amsterdam · Maastricht University · Delft University of Technology
and others, 22 universities in the school's list in allThe school says almost all graduates go on to four-year undergraduate degrees at selective universities worldwide, most often in the Netherlands, Germany, the USA, Canada and the UK; the 2026-2027 profile lists acceptances over the past 4 years. A university counsellor and the MaiaLearning careers platform support students.
Facilities from the school's official website
·Swimming poolnot stated on the website
·Sports hallnot stated on the website
·Laboratoriesnot stated on the website
·Theatre or assembly hallnot stated on the website
✓Library
✓Catering
·School transportnot stated on the website
·Boardingnot stated on the website
Clubs and activities: School Band · Creative Art Class · Chess Club · Photography Club · Dance · Basketball · Football · Model United Nations · Duke of Edinburgh Award
Teaching staff from the school's official website
·Teachers listed by namenot published
·Teacher qualificationsnot stated
✓Number of teachers45
✓Students per teacher or class sizein the key facts above
The 2026-2027 profile lists 45 teachers, 25 of them in grades 9-12. Teachers in the IB programmes receive IB certified training, and the staff includes a PYP workshop leader. There are PYP, MYP and DP coordinators, an Extended Essay coordinator, a school librarian and a university guidance counsellor.
Safety and wellbeing from the school's official website
The school says nothing on its website about security, medical care or pupil support.
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 data55 Accreditation and verifiability (10%)95 Teaching staff (10%) scored on disclosed data70 Facilities (10%) scored on disclosed data65 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