Schools in Berlin: British, international and free state options for Brits

You can pay around £14,000 to £16,500 a year for a British-curriculum education in Berlin, or get a bilingual English–German one for nothing at a state school, if you win the lottery for a place.

The short version

• School is compulsory in Berlin from the August after a child turns 6 by 30 September, and state school is free [4].
• The Berlin British School charges EUR 16,900 to EUR 19,800 a year (about £14,100 to £16,500) for 2026/27, plus a EUR 2,750 (about £2,290) registration fee [5].
• The state-run Staatliche Europa-Schulen Berlin teach in English and German at 7 sites, free of charge, with places allocated by lottery when they're oversubscribed [3].
• Registration for state primary school takes place in the October before your child starts; for 2027/28 it ran from 5 to 16 October 2026 [2].
• UK nationals who were living in the EU on 31 December 2020 can usually get home fee status at UK universities for courses starting before 1 January 2028 [7][8].

Pound conversions use the Bank of England spot rate of 5 November 2026 (£1 = EUR 1.2002).

How the Berlin system works

Germany leaves schools to each federal state, so Berlin does things its own way. The FCDO's "Living in Germany" guide notes that the states set the rules and that children generally have to attend school from 6 to 18 [1]. In Berlin, compulsory schooling starts when a child turns 6 by 30 September [4], so a child born in October has nearly a year longer at Kita than their mate born in September.

Berlin primary school (Grundschule) normally runs for six years, longer than in most German states. After that, children move to either an Integrierte Sekundarschule or a Gymnasium, both of which can lead to the Abitur, Germany's answer to A-levels. There's no 11-plus as such, but popular Gymnasien are competitive, and school reports in grade 6 matter.

A few things that will surprise parents from back home in Blighty:

• Short days. Lessons often finish around lunchtime in the early years. Full-day care, called eFöB (the Berlin version of after-school club), can be requested when you register [4].
• No uniforms at state schools, and rarely a school dinner hall in the British sense.
• Welcome classes. Newly arrived children aged 8 and over who don't yet speak German can join Willkommensklassen and other German support [4].
• Catchment rules. You register at your catchment school (Einzugsschule), which you can find through the city's online school finder. Asking for another school means a transfer application [4].

You'll need your Anmeldung (registered address) sorted first. Our guide to registering your address in Berlin explains how.

The British and international schools

The Berlin British School

This is the obvious choice for a family who may head back to the UK. It's an independent, COBIS-accredited school on Dickensweg in Westend, teaching the National Curriculum of England through to IGCSE and the IB Diploma. Its 2026/27 international (Ergänzungsschule) fees are [5]:

• Grades 1 to 5: EUR 16,900 (about £14,100)
• Grades 6 to 8: EUR 18,000 (about £15,000)
• Grades 9 and 10: EUR 18,900 (about £15,750)
• Grades 11 and 12: EUR 19,800 (about £16,500)

On top of that comes a non-refundable registration fee of EUR 2,750 (about £2,290) for all year groups, and exam fees billed separately: EUR 1,625 (about £1,350) for IGCSEs and EUR 2,725 (about £2,270) for the IB [5]. The bilingual stream costs slightly less, gives a 2.5% sibling discount, takes 2% off if you pay the year upfront, and says income-dependent fees can be arranged [6]. Lunch, after-school care, uniform and music lessons are extras [5].

One catch for younger children: the school says it doesn't accept the Kita-Gutschein, Berlin's free childcare voucher, for its early years [5].

International schools more widely

A June 2026 fee survey suggested most of Berlin's international schools charge well into five figures in euros a year, with the IB Diploma years the dearest [10]; ask each school for its current fee schedule. That's well below London day-school prices, but none of it is tax-deductible in the UK. Germany lets parents claim part of some private school fees against tax, so ask a tax adviser who knows both countries. Our guide to German taxes for Brits covers the basics.

Get on lists early. Most international schools take applications year-round, but popular year groups fill up, especially for an August start.

