HPC International School is a private English-language IB school in Heidelberg, part of the Heidelberger Privatschulcentrum (HPC), which also houses private German primary school, Realschule, Gemeinschaftsschule, bilingual and vocational gymnasiums. The school calls itself an authorised IB Continuum school with the PYP, MYP and Diploma Programme; it was authorised as an IB World School in 2017. The Middle Years Programme (from grade 5, about age 10) and the Diploma Programme (grades 11-12) are taught entirely in English, and all students study German as a native or foreign language; native German speakers can earn a bilingual Diploma. The Primary Years Programme is organised differently: it is an optional afternoon module from 13:30 to 15:00 at the private German HPC Bilinguale Grundschule, which follows the Baden-Württemberg curriculum with about 45% of teaching in English. Students come from more than 20 countries and classes have 10 to 21 students; the school stresses that it is non-selective. The IB Diploma is recognised in Germany as equivalent to the Abitur, and the subject choice meets the Kultusministerkonferenz requirements. Career counselling starts in grade 9.
Key facts
Programmes
IB · PYP, MYP, DP · National programme
Languages of instruction
English
Languages taught
German, Spanish, Chinese
Class size
10 to 21 students, no more than 21 pupils
Registration fee
≈ $904
800 EUR
About the fees No year is given for the fees. On the MYP pages: 985 EUR per month, 11820 EUR per year, plus a one-time registration fee of 800 EUR; the FAQ gives 975 EUR per month, 11700 EUR per year and a 750 EUR fee for the MYP. Diploma Programme: 1700 EUR per month for 24 months, 40800 EUR for two years. Extra costs are textbooks, a calculator, a laptop or tablet, field trips, hot lunch and IB exam fees. Special rates exist for employees of the operator, families with several children in HPC schools and employer companies, a few scholarships for exceptional students and a fee reduction on request for families with a weak financial background. The PYP module at the primary school costs 145 EUR per month on top of the primary school fee of 180 EUR per month and an income-related contribution.
Admissions Applications are made online via the school portal; students are accepted at any time of the year into all grades, most often into grade 5, 6, 7 or 8 in September. No prior German is required: the school runs beginner and advanced German courses. MYP applicants need proof of completing primary school or four years of schooling; students not yet fluent in English get differentiated support, and free German and English tutoring is offered in the afternoon. Diploma Programme applicants need an interview with the Head of School or DP Coordinator, a letter of motivation, a CV, English at B2/C1 at least, 10 completed years of education and report cards for the last two years. Students come from more than 20 countries.
Stages and year groups Grades 1-12. MYP0-MYP3 (grades 5-8, ages 10-13), MYP4-MYP5 (grades 9-10, ages 13-15), IB Diploma Programme (grades 11-12, from age 16): DP subjects are English A, German A, German B, German ab initio, English B, Business and Management, Psychology, History, Biology, Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics (both courses) and Film; some courses run depending on demand. All MYP and DP subjects are taught in English except German. The PYP (ages 6-11) is an optional afternoon module at the HPC Bilinguale Grundschule, a private Ersatzschule following the Baden-Württemberg 2016 curriculum with about 45% of teaching in English. The International School has no Abitur of its own; the Abitur at HPC is offered by separate German gymnasiums of the centre.
Accreditations and programmes verified against official registries
IB · PYP, MYP, DP · authorised programmeThe school is listed in the IB register and runs the Primary Years, Middle Years and Diploma programmes. The Primary Years runs as an afternoon module in English alongside HPC's German bilingual primary school; the Gymnasium offers the Abitur alongside the IB.
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 →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
Exam results The school does not publish aggregate IB results; it says its pass rates are above the world average despite non-selective admissions. In 2022 two graduates scored 43 and 40 points out of 45.
Where leavers go: New York University · Darmstadt University of Applied Sciences · Catholic University of Eichstätt-Ingolstadt · University of the People · International University of Monaco
The school names graduates of 2022 and 2023 and their universities: one graduate studies at New York University on a full scholarship. The career counsellor supports applications, and universities visit the school to present their programmes.
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
·Librarynot stated on the website
·Cateringnot stated on the website
·School transportnot stated on the website
·Boardingnot stated on the website
Campus: The school is on the Heidelberger Privatschulcentrum campus in the Heidelberg Innovation Park near Bahnstadt: the campus opened in March 2016 and has more than 7000 square metres in a passive-house building, with four staircases and two lifts, barrier-free. The International School has labs, a library with books in English, German and other languages and a librarian, and a film studio for the Film subject; students bring their own laptops or tablets. A hot lunch Monday to Friday is delivered by a catering partner, catering for allergies and vegetarian diets. Next door, at Palo-Alto-Platz 4-6, is the Elementary Campus: 18 classrooms, a library, an art studio, a music hall, sports facilities and a canteen. There is no boarding.
Clubs and activities: School band · Model United Nations · School ambassadors · Yoga
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: regular IB professional development
Teachers come from five continents, including Australia, the US, the UK, Germany, Ghana, Albania, India, Taiwan and Syria; according to the school they regularly take part in IB professional development. Teacher trainees and interns from various countries also work at the school. The site names the Head of School, the MYP and DP coordinators and the career counsellor.
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 policy
·Staff trainingnot stated on the website
·Anti-bullying policynot stated on the website
The school promises counselling for student wellbeing and strong pastoral care; daily life is governed by school policies reviewed every year with teachers, students and parents. The Heidelberger Privatschulcentrum has school social work and a school psychologist.
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 data60 Clubs and activities (8%) scored on disclosed data70 Value for money (6%) scored at the median87 "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
Heidelberg, Germany · Private