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International school is not a legal status: check each grade
Written by
Janine El-Saghir
Janine El Saghir is an editor at How-to-Germany.com, where she specializes in the practical aspects of daily life and integration for expatriates. With years of...
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Erkan Boga is the founder and CEO of qmedia GmbH, the publishing house behind How-to-Germany.com. He established the platform with the clear vision of creating...
- “International school” is not a legal status. What counts is whether the state has approved the school as a substitute for a public school, grade by grade.
- Grade 1 costs €19,400 to €31,946 a year at four large IB schools, plus one-time fees. Several reduce the fee by income.
- 30% of the fee, up to €5,000 per child, can be deducted from your taxable income as a special expense.
International schools such as the International School of Düsseldorf teach in English, the 22 schools of the Association of German International Schools all offer the International Baccalaureate (IB), and some, such as Munich International School, mainly serve internationally mobile families who come to Germany for a limited time. They are private, and they cost far more than the free public school next door. Before you sign, check two things: the school’s status for each grade, and what your employer pays. The tax side works in your favor: the German tax return lets you claim part of the fee.
The status that matters: Ersatzschule or Ergänzungsschule
A private school that the state has approved as a substitute for a public school (Ersatzschule) fulfills compulsory schooling, and some of them have an international or bilingual profile. A complementary school (Ergänzungsschule) only has to register with the authorities. Some international schools hold both, depending on the grade:
- Berlin Brandenburg International School in Kleinmachnow: approved substitute school for grades 1 to 10, recognized complementary school for grades 11 and 12.
- Munich International School: approved substitute school for grades 1 to 9, complementary school for grades 10 to 12.
At such schools the final years prepare for the IB Diploma. Whether it then opens German universities depends on the subjects, the grades and the years of schooling: the IB Diploma and the Abitur.
IB, bilingual and public alternatives
The Association of German International Schools (AGIS) has 22 member schools, and all of them are authorized IB schools offering at least one IB program: the Primary Years (PYP), the Middle Years (MYP), the Diploma (DP) or the Career-related program (CP). Outside the international schools, some public schools teach in two languages for free. Berlin’s Staatliche Europa-Schule, for example, teaches in two languages from the first grade. The choice of school types in the public system: the German school system.
What four international schools charge
| School | Grade 1 | Final years | One-time fees | Reductions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Berlin Brandenburg International School (Kleinmachnow) | Up to €19,400 | €25,000 (grade 11), €25,100 (grade 12) | Registration €7,500, application €100 | By gross income, from €175 a year in grades 1 to 10 |
| Munich International School | €31,946 for a new student (without application fee), €21,101 when re-enrolling | Ask the school | Application fee on top | By net income above the subsistence minimum and by family assets. 10% off for the third child and 20% from the fourth, if three or more children attend at the same time. |
| International School of Düsseldorf | €20,930 | €27,820 (grade 11), €28,270 (grade 12) | Admission fee €6,500 | A limited number of financial assistance places |
| Frankfurt International School (Oberursel, Wiesbaden) | €25,815 | €31,365 (grades 11 and 12) | Registration €1,500, capital fee in the first and second year (€6,600 for 2026/2027) | A tuition reduction program, details from the school |
| Tuition and listed fees. Extras differ: BBIS and FIS charge buses, lunch and IB exam fees on top. ISD charges lunch extra but includes field trips and regular IB exam fees, and FIS includes grade-level trips in grades 5 to 11. Sources: fee schedules of BBIS, ISD and FIS and the fee reduction programme of MIS for 2026/2027, retrieved 8 November 2026. | ||||
Offers can come with short deadlines. Frankfurt International School, for example, holds a place only if the €2,000 down payment arrives within ten days of the acceptance letter. Otherwise the child goes back on the waiting list.
Taxes and employer payments
Parents who are entitled to child benefit or the child allowance (Kinderfreibetrag) for the child can deduct 30% of the school fee, at most €5,000 per child and year, as a special expense. Boarding, care and meals do not count. The school must be in the EU or the European Economic Area and lead to a recognized qualification. The limit applies once per child for both parents together.
The International School of Düsseldorf is funded almost entirely by fees from parents or their employers, and Munich International School mainly so. If your employer pays or reimburses the school fees, the law counts the money as part of your wages, so it is taxed. Only care for children who are not yet of school age, in a Kita or similar, can be paid tax-free on top of your salary. Ask before you agree on a relocation package whether the fee is paid net or gross, and run the numbers with the salary calculator.
How to choose
- Ask the school for its status in each grade your child will attend.
- Check the final certificate: IB Diploma with which subjects, and does it meet the German conditions.
- Compare the full cost: tuition, one-time fees, bus and lunch, and any reduction you qualify for.
- Apply early and keep the deadlines for down payments.
- Plan German lessons anyway, so that a later switch to a German school stays open.
Bottom line
For a stay of a few years with a teenager, an international school with the IB keeps the move simple, as long as you check its status for the final grades. For younger children planning to stay, a bilingual public school or the local school with German support costs no tuition and keeps every German path open.
Part of education in Germany. Also: school enrollment · why homeschooling is not an option.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, for the grades in which the state has approved it as a substitute for a public school. Some schools are approved only up to grade 9 or 10 and run their final years as complementary schools, so ask for the status of each grade before you sign.
Yes, if it meets the conditions the German states set for the IB Diploma: at least twelve school years, the right mix of six subjects, a language, math or science at Higher Level, two continuous years and minimum grades. With math only at Standard Level it opens fields outside math, science and technology. If other conditions are missing, the student needs the assessment test, or a subject-restricted entrance after one successful year of university study.
The parents, or their employer, for example as part of a relocation package. School fees an employer pays count as taxable wages, so agree whether the amount is meant net or gross. Several schools also reduce the fee by family income on application.
Sources (as of 8 November 2026)
Sources (as of 8 November 2026)
- Eurydice, European Commission, Germany: organisation of private education: Ersatzschulen and Ergänzungsschulen, fees.
- Berlin Brandenburg International School, annual school fees 2026-2027; Munich International School, school fee reduction programme 2026-27; International School of Düsseldorf, fees and scholarships; Frankfurt International School, tuition and fees and fee schedule 2026/2027.
- Association of German International Schools (AGIS), who we are: member schools and IB authorization.
- Income Tax Act (EStG), section 10: 30% of private school fees, at most €5,000 per child, section 19 and section 8: benefits and reimbursements from an employer are wages, section 3 no. 33: tax-free care for children not yet of school age (in German).
- KMK, agreement on the recognition of the IB Diploma (in German); Berlin Senate Department for Education, school registration (Staatliche Europa-Schule Berlin, in German).