Bavarian International School

Personalised and Holistic Learning

Bavarian International School (BIS) is Germany's only school to offer all four International Baccalaureate programmes — the Primary Years Programme (PYP), Middle Years Programme (MYP), Diploma Programme (DP), and Career-related Programme (CP). This comprehensive IB pathway from age 3 to 18 reflects the school's deep commitment to a coherent, internationally minded educational philosophy.

The school's mission statement — "inspiring and challenging young minds as a caring and committed international community to achieve excellence, assume responsibility and pursue life-long learning" — captures the dual ambition of intellectual rigour and personal responsibility that runs through every year group.

Core Values in Practice

BIS operates around five commitments:

• Trust — building safe, honest relationships across the community
• Belong — creating an inclusive environment for students from 70+ nationalities
• Engage — encouraging active participation in learning and school life
• Innovate — embracing creative, future-focused approaches to education
• Flourish — enabling every student to reach their personal best

These values are not merely decorative; they shape curriculum design, pastoral care, and the school's non-selective admissions policy, which explicitly rejects academic screening in favour of welcoming students of all abilities.

Beyond Grades

Assessment at BIS is deliberately developmental. In the early years and primary school, traditional letter grades are replaced by portfolio-based learning outcomes and student-led conferences. In secondary, the IB's seven-point scale is used alongside narrative report cards. This philosophy prioritises growth mindset over performance anxiety and is reinforced by a robust Learning Support department and a dedicated Counselling team.

Diversity as an Educational Resource

With 75% of students from internationally mobile families and approximately 25% from local German households, BIS treats cultural diversity as a living curriculum. The school offers instruction in English as the primary language, compulsory German from Grade 1, and optional Spanish, French, Japanese, and Mandarin from Grade 6 — alongside a Home Language Programme supporting 17 mother tongues. This multilingual environment is central to the IB's vision of international-mindedness and prepares graduates for an interconnected world.

Founding Vision

The Bavarian International School was founded on 18 February 1991, born from the practical needs of a growing expatriate community in the Munich region — particularly professionals associated with the aerospace and aviation industries such as Panavia. The founding team, led by the first head teacher, opened with just five students in Goldach/Hallbergmoos. By the end of that first year, twelve students were enrolled.

The vision was straightforward but ambitious: provide a rigorous, internationally recognised education for children of globally mobile families, rooted in the principles of the International Baccalaureate.

Key Milestones

• 1991 — School opens in Goldach/Hallbergmoos with 5 students
• 1995 — Full IB accreditation awarded by the International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO)
• 1999 — Campus relocates to the historic Schloss Haimhausen estate, 15 km north of Munich, providing space for significant expansion
• 2008–2009 — New buildings completed at Haimhausen; enrolment reaches 800 students
• 2013–2014 — Student population exceeds 1,000
• 2016 — Munich City Campus opens in the Schwabing district, housing Early Childhood and primary classes for urban families
• 2019 — Enrolment reaches ~1,200; legal structure converted to a non-profit joint-stock corporation (gemeinnützige Aktiengesellschaft, gAG)
• 2026 — Creativity & Innovation Centre (CIC) scheduled to open at Haimhausen, adding state-of-the-art STEAM facilities

A School Built on Community

Throughout its history, BIS has been shaped by the transient but deeply engaged communities of international families it serves. Parents, alumni, and staff have collectively invested in the school's infrastructure and culture — including through the Friends of BIS e.V. association, which now funds scholarship programmes for deserving students. The school's growth from a small gathering of expat families into an institution of 1,250 students from 70 nations is a testament to the strength of that community bond.

IB Results Above the Global Average

BIS consistently outperforms the global IB Diploma Programme average. The Class of 2024 — the school's largest ever, with 85 DP candidates — achieved an average score of 34.9 points against a world average of approximately 30, representing a gap of nearly five points. The pass rate was 97.6%.

Key headline statistics from the Class of 2024:

• ~18% of graduates scored 40 points or above (maximum 45)
• 44 graduates received their first-choice university offer
• 41–47% earned an IB Bilingual Diploma, reflecting the school's multilingual culture

Where Graduates Go

BIS graduates are accepted at leading universities across Europe, North America, and beyond. Recent university destinations include:

• Germany: Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (LMU), Technische Universität München (TUM)
• United Kingdom: Imperial College London, University College London (UCL), University of Edinburgh, King's College London
• United States: University of California Berkeley, Columbia University, Duke University, New York University (NYU), UC San Diego

All BIS IB graduates automatically qualify for the German Hochschulzugangsberechtigung (university entrance qualification), enabling seamless access to German universities alongside international options.

