Language & Bilingual Schools

For Kita, no. Children learn language through play and immersion. Most Kitas are happy to enroll non-German-speaking children. For Grundschule, Willkommensklassen exist specifically for children new to German. For secondary school, German language support varies more by school.

Berlin has state-funded and private bilingual schools in several language combinations. The most common are English-German (e.g. JFK School, BKCS, various state bilingual Gymnasien), French-German (e.g. Lycée français, some state schools), and Spanish, Italian, and other languages at a smaller number of schools. Some are fully bilingual from Kita through Abitur. Spielwiese flags bilingual options in the Kita directory.

The John F. Kennedy School in Zehlendorf is a publicly funded German-American school offering education from Grundschule through Abitur in both German and English. It is particularly popular with American and English-speaking families. Admission is competitive and based on language proficiency and available places. There is no tuition fee as it is state-funded.

The European School Berlin is a state-funded school primarily for children of EU institution employees, but places are available to others where capacity allows. It offers a multilingual curriculum and leads to the European Baccalaureate. There are several sections (French, German, English, etc.).

Willkommensklassen at primary level, DaZ (Deutsch als Zweitsprache) support within regular classes, and in some schools dedicated language coaches. Quality and availability varies significantly. Ask the school directly what language integration support they provide before enrolling.