The East Bay German International School (EBGIS) is a dual-language immersion IB World School offering preschool through high school programs. The highly trained international faculty at EBGIS provides a rigorous, project-based program based on proven German and International Baccalaureate (IB) curricula and literature-rich English Language Arts instruction. EBGIS is an IB World School offering the prestigious IB Diploma Programme in grades 11 and 12. EBGIS students develop their strengths across academic disciplines as well as their critical thinking skills, social-emotional competencies, and artistic abilities. Averaging just twelve students per class in its grades program, EBGIS is truly “small by design,” allowing teachers to engage and support each student based on his or her unique needs.
The spacious and centrally located campus features large classrooms, dedicated spaces for music, art, and sciences, two bilingual libraries, an auditorium, athletic fields, and ample indoor and outdoor play space.
The EBGIS Early Childhood Program employs a play-based and project-oriented approach widely used in Germany. The bilingual preschool and kindergarten faculty use early immersion principles to expand children’s communicative competencies in both German and English. In-class projects are developed by an interdisciplinary team based on seasonal rhythms and students’ interests. A pre-academic curriculum including language, intercultural studies, science, mathematics, music, movement, and art is taught in an engaging and developmentally appropriate way. Social and emotional skills development infuses every school day.
A key feature of the EBGIS grades program is the early introduction of advanced topics such as biology, chemistry, physics, and ethics, which students begin taking as early as the fifth grade. The curriculum also employs a unique spiral sequence in which recurring topics are presented in ever-increasing detail and complexity, helping students to grasp connections between topics as they deepen their understanding. EBGIS is also among the first schools anywhere to include coursework in Global Citizenship based on UNESCO global education standards.
EBGIS has met the high standards required for IB authorization and is an official IB World School. All EBGIS eleventh and twelfth graders will enter the IB Diploma Programme (DP). Often referred to as the “gold standard” in high school education, the IB provides a rigorous and holistic program developing inquiring, knowledgeable, and caring young people. The DP is internationally recognized as representing one of the highest standards in university preparatory education. More than 1,000 colleges and universities in North America have recognition policies on how they weigh the DP in admissions, advanced standing, college credit, and scholarships.
EBGIS high schoolers will graduate with not only the standard IB Diploma, but the Bilingual IB Diploma. The bilingual diploma is a distinction awarded to just a quarter of IB Diploma candidates worldwide. It demonstrates that, in addition to having the tremendous breadth and depth of knowledge required by the IB, the student has successfully completed high-level coursework in two languages.
EBGIS students also consistently receive outstanding marks in the Deutsches Sprachdiplom — Germany’s official language fluency test — qualifying for admission to Germany’s excellent university system.
No prior knowledge of German is needed for admission to EBGIS Preschool or Kindergarten. EBGIS Early Childhood students acquire German at school and transition successfully to the EBGIS grades program. The EBGIS IB Diploma Programme is also open to students who do not speak German. Students may transfer to EBGIS to reap the benefits of the IB Diploma Programme offered in the eleventh and twelfth grades. Incoming students select either Spanish or French courses to fulfill their second language requirement for the IB diploma. Students entering the elementary and middle school program need some German but need not be fluent. Students joining those programs receive individualized language support according to their needs.
Online information sessions and campus tours are available. Please contact [email protected].