ISR International School on the Rhine is a private international day school in Neuss between Düsseldorf and Meerbusch, from kindergarten (from age 3) to grade 12. More than 1200 students from around 60 countries attend, staying on average about eight years. The language of instruction is English; all students learn German from kindergarten (as a native language following the North Rhine-Westphalia curriculum or as a foreign language), a third language is added from grade 6 - French or Spanish, Japanese and Chinese for native speakers - and Turkish as a first language from grade 9. Secondary school is built on Cambridge programmes: IGCSE courses in grades 9-10 with exams at the end of grade 10, and in grades 11-12 the IB Diploma, which the school has offered since 2008; graduates receive the IB Diploma and the school's High School Diploma. The state of North Rhine-Westphalia recognises the school as an Ergänzungsschule; it is funded solely by parents' fees. According to the school there are six students per teacher and the average IB score is 36. The campus covers 150000 square metres, with after school care until 18:00 and school buses.
Key facts
Programmes
IB · DP · Cambridge · IGCSE
Admits from
3 years · Pre-School
Languages of instruction
English
Languages taught
German, French, Spanish, Japanese, Chinese, Turkish
Students per teacher
1 to 6
About the fees The school does not publish fees on its website: fees are given individually after the questionnaire and depend on campus, grade, programme, start date and school year; kindergarten fees in Düsseldorf and Meerbusch differ from Neuss. Before and after school care from 7:30 to 18:00 is included. The school bus is charged separately according to the operator's price list.
Admissions Applications are accepted year-round subject to space; the school recommends starting in late winter or spring before the school year. Steps: questionnaire, campus tour in Neuss, documents (reports and test results from the last two years, psychological or neurological evaluations if any), knowledge check, admission decision and contract. Kindergarten has no academic requirements: children must turn 3 by 30 June to start in August, understand simple instructions and be toilet trained. Grades 1-2 have a short meeting and worksheets with the head of elementary regardless of language; grades 3-11 are assessed in English, mathematics and, where applicable, German, with grades 10-11 also tested in a social science, a natural science and a third language. Families abroad can take the check online before relocating. Grade placement depends on attainment, with age as a limit. The decision also considers motivation and social and emotional development.
Stages and year groups Grades Kindergarten, 1-12. Kindergarten (from age 3) and the Elementary School in Neuss; an elementary school for grades 1-6 in Düsseldorf-Oberkassel opens in 2027. Secondary grades 7-12 are built on Cambridge programmes: mathematics in grades 7-10 follows Cambridge IGCSE International Mathematics (0607), computing in grades 9-10 IGCSE Computer Science (0478); grades 9-10 take IGCSE courses with Cambridge exams at the end of grade 10 in English, German, mathematics, sciences and social subjects (exams optional but strongly encouraged); students also prepare for DELE and DELF. Grades 11-12 follow the IB Diploma Programme (since 2008): Language A English, German, Japanese, Chinese, Turkish or self-taught; Language B English, German, Spanish, French, Chinese B from 2027-2028, ab initio Spanish, German, French; business, economics, geography, history; biology, chemistry, physics; mathematics AA and AI; visual arts, music, computer science; an extra vector mathematics module for German university entry. Graduates receive the IB Diploma and the ISR High School Diploma (26 credits in grades 9-12).
Accreditations and programmes verified against official registries
IB · DP · authorised programmeCambridge · IGCSE · authorised programmeCognia · accreditationThe school is listed in the IB register and runs the Diploma Programme. The Cambridge register names the school as its centre; it teaches Cambridge IGCSE. The school is accredited by Cognia.
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: DP (ages 16-19). 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 →CogniaCognia, formerly AdvancED
The widest-reaching American accreditation: some forty thousand schools in over a hundred countries. It accredits both individual schools and whole school systems. It also sells a paid membership with no inspection behind it, and that membership is often passed off as accreditation.
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
36 (world average 30.88)
Exam results IB Diploma, most recent class: average score 36, 100% pass rate, 83% above the world average of 30.8, 59% earned the bilingual diploma. IGCSE 2026: 45 candidates, 205 exam entries, 66% of grades A* and A, 94% A* to B, 100% A* to C, a total of 66 A* and 70 A grades; the share of A* and A in German, English, mathematics and sciences rose from 50% in 2024 to 58% in 2025 and 66% in 2026.
Where leavers go: London School of Economics (LSE) · King's College London · University College London (UCL) · University of Edinburgh · University of California, San Diego · Erasmus University Rotterdam · Maastricht University · Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST)
These are universities that made offers to the most recent graduating class, according to the school. All graduates of the last three years who wished to study in Germany met the German IB Diploma requirements for recognition as the Allgemeine Hochschulreife. Three full-time staff handle careers guidance, and the school helps with internships.
Facilities from the school's official website
·Swimming poolnot stated on the website
✓Sports hall
✓Laboratories
·Theatre or assembly hallnot stated on the website
✓Library
✓Catering
✓School transport
·Boardingnot stated on the website
Also on site: Sports ground or field · Playground
Clubs and activities: Art Workshop · Athletics · Badminton · Ballet · Baseball · Basketball · Chess · Choir · Drama · Football · Golf · Gymnastics · Orchestra · Rock Band · Capoeira · Fencing · Kung Fu · Model United Nations · Duke of Edinburgh International Award · Student Leadership Council
Teaching staff from the school's official website
·Teachers listed by namenot published
·Teacher qualificationsnot stated
✓Number of teachers160
✓Students per teacher or class sizein the key facts above
The school has more than 180 employees from over 40 countries, about 160 of them dedicated to teaching, advising and supervising: teachers, supervisors, university counsellors, wellbeing counsellors, a nurse, a student activities coordinator, a librarian and the leadership team. The school states a ratio of six students per teacher; absent teachers are always covered, and students who fall behind get free booster lessons.
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 trainingnot stated on the website
·Anti-bullying policynot stated on the website
A nurse works on campus. The wellbeing department, with counsellors for elementary and secondary, offers one-to-one sessions, group workshops and stress and mindfulness programmes, and handles inclusion. A safeguarding policy, behaviour policy and code of conduct apply, along with attendance, mobile phone, intimate care and academic honesty policies.
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%)84 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 data70 Accreditation and verifiability (10%)95 Teaching staff (10%) scored on disclosed data70 Facilities (10%) scored on disclosed data80 Clubs and activities (8%) scored on disclosed data78 Value for money (6%) scored at the median84 "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
Neuss, Germany · Private