Free and bilingual: the state European schools

Here's Berlin's best-kept secret for British families. The Staatliche Europa-Schulen Berlin (SESB) are ordinary state schools that teach in German and a partner language, and English is one of nine combinations [3]. There are 18 primary and 15 secondary SESB sites in total [3]. The English–German ones are [3]:

• Primary: Charles-Dickens-Grundschule, Quentin-Blake-Grundschule and Galilei-Grundschule
• Secondary: Peter-Ustinov-Schule (an Integrierte Sekundarschule), Schiller-Gymnasium, Dreilinden-Gymnasium and the Hans-Litten-Schule (a vocational Gymnasium)

They're free, and the city says that when there are more applicants than places, "the lottery decides, not the parents' wallet" [3]. Wanting a European school is also a recognised reason to ask for a transfer away from your catchment school [4]. Expect stiff competition for the English–German primaries, so treat them as a hope, not a plan.

Getting a place: the timeline

For a state primary place, Berlin works about 10 months ahead [4]. For children starting in August 2027, the steps were [2][4]:

1. Visit open days at primary schools in your area (the September before).
2. Book the school medical check with the Kinder- und Jugendgesundheitsdienst (KJGD); you get the details when you register [2].
3. Register in person with your child at your catchment school. For 2027/28 the window was 5 to 16 October 2026 [2].
4. Apply for anything extra at the same time: a transfer, full-day care, or a one-year deferral. A deferral request for 2027/28 is due by 26 February 2027 [2].
5. Hear back in the spring, and look out for the Einschulung, the big first-day ceremony with a Schultüte (a giant cone of sweets) in late summer.

Moving mid-year is fine: contact your local Schulamt and, for children over 8 with little German, ask about welcome classes [4]. For private and international schools, apply directly; each sets its own deadlines and assessments.

UK universities from Berlin

This is where many British families in Germany get caught out. Whether your teenager pays home fees in England depends on where they've lived, not just their passport.

• If you were in the EU before Brexit. UK nationals and family members living in the EEA or Switzerland on 31 December 2020, who've lived in the EEA, Switzerland or the UK for the last three years and stayed continuously, are generally eligible for home fee status and student loans for courses starting between 1 August 2021 and 1 January 2028 [7].
• After that window, EU-based British applicants face being treated as international students unless they've lived in the UK for three years before the course [8]. The Local, citing House of Commons Library material, put the gap at £9,790 home fees against £28,400 international fees for one Manchester law course in 2026/27 [8].
• If you moved to Berlin after 2020, the general three-year UK residence rule applies, with some leeway for "temporary absence" (such as a parent posted abroad by a UK employer). Each university decides your fee status, so ask its admissions team early.

UCAS applications work the same from Berlin as from Bristol. The British Council in Germany runs IELTS tests, which matter for a non-British partner but not for your British-schooled children. The fees and funding picture may change, so check with the university before your child applies, and see our guide to UK student loans while living abroad.

Swapping notes on catchment schools and lottery odds with other parents helps. Our community group for Brits in Germany has plenty of them.

Sources

1. GOV.UK (FCDO): Living in Germany (last updated 11 December 2025)
2. Berlin Senate Department for Education: Anmeldung zur Grundschule (page dated 5 November 2026)
3. Berlin Senate Department for Education: Staatliche Europa-Schule Berlin
4. Willkommenszentrum Berlin: Schools
5. Berlin British School: Fees and its EGS fee schedule 2026/27
6. Berlin British School: ESS (bilingual) fee schedule 2026/27
7. House of Commons Library: briefing CBP-10708 on student fees and support
8. The Local Germany: EU-based British students to pay international fees in UK from 2028 (17 July 2026)
9. Berlin Metropolitan School
10. iSchoolAdvisor: International school fees in Berlin, 2026 cost guide (11 June 2026)

Keep reading

• Kita places in Berlin: the Kita-Gutschein
• Cost of living in Berlin vs London and the UK average
• Moving to Berlin as a Brit: visa and residence routes
• Registering a child born abroad and British citizenship by descent