International Schools in Cologne: Two Real Options, Two Different Price Brackets
Cologne's international school market is small but genuinely established, built around two schools that serve a real, ongoing demand from the city's large insurance sector and international corporate community. St. George's, The British International School Cologne, founded in 1985 at Husarenstraße 20, teaches an English curriculum from Early Years through IGCSE and then the IB Diploma Programme for ages 2 to 18, drawing students from more than 51 nationalities. Cologne International School (Internationale Friedensschule Köln, if-koeln.de) runs the full IB continuum, Primary Years Programme through Middle Years and the Diploma Programme, as a genuinely bilingual English-German school, with published 2026/27 fees running from 20,270 euros a year in Primary up to 24,520 euros in the IB Diploma years, plus a 5,750 euro one-time admission fee for a first child. St. George's fee schedule isn't published on its own site; independent aggregators report day fees in the 9,000 to 15,000 euro range, worth confirming directly. Both operate entirely outside Cologne's public Kita and Grundschule systems, a different financial and administrative track altogether.
The Official Rule
Cologne’s international school scene centers on two established, independently operated institutions, both sitting entirely outside the city’s public education system.
St. George’s, The British International School Cologne, founded in 1985 and based at Husarenstraße 20 in Cologne, follows an English curriculum from Early Years through Key Stages and Cambridge IGCSE, then moves into the IB Diploma Programme for Sixth Form, covering ages 2 to 18. The school has been an IB World School since 2006 and draws students from more than 51 nationalities, with families speaking more than 35 languages across the school community.
Cologne International School (Internationale Friedensschule Köln) runs the full IB continuum: the Primary Years Programme through Grade 5, the Middle Years Programme through Grade 10, and the Diploma Programme in Grades 11 and 12. It describes itself as genuinely bilingual, teaching in English and German together, with Spanish, French, or English as an Additional Language available depending on a student’s background.
What Each School Actually Costs
| Year group | Annual fee | Monthly equivalent |
|---|---|---|
| Primary (Grades 1-5) | 20,270 EUR | 1,776 EUR |
| Middle Years (Grades 6-10) | 22,680 EUR | 1,987 EUR |
| Pre-IB (Grade 10) | 22,890 EUR | 2,000 EUR |
| IB Diploma (Grades 11-12) | 24,520 EUR | 2,148 EUR |
On top of these annual fees, Cologne International School’s own tuition page lists a one-time admission cost of 5,750 euros for a first child (a 750 euro application fee plus a 5,000 euro acceptance fee), reduced to 4,750 euros for siblings. IB Diploma exams run an additional 85 euros per subject, across the 6 subjects required for the Diploma itself. Lunch, bus service, and activity fees sit outside this schedule as optional extras.
St. George’s doesn’t publish a fee schedule on its own site. Independent aggregators report day fees roughly in the 9,000 to 15,000 euro a year range, with weekly and full boarding running considerably higher, but this figure comes from third-party school-comparison sites rather than the school’s own published pricing, so treat it as a starting estimate and confirm directly with the school’s admissions office before budgeting.
Photo by Pavel Danilyuk on Pexels
Why the Demand Exists
Cologne’s international school demand connects directly to the city’s large, ongoing international professional community, especially around its insurance sector, one of Germany’s biggest concentrations by employment, and its media and creative industries. Families relocating into those roles are a meaningful share of who ends up weighing St. George’s against Cologne International School. Our dedicated insurance and media career guide covers that sector context and the companies driving it in more depth; this page focuses specifically on the schooling side of that same relocation.
| St. George's | Cologne International School | |
|---|---|---|
| Founded | 1985 | Confirm directly with the school |
| Curriculum | English curriculum, IGCSE, then IB Diploma | Full IB continuum: PYP, MYP, DP |
| Language model | Primarily English-medium | Genuinely bilingual English-German |
| Age range | 2 to 18 | Primary through Grade 12 |
| Published fees | Not on the school's own site | Yes, 20,270 to 24,520 EUR/year (2026/27) |
| Location | Husarenstraße 20, Cologne | if-koeln.de, confirm current campus address |
Step by Step
- Decide which curriculum model fits your family: St. George’s English-then-IB path, or Cologne International School’s fully bilingual, full-IB-continuum approach.
