Frankfurt International School
🇩🇪 Frankfurt · Founded 1961 · IB / American · Ages 3–18
Reviewed by Priscilla Han · 2026-07-24
A well-established, IB-founding international school with a strong Diploma track record and broad accreditation, capped at A because Germany has no single graded public inspectorate publishing an Outstanding/Good band for international schools.
Curricula
IB, American
Age range
3–18
Languages of instruction
English, German, French, Spanish
Annual fees
EUR 11,590–31,365
Enrollment
1,800
Boarding
No (day school)
IB authorised
DP
Accreditations
Council of International Schools (CIS), New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC), International Baccalaureate (IB), Educational Collaborative for International Schools (ECIS)
Tier Profile
We only tier dimensions backed by a public inspection verdict or verifiable accreditation. Other dimensions show a data flag — never a guessed score.
BrightKey's Assessment
Frankfurt International School (FIS), founded in 1961, is one of the original founding IB World Schools and today enrolls around 1,800 students from more than 60 nationalities across its Oberursel and Wiesbaden campuses. Instruction is in English from age 3 through Grade 12, with German, French and Spanish taught as languages, and English-as-an-Additional-Language support for non-native speakers. All students work toward the FIS High School Diploma and roughly 90% also pursue the IB Diploma, with a 2025 average IB score of 36.
Why These Ratings?
Inspection & AccreditationA — Excellent
FIS holds accreditation from the Council of International Schools (CIS) and the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC) and is an authorized IB World School, but Germany has no single graded public inspectorate that publishes an Outstanding/Good-style band for international schools, so the rating is capped at A rather than S.
Strengths & Trade-offs
Strengths
- Founding IB World School with a long, continuous Diploma Programme history since the 1960s.
- Dual international accreditation (CIS and NEASC) plus IB authorization.
- Strong published IB outcomes — a 2025 average Diploma score of 36.
- Genuinely international community: ~1,800 students from more than 60 nationalities.
- Structured English-as-an-Additional-Language support for non-native English speakers.
Trade-offs
- No single graded public inspectorate band is available for German international schools, limiting externally verified quality benchmarking.
- High tuition, rising steeply by grade, plus significant one-time registration and capital assessment fees.
- Public materials confirm only the IB Diploma; authorization for PYP/MYP is not verified on the sources reviewed.
Is It Right For You?
Best For
- ✓Internationally mobile families seeking an English-medium IB Diploma pathway near Frankfurt.
- ✓Students aiming for university placement via the IB Diploma or a US-style high school diploma.
- ✓Non-native English speakers who need EAL support to transition into an English-medium program.
Not Ideal For
- ✕Families wanting a German national-curriculum (Abitur) school.
- ✕Families needing boarding — FIS operates as a day school.
- ✕Families seeking a low-cost option, given tuition and one-time fee levels.
Curriculum
English-medium, IB-oriented program from age 3 to Grade 12. All students work toward the FIS High School Diploma and about 90% also pursue the IB Diploma; German, French and Spanish are offered as languages. Only the IB Diploma is verified in the sources reviewed — PYP/MYP authorization is not confirmed here.
Fees
Published 2026/2027 tuition ranges from EUR 11,590 (First Steps, age 3, half day) to EUR 31,365 (Grades 11–12). One-time and recurring charges include a EUR 1,500 new-student registration fee, a EUR 6,600 capital assessment fee (years 1 and 2 for new students Pre-Primary and above) and a EUR 350 re-enrollment fee. Confirm current figures with the school.
Admissions
Admissions run through the FIS Admissions office with an online application process; EAL support is available for non-native English speakers. Contact the school directly for entry requirements and assessment details.
Campus Life
FIS operates two campuses — Oberursel (Preschool–Grade 12) and Wiesbaden (Preschool–Grade 8) — serving a community of more than 60 nationalities, with an extensive bus network of over 50 routes supporting a commuter/day-school model.
University Placement
School-reported · not independently verified
School-reported, unverified: FIS reports a 2025 average IB Diploma score of 36; independent verification of university-placement outcomes was not available.
Sources
Every verifiable fact carries a public source — verify it yourself.
- FIS — Home / Facts · 2026-07
- FIS — About / History · 2026-07
- FIS — High School Academics · 2026-07
- FIS — Tuition & Fees 2026/2027 · 2026-07
- Wikipedia — Frankfurt International School · 2026-07
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