A Gateway to German University Access

Uniquely for an international school, BIS's IB diploma is formally recognised by the KMK (Conference of German Education Ministers) as equivalent to the German Abitur, removing a significant barrier that many international school graduates face when considering German higher education.

Academic Support Infrastructure

The school's strong outcomes are underpinned by a 7:1 student-to-teacher ratio, a dedicated Learning Support department, and a comprehensive counselling team that addresses academic as well as personal challenges. Class sizes are capped at 24 for Grades 1–10 and 18 for Grades 11–12, enabling genuinely personalised attention.

Diversity by Design

BIS is a school where diversity is not incidental — it is foundational. Students from 70 nationalities and teachers from 29 countries create a daily intercultural exchange that extends well beyond the formal curriculum. Approximately 75% of students come from internationally mobile expatriate families, while around 25% are from local German households, producing a community that bridges worlds.

Language as Community

The school's linguistic landscape is exceptional:

• English is the primary language of instruction across all subjects and year groups
• German is compulsory for all students from Grade 1, taught at levels from beginner to advanced
• Spanish, French, Japanese, and Mandarin Chinese are available as additional foreign languages from Grade 6
• A Home Language Programme supports mother-tongue maintenance in 17 languages, helping students preserve their linguistic heritage during the formative years of international schooling

This commitment to multilingualism directly supports the IB's core ideal of international-mindedness and provides practical linguistic capital for students navigating higher education and careers across borders.

An Expat-First, Inclusive Admissions Policy

BIS was founded explicitly to serve expatriate families relocating to Bavaria. Its admissions priority order — expatriate newcomers first, siblings of current students second, local German families third — reflects that founding mission. Yet the school is non-selective: no entrance exam determines eligibility. This combination of clear community purpose and open-access philosophy creates a welcoming environment for families at all stages of international mobility.

Friends of BIS: Community Beyond the Classroom

The Friends of BIS e.V. association, a parent-driven non-profit, raises funds to support student scholarships and community events. This active parent engagement amplifies the school's international community culture, creating lasting bonds across cohorts and generations of globally mobile families.

Haimhausen: Space, Nature, and History

The main Haimhausen campus sits 15 km north of Munich, on the grounds of the historic Schloss Haimhausen estate. Set amidst forests and a lake, the campus provides a spacious, nature-rich environment that supports outdoor learning, athletics, and a relaxed pace of life. With the Alps visible on clear days and ski slopes within easy reach, students benefit from one of the most distinctive natural backdrops of any European international school.

Facilities at Haimhausen include:

• Sports fields, 100m athletics track, indoor gymnasiums, basketball courts, tennis courts, and a fitness centre
• Dance studios and performing arts spaces
• Science and technology laboratories
• Art and design studios
• A theatre and auditorium
• Libraries and a makerspace
• A cafeteria serving daily hot lunches
• A Creativity & Innovation Centre (CIC) under construction, due to open winter 2026, adding advanced STEAM classrooms and 3D-printing facilities

Munich City Campus: Urban Energy

The City Campus in Schwabing, located on Leopoldstraße, places students in the heart of one of Europe's most cosmopolitan cities. Compact but well-equipped, it houses the Early Childhood Centre and primary classes, with an indoor gymnasium, rooftop terrace, cafeteria, and library. The nearest U-Bahn station (Nordfriedhof, U6) is within walking distance, connecting the school to Munich's cultural and academic life.

Athletics and Outdoor Adventure

BIS's athletic programme takes full advantage of both locations. The school competes in inter-school fixtures across Germany and Europe in football, basketball, volleyball, tennis, track and field, and more. The Alps at the doorstep enable skiing as an extracurricular activity — a genuinely unique offering for an international school. Approximately 80 after-school activities run each term across sports, arts, STEM, and community service.

A School Bus Network Connecting Both Campuses

To serve a widely dispersed community across Greater Munich, BIS operates a school bus network covering routes from the city and surrounding areas to both campuses, with fees calculated according to distance. This infrastructure makes both campuses accessible to families living throughout the region.