← Back to the rankingInternational School of Hamburg
Hamburg, Germany · est. 1957 · Private
Illustration · Hamburg
The International School of Hamburg (ISH) is the first international school in Germany: it opened in 1957 in a single room near the Alster with 50 students. Today it is a private, non-profit day school in a green district in western Hamburg with early years from age 3 and grades 1-12, about 780 students from more than 60 countries and 114 teachers from 28 countries. Teaching is in English, all students learn German from grade 1, and French or Spanish from grade 6. Early years follow the International Early Years Curriculum and primary school the International Primary Curriculum; in December 2025 the school became a PYP candidate. Grades 6-10 follow the IB MYP, and grades 11-12 the IB Diploma Programme, offered since 1979, and the IB Career-related Programme. The student to teacher ratio is 6.5 to 1, and the average secondary class has 14 students. The city of Hamburg supports the school, and the state recognises it as an allgemeinbildende Ergänzungsschule.
Key facts
Tuition
≈ $15 025–29 881 a year
13 300–26 450 EUR
Programmes
IB · MYP, DP, CP · BTEC
Admits from
3 years · Pre-School
Languages of instruction
English
Languages taught
German, French, Spanish
Students per teacher
6.5 to 1
Class size
on average 14 students in grades 9-12; at most 20 in early years and 24 in other classes
Registration fee
≈ $565
500 EUR
About the fees Annual fees for the 2026-2027 school year: Early Years 1 (age 3) 13300 EUR, Early Years 2 14340 EUR, Early Years 3 16310 EUR, grades 1-2 20850 EUR, grades 3-5 22090 EUR, grades 6-8 23670 EUR, grade 9 25200 EUR, grade 10 25440 EUR, grades 11-12 26450 EUR. Fees include EAL, mild and moderate learning support, all whole-grade trips, counselling and the yearbook. Fees are due by 1 August; two instalments are possible with a 5% surcharge. There is a 10% discount for the third child and 15% for the fourth. A financial aid programme is available to families where at least one parent works in or near Hamburg: with an income up to 50000 EUR the fee is 3300 EUR per year, then 7700, 11600, 13750 and 15900 EUR, and full fees above 150000 EUR; family assets raise the fee.
Admissions Admission is open to all students who can benefit from an international education in English in Hamburg; students are admitted throughout the year. The school cannot admit students who need a self-contained special education programme, cannot cope with the physical limitations of the building, or have a poor previous academic or behavioural record. If there is a waiting list, applicants are admitted first come, first served, considering other school options in Hamburg and the family's international background; priority goes to international students who could not cope in the local German system and whose parents are on a limited international assignment in Hamburg. The application is online: questionnaire, health form, proof of two measles vaccinations, a learning support form (with specialist reports where applicable), a photo, report cards for two years (an official transcript from grade 9), passport, a teacher recommendation and a 500 EUR fee. From grade 6 all applicants take an English placement test at their current school or at ISH. The principal decides on admission. Early years placement follows a strict age cut-off of 1 October. Students with mild to moderate learning needs are supported.
Stages and year groups Grades EY1-EY3, 1-12. Early Years 1-3 (ages 3-5): the International Early Years Curriculum, the Foundations phonics programme and Math in Focus. Junior School, grades 1-5: the International Primary Curriculum, Reader's and Writer's Workshop and Math in Focus; since December 2025 the school has been an IB PYP candidate. Grades 6-10: the IB MYP with the Personal Project in grade 10. Grades 11-12: the IB Diploma Programme (most students) and the IB Career-related Programme with BTEC Level 3 courses in business, sport and music; students not taking the diploma receive DP course certificates and the school's own High School Diploma. All programmes are in English. DP subjects include English A and B, German A, B and ab initio, French B, Spanish B, biology, chemistry, physics, economics, geography, history, psychology, mathematics AA and AI, music, theatre, visual arts and design.
Accreditations and programmes verified against official registries
IB · MYP, DP, CP · authorised programmeCIS · accreditationNEASC · accreditationThe school is listed in the IB register and runs the Middle Years, Diploma and Career-related programmes. For the Primary Years the school has been a candidate since December 2025. 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: MYP (ages 11-16), DP (ages 16-19), CP (ages 16-19, with a vocational slant). 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. CP is the final stage with a vocational slant, ages 16 to 19: some of the DP subjects plus an applied qualification. It is meant for those heading into a trade or an applied degree rather than an academic one.
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 →BTEC
A British vocational qualification from Pearson: not an academic course with an exam at the end, but a programme of practical assignments in a particular trade, from engineering and business to art and sport.
What this means for this school. Teaching and assessment work differently from A-level: instead of written exams there is a run of practical assignments marked by the school, while Pearson checks the school itself and samples the work. British universities do accept BTEC, but not all of them and not for every course: level 3 carries the same UCAS points as A-level, and that is what a family aiming at a particular university should look at. For a child who needs the classic academic route, BTEC is not a replacement for A-level but a different path.
Exams and destinations from the school's official website
Average IB score
31.9 (world average 30.88)
Exam results IB Diploma 2026: average score of diploma holders 31.9. IB Diploma 2025: 70 programme students, average 32.0 against a world average of 30.58, pass rate 94%; 2024: 64 students and 83%, 2023: 61 and 85%, 2022: 76 and 97%. IB Career-related Programme 2025: 7 students, pass rate 100%. SAT in grades 11-12 (2024-2025): 18 students, median 1290.
Where leavers go: University of Tokyo · Waseda University · Seoul National University · University of Sydney · McGill University · University of Toronto · Delft University of Technology · University of Amsterdam · IE University · Lund University · Stockholm School of Economics · EHL Hospitality Business School (École hôtelière de Lausanne)
and others, 18 universities in the school's list in allAccording to the school profile, 85% of graduates enrol at universities worldwide; others take a gap year, an apprenticeship or military service. Over the past four years graduates have been accepted at universities in Asia, Australia and New Zealand, Canada, Europe, the UK and the US; alumni attend 155 universities worldwide.
Facilities from the school's official website
·Swimming poolnot stated on the website
✓Sports hall
✓Laboratories
✓Theatre or assembly hall
✓Library
✓Catering
✓School transport
·Boardingnot stated on the website
Also on site: Sports ground or field · Art studio · Playground
Clubs and activities: Model United Nations · Duke of Edinburgh Award · Environment Club GreenISH · Sri Lanka Project · Debate · Entrepreneurship · Chess & Board Games · Young Directors · Theatre · Qigong · Yearbook · Student Council · School Band · Junior Choir · Robotics · Canoeing · Climbing Club
Teaching staff from the school's official website
·Teachers listed by namenot published
✓Teacher qualifications
✓Number of teachers114
✓Students per teacher or class sizein the key facts above
What the listings show: Secondary teachers include IB examiners, IB workshop leaders and accreditation team members.
The school has 114 teachers from 28 countries, most from the US, the UK and Germany; more than 30% have been at the school for over 10 years. Secondary teachers include IB examiners and IB workshop leaders. The junior school has two academic coaches for literacy and mathematics.
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 complies with German law and international child protection practice, and the secondary school has a child safeguarding officer. After-school staff receive annual child safety and first aid training. The school has school nurses, counsellors in the junior and secondary schools, learning support specialists, speech therapists and an occupational therapist. Every secondary student has a homeroom tutor; homeroom sessions cover friendship, conflict, bullying and digital citizenship. There is a whistleblower channel.
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%)91 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%)95 Teaching staff (10%) scored on disclosed data70 Facilities (10%) scored on disclosed data85 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