The German curriculum in Warsaw
Warsaw is a one school market for the full German national curriculum. The Willy-Brandt-Schule, formally the Deutsche Schule Warschau, is the official Auslandsschule of Warsaw and the only school in Poland offering the Deutsches Internationales Abitur. The school runs the full programme from kindergarten through to the Abitur, with around 480 pupils on roll across kindergarten to Jahrgangsstufe 12. It serves the German diplomatic and consular community, the senior corporate posting community across the manufacturing, automotive, retail and professional services sectors, and a stable Polish family contingent looking for the German language pathway.
A small number of Polish public schools run the German Sprachdiplom (DSD) bilingual stream, leading to the Polish Matura with German bilingual recognition. The most established DSD partner schools sit in Mokotow and Wilanow. The Sprachdiplom is recognised by German universities for direct entry on German language proficiency, but the curriculum framework is Polish rather than German. Families considering the German pathway in Warsaw therefore face a clear choice between the full Abitur route at the Willy-Brandt-Schule and the bilingual Matura plus DSD route at a Polish public school, with the trade off being fee level versus full Abitur recognition.
Fees and federal subsidies
The Willy-Brandt-Schule charges PLN 20,000 to PLN 30,000 per year depending on grade level, the lowest published tuition fee among the curriculum specific international schools in Warsaw. The school is subsidised directly by the German Federal Foreign Office under the Auslandsschulgesetz, which covers salaries for the German seconded teaching staff and a meaningful share of operating costs. This keeps tuition materially below the British and American premium tier at PLN 65,000 to PLN 110,000 and below the IB mid tier providers.
A one off registration fee of around PLN 2,000 applies to new families. The school does not charge a building or capital levy. Transport is available through a contracted operator at PLN 6,000 to PLN 10,000 a year, with structured morning and afternoon routes across Mokotow, Wilanow, Konstancin and the central districts. Materials and exam entry costs for the Abitur are included in tuition. For the full picture across the city see our Warsaw international school fees explainer and the broader German curriculum overview.
Choosing between Abitur and IB in Warsaw?
Take our 5 minute school finder quiz. We shortlist Warsaw schools based on your child’s grade, German language background and target university destinations. Free, no obligation.
The school in focus
The section below describes the single full German curriculum provider in Warsaw rather than offering a comparative ranking.
Willy-Brandt-Schule (Deutsche Schule Warschau) sits on a single campus in Mokotow, in a purpose built site combining a kindergarten wing, primary stage and the senior Gymnasium. Around 480 pupils on roll, with class sizes of 16 to 22 in primary and 18 to 24 in the Gymnasium. The school is bilingual at the early years stage, with German language instruction increasing through the primary years and full German immersion from grade 5. English is taught as a second language from grade 3, and Polish from grade 1.
Senior outcomes are strong. The school posts an Abitur pass rate of close to 100 per cent across recent cohorts, with a notional grade average between 2.0 and 2.4 on the German 1.0 to 6.0 scale, broadly equivalent to a UK A Level offer profile of A and A star at the top end. Leavers head primarily to German universities (LMU Munich, Humboldt Berlin, Heidelberg, TU Munich), Austrian and Swiss German speaking universities, the Dutch research universities, the University of Warsaw and a smaller number of UK Russell Group destinations.
Where German families live
German families in Warsaw cluster in three areas shaped by the school’s Mokotow location and the wider expatriate geography. Mokotow, particularly upper Mokotow and Sluzewiec, hosts the largest German family contingent. Modern apartment stock, walking distance or a short tram ride to the Willy-Brandt-Schule, direct access to the M1 metro line and a strong German speaking neighbourhood network. The Goethe Institut and several German speaking cultural organisations are centred in this part of the city.
Wilanow, to the south, hosts a meaningful German family cluster, particularly senior corporate posting families with younger children looking for newer family housing stock and gardens. The school runs a structured bus service from Wilanow with a 25 to 30 minute morning run. Konstancin Jeziorna, the southern villa belt, hosts a smaller German family group, primarily senior diplomatic and corporate postings sharing the Konstancin community with American School of Warsaw families. The school bus serves Konstancin on a single morning and afternoon run.
Admissions calendar
The Willy-Brandt-Schule opens applications in November for the following September start, with priority allocations confirmed in February and a rolling waitlist running through the spring. Priority is given to German nationals, transfers from the Auslandsschulen network and pupils with established German language proficiency. The school runs a placement assessment for pupils joining the Gymnasium from non German schools, focused on German language proficiency, mathematics and the relevant Hauptfach curriculum alignment.
Mid year entry is possible at most year groups except Jahrgangsstufe 11 and 12, which represent the qualifying Abitur years and are formally closed to new entries after the start of grade 11. The most over subscribed entry points are kindergarten and grade 5 (the start of the German Gymnasium phase), where waitlists at the most popular dates can extend up to twelve months. For relocation context see our moving to Warsaw with children guide and the broader Warsaw international schools overview.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a German school in Warsaw?
Yes. The Willy-Brandt-Schule, also known as the Deutsche Schule Warschau, is the official German curriculum school of Warsaw. It runs the full German programme from kindergarten through to the Deutsches Internationales Abitur and is part of the Auslandsschulen network coordinated by the Zentralstelle fuer das Auslandsschulwesen.
Does the Willy-Brandt-Schule offer the Abitur?
Yes. The school runs the Deutsches Internationales Abitur (DIA), the international variant of the Abitur sat under German federal exam conditions. Pupils can also choose the Polish Matura with the bilingual mark, but the Abitur is the school’s primary senior pathway with around 90 per cent of senior pupils choosing it.
How much does the German school in Warsaw cost?
The Willy-Brandt-Schule charges PLN 20,000 to PLN 30,000 per year depending on grade level, with materially lower costs than the British and American premium tier in Warsaw. A one off registration fee of around PLN 2,000 applies to new families. The German Federal Foreign Office subsidises the school directly, which keeps fees stable across years.
Is the Abitur recognised at Polish and UK universities?
Yes. The Deutsches Internationales Abitur is fully recognised by the University of Warsaw, the Warsaw School of Economics, the Jagiellonian University and the wider Polish public university system. UCAS tariff translation gives the Abitur strong recognition across the UK Russell Group, with similar acceptance across the Dutch research universities and the European Union more broadly.
When do German school applications open in Warsaw?
The Willy-Brandt-Schule opens applications in November for the following September start, with priority allocations confirmed in February and a rolling waitlist running through the spring. Mid year entry is possible at most year groups except the final two Abitur years, subject to space and a German language placement assessment.
