← Back to homeSALIS - Salzburg International School
Salzburg, Austria · est. 1987 · State
Illustration · Salzburg
SALIS - Salzburg International School is the international branch of the state grammar school Bundesgymnasium Zaunergasse in Salzburg: bilingual classes within a regular Gymnasium, "Eine Schule - Zwei Schulformen" (one school, two school types). The Gymnasium itself dates from the 1987/88 school year and became independent in 1993/94; SALIS celebrated its tenth anniversary in spring 2026. The school calls itself Salzburg's only public international school where students can earn two diplomas: the Austrian Matura and the IB Diploma. Languages of instruction are English and German: at ages 10-14 lessons are taught in both languages, and in the upper grades (ages 15-18) English is the main language of instruction. Students come from around 55 nationalities. The Gymnasium is free; the international programme carries a separate contribution.
Key facts
Programmes
IB · DP · National programme
Languages of instruction
English, German
About the fees The Gymnasium is free: "BG Zaunergasse is a non-fee-paying Austrian state day-school". The SALIS international programme costs an extra 99 EUR per school month, 990 EUR per year (see fees).
Admissions The school admits children from around the world: "we welcome open-minded learners from all over the world who are ready for the academic challenge of bilingual teaching". A child must be able to learn in at least one of the two languages, English or German. English-speaking students are welcome if their parents or guardians live in or around Salzburg; applicants submit a registration certificate (Meldezettel) if the family has already moved. Admission has four steps: registration, assessment, a Pupil Assessment Form from the current school, and decision. For Year 1 (grade 5) the assessment covers reading, language creativity and logical thinking, written and oral, in English or German; for higher years there are written tests in mathematics and English, and from Year 6 (grade 10) also one natural science. Year 1 registration closes before Christmas; for other years applications are considered until the end of May. Year 1 candidates from Austrian or German primary schools must meet the legal criteria for entry into an Austrian Gymnasium. Places are competitive and there is a waiting list; the school currently states that its lower classes are completely full and upper classes have limited availability.
Stages and year groups Grades 5-12. SALIS consists of separate bilingual International Classes within Bundesgymnasium Zaunergasse (classes marked i, for example 5i and 6i); Years 1-8 correspond to grades 5-12. Graduates take the Austrian Matura and the IB Diploma: "We prepare our students for the Austrian Matura and the IB Diploma"; the IB Diploma runs in Years 7-8 (grades 11-12). The first IB class graduated in 2023. Entry to the branch is through registration and assessment, separate from the regular Gymnasium classes.
Address Zaunergasse 3, 5020 Salzburg
Accreditations and programmes verified against official registries
IB · DP · authorised programmeThe IB register lists the Diploma Programme at the school. SALIS is the international branch of the state grammar school BG Zaunergasse: in the last two years pupils take the IB Diploma and the Austrian Matura.
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 →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
Average IB score
34.25 (world average 30.88)
Exam results IB Diploma 2025: average score 34.25 against a world average of 30.58. IB 2024: 33.00 against 30.32. IB 2023, the first graduating class: 35.35 against 30.24, with five students scoring over 40 of 45 points.
Where leavers go: Universiteit van Amsterdam · Durham University · Sorbonne · Paris Lodron Universität Salzburg · Universität Wien · Johannes Kepler Universität Linz
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
·Cateringnot stated on the website
·School transportnot stated on the website
·Boardingnot stated on the website
Campus: SALIS operates in the building of Bundesgymnasium Zaunergasse: the classroom and administration wing was occupied in 1991, and the sports wing with its gym was completed in 1996. The school has a library with an online catalogue and librarians, and a school buffet awarded for its healthy menu; an after-school care group (Tagesbetreuung) runs after lessons.
Clubs and activities: Choir · School theatre · Debating · English Drama · ECDL computer driving licence · Indoor football · Hip Hop · Sciences · CAE (Cambridge Advanced preparation) · Mandarin Chinese · Yoga · Tai Chi · Introductory astronomy and astrophysics · SALIS Talks (guest speakers)
Teaching staff from the school's official website
·Teachers listed by namenot published
·Teacher qualificationsnot stated
·Number of teachersthe school does not say
·Students per teacher or class sizenot stated
Lessons are taught by German- and English-speaking teachers; in some subjects an Austrian teacher works with a native English-speaking assistant (SALIS Native Assistant Teachers). The IB programme is coordinated by Mag. Holger Benz, assisted by Dr. Amanda Haraldsson; the two Deans of Student Affairs are accredited Youth Mental Health First Aiders (Pro Mente Salzburg). According to the school, its teachers take regular professional development. SALIS students get free ARC (Academic and Remedial Coaching) sessions in subjects and study skills.
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 policynot stated on the website
✓Staff training
·Anti-bullying policynot stated on the website
The school offers psychosocial support (Psychosoziales Angebot, Psychosocial Support Services in English) and Jugendcoaching (youth counselling), available in summer too. The SALIS Deans are accredited Youth Mental Health First Aiders and offer students a place to take a break and talk. SALIS Policies and a Code of Conduct are published in the Downloads section.
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 data65 Accreditation and verifiability (10%)85 Teaching staff (10%) scored on disclosed data55 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