← Back to the rankingLeipzig International School
Leipzig, Germany · est. 1992 · Private
Illustration · Leipzig
Leipzig International School (LIS) is a private, non-profit international school in Leipzig, from nursery to grade 12. It was founded in 1992 by parents, local citizens and the US Consul General as a registered association; the first IB Diploma graduates left in 2002, its own kindergarten opened in 2014, and since 2017 the school has been run by a non-profit company under the Foundation International Education Leipzig. Lessons are taught in English, and German is a compulsory subject for all; the kindergarten raises children in two languages, German and English, on a one person one language basis. Primary school (grades 1-5) has no grades, grades 6-8 follow the school's own middle school programme, grades 9-10 take IGCSE courses with a certificate after grade 10, and grades 11-12 take the IB Diploma Programme. There are 1077 students of 77 nationalities and 195 faculty, with no more than 24 students per class. In 2027 the school opens a small boarding house for senior students aged 16 and over.
Key facts
Tuition
≈ $11 749–15 138 a year
1 040–1 340 EUR a month
The year is counted as ten payments: the school does not say how many payments it takes.
Admits from
1 year · Pre-School
Languages of instruction
English
Students per teacher
About 5.5 students per teacher (the school states 1077 students and 195 faculty).
Class size
No more than 24 students per class.
Registration fee
≈ $113
100 EUR
About the fees Monthly fees for the 2026-2027 school year: grades 1-5 1040 EUR, grades 6-8 1060 EUR, grades 9-10 1120 EUR, grades 11-12 1340 EUR. Kindergarten: nursery 211,14 EUR plus a benefaction amount of 575 EUR per month, Early Years 130,12 EUR plus 670 EUR per month; the parental fee is reduced according to the City of Leipzig table. Fees include iPads in primary, morning and afternoon Hort for grades 1-5, learning support, English and German as additional language support, all books and materials, some activities run by school staff, medical support (two school nurses), field trips and fruit. Holiday Hort, lunches, activities by external providers, school camps and IGCSE and IB exam fees are extra. The school offers income-based fee reductions on application but does not publish the scale; sibling discounts apply. From August 2027 boarding costs 28500 EUR per year in a single room and 22000 EUR in a double room on top of tuition.
Admissions The school welcomes families of all nationalities, including German families, and admits to all grades throughout the year as space allows; for the next school year it recommends applying by January or February. English is not required for entry up to grade 10, as EAL support runs to grade 10; grades 11-12 require English proficiency. German is compulsory in the curriculum but prior knowledge is not required. Steps: online enquiry, interview, online application with documents (ID for the student and parents, from grade 2 two recent school reports) and a non-refundable 100 EUR fee; applications are reviewed by section principals, and younger applicants are invited to a taster day. Families have 14 days to accept an offer and must sign the contract within 7 days. Placement is by age on 31 August (grade 1 for children who turned 6). Children with special needs are accepted within the school's resources after open discussion during the application. The boarding house (from August 2027) takes students aged 16 and over joining from grade 10, mostly for the IB Diploma; the school provides guardianship and the documents for a German student visa.
Stages and year groups Kindergarten: nursery for ages 1-3 and Early Years 1-3 for ages 4-6 following the British Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), in German and English; there is also the German-speaking Käferhaus kindergarten. Primary school covers grades 1-5, without grades, with a curriculum aligned with international and German competencies. Middle school covers grades 6-8 with the school's own programme of language and literature, language acquisition, individuals and societies, mathematics, sciences and arts. High school: grades 9-10 take IGCSE courses, with an IGCSE certificate after grade 10 that the school describes as Realschulabschluss-equivalent; grades 11-12 take the IB Diploma Programme with Theory of Knowledge, the Extended Essay and CAS, and the diploma is recognised in Germany as a university entrance qualification. The school does not name the IGCSE exam board on its website.
Accreditations and programmes verified against official registries
IB · DP · authorised programmeNEASC · accreditationThe school is listed in the IB register and runs the Diploma Programme. 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: 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 →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
32.7 (world average 30.88)
Exam results IB Diploma 2026: 65 graduates, 88% passed, average score 32,7 against a global average of 30,88; seven scored above 40 and five scored 42 or more, equivalent to an Abitur of 1,0. 35 graduates earned the IB bilingual diploma. The average IB score on the about page is 32.
Where leavers go: University College London · Technical University of Munich · Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (LMU) · University of Oxford · University of Cambridge · King's College London · University of Edinburgh · University of Warwick · ETH Zürich · Delft University of Technology · University of Amsterdam · Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University
and others, 19 universities in the school's list in allGraduates of 2026 went on to University College London, the Technical University of Munich (three students), the University of Amsterdam, Rotterdam School of Management, WHU, Parsons Paris, Royal Holloway and other universities in Germany, the Netherlands and the UK; a notable share took a gap year. Careers guidance starts in grade 6, and from grade 11 there are sessions on higher education systems in different countries.
Facilities from the school's official website
·Swimming poolnot stated on the website
✓Sports hall
·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
Also on site: Playground
Clubs and activities: Student Council · Model UN · Astronomy Club · Robotics · Contemporary Dance · Photo Club · Green Team · Book Club · Drama · Musicals · Football · Volleyball · Badminton · Tennis · Basketball · Swimming · Cross Country · Track and Field · Makers Space · Woodworks
Summer programme away from campus: . The school runs no camp of its own on campus
The school runs holiday camps with surfing and skiing trips. For grades 1-5 a paid full-day Holiday Hort runs from 7:00 to 17:00; the kindergarten stays open during holidays with a special programme.
Teaching staff from the school's official website
·Teachers listed by namenot published
·Teacher qualificationsnot stated
✓Number of teachers195
✓Students per teacher or class sizein the key facts above
The school has 195 faculty; lessons are taught in English by international subject specialists. Cover is provided by the school's own substitute teachers, and the school guarantees that lessons are not cancelled. In primary, Hort educators are assigned to grade levels and support lessons. There are three school counsellors and two nurses, and a teacher librarian with a master's degree in library studies.
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
·Counsellornot stated on the website
·Child protection policynot stated on the website
·Staff trainingnot stated on the website
·Anti-bullying policynot stated on the website
The Student Support Team combines counselling, learning support and medical care with parents and external professionals. Middle and high school have three school counsellors and two school nurses. In the kindergarten, Early Years 2-3 follow the Second Step social-emotional programme. In the boarding house a staff member is always present, and the boarding team includes social workers.
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%)82 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 data60 Accreditation and verifiability (10%)90 Teaching staff (10%) scored on disclosed data70 Facilities (10%) scored on disclosed data70 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