- Request current fees directly from St. George’s admissions office, since no schedule is published on its own site, rather than budgeting off an aggregator’s estimate.
- Review Cologne International School’s published tuition table for your child’s year group, and budget separately for the 5,750 euro (or 4,750 euro sibling) one-time admission cost.
- Start the application process well ahead of your move, both schools run independent admissions and assessment processes outside the city’s public enrollment calendar.
- If your child is younger and your real question is childcare rather than K-12 schooling, see our separate page on bilingual and international Kita options instead, a different system and cost bracket entirely.
Compliance Note
This page summarizes publicly available information about international school options in Cologne, but it is not an endorsement of either school, and fees, admissions criteria, and curriculum details change over time. For your specific situation, confirm current tuition, fees, and admissions requirements directly with each school’s own admissions office.
FAQ & Common Pitfalls
Is Cologne's international school scene actually large enough to matter for our decision?
It's small compared to Frankfurt's finance-driven international school market, but it's genuinely established, not a gap in the market. St. George's has been operating since 1985, is an IB World School, and draws students from more than 51 nationalities, and Cologne International School runs the complete IB continuum from Primary Years through the Diploma Programme as a bilingual English-German institution. Together they cover ages 2 through 18 across two real, ongoing options, which is enough for most families relocating for Cologne's insurance, media, or other international corporate roles, even if it's a shorter list than some larger German cities offer.
What's the actual difference between the two schools?
The clearest differences are curriculum, language model, and how transparent each school is about cost. St. George's follows an English curriculum path, Early Years through Cambridge IGCSE, then the IB Diploma Programme for Sixth Form, and instruction is primarily English-medium. Cologne International School runs the IB's full continuum, PYP in Primary, MYP in Middle Years, and the Diploma Programme in the final two years, and describes itself as genuinely bilingual, teaching in English and German together, with Spanish, French, or English as an Additional Language also available. On cost transparency, Cologne International School publishes its full fee schedule on its own site; St. George's doesn't, so you'd need to enquire directly for current figures.
What does Cologne International School actually cost for 2026/27?
According to the school's own published tuition fees page, Primary (Grades 1-5) runs 20,270 euros a year, Middle Years (Grades 6-10) 22,680 euros, Pre-IB (Grade 10) 22,890 euros, and the IB Diploma years (Grades 11-12) 24,520 euros, each payable annually or in 12 monthly installments. On top of tuition, a first child's admission costs 5,750 euros one time, split into a 750 euro application fee and a 5,000 euro acceptance fee, with a lower 4,750 euro admission fee for siblings. IB Diploma exam fees run an additional 85 euros per subject, and the Diploma requires 6 subjects. None of this includes optional extras like lunch, bus service, or after-school activities.
Why doesn't St. George's publish its fees?
Its own official site doesn't include a public fee schedule and directs prospective families to enquire directly instead. The figures that do circulate come from independent school-comparison aggregators rather than the school itself, roughly 9,000 to 15,000 euros a year for day places, considerably higher for weekly or full boarding, but treat that range as a starting estimate rather than a confirmed number. Given the gap between an aggregator's figure and what a specific admission actually costs, contacting the school's own admissions office directly is worth doing before you budget around any number you find secondhand.
Do these schools connect at all to Cologne's Kita or public school system?
No, and that's worth being clear about before you compare costs across systems. Both St. George's and Cologne International School operate entirely outside Cologne's public childcare and school infrastructure, the KiTa-Portal Köln registration process, the income-based KiBiz Elternbeitrag, and the Grundschule enrollment system tied to the September 30 Stichtag, all covered on our other Cologne family pages, simply don't apply to a private international school admission. Each school runs its own application, assessment, and enrollment process independently, worth starting well ahead of your planned move if a specific intake date matters to your family.
Is this the same as choosing a bilingual Kita for a younger child?
Not quite, and mixing the two up leads to a real underestimate of cost for older children. Our separate page on bilingual and international Kita options in Cologne covers early-years childcare, where a meaningful share of providers are publicly funded and follow the city's standard income-based fee schedule. St. George's and Cologne International School, by contrast, are full K-12 (or close to it) private school tracks with private tuition throughout, a different and generally much larger financial commitment than even a private bilingual Kita, worth planning for as a multi-year decision rather than a single childcare choice.