This school is a mess. The teachers seem to be superstressed over micromanaging and spying in their Job they doing. The Management is trying to put a good face in issues that get Out of hand like kids that are uncoachable. Teachers are with empty hands. All that matters is making money with parents income and they don't really learn german. They Just want your Money and lie in your face read more

Our child has been at GISC for almost two years and we love the school, its staff, and the community. It's a warm and inviting environment for children and we would recommend it to other families in Chicago seeking an international setting and wanting to offer bilingual education for their children. read more

We have been at this school for a couple of years now. Overall, the experience has been good. Learning the German language is spot on as most lessons are conducted in the targeted language. Ordnung or "set of rules" are taught and observed. There is a fair bit of screen time being conducted here e.g. tests / learning / educational games which is not something we prefer. Academia & Homework The academia is challenging enough and there are much higher expectations here than e.g. Chicago Public Schools. There is also daily homework in grade school ranging from 30min to 1h, which is a plus for self driven students and a minus for students who need a lot more help from parents. Campus & Facilities The old school campus had a small outdoor play area but the current campus has a sizeable one that kids can freely run/climb/ kick a ball around. The school purchased this campus not too long ago and revamped it so it's relatively new. The library has a good selection of English and German books to read from. Teachers The quality of teachers has been a hit and miss. The turnover rate of teachers at this school appears to be quite high. There are amazing teachers who are caring, communicative, firm and efficient such as Herr Rahnefeld-Kratsch, Herr Liesner, Frau Eddelbüttel and Frau Polanski. There are also teachers who seemed to be very green when dealing with kids. One teacher in particular Frau Koch is quite disorganized, very liberal, and has strong political views which are passed onto the students. COVID & Administration COVID precautions has been impeccable. The school administration has impressed with the way they handled the switch from in-person to home learning and back to in-person school. The school is also small enough to segregate students on each storey according to their grade level. Frau Tacke is very prompt to respond to queries and the go to for all before/after school activities. Frau Trockenbrodt is wonder woman - truly the know it all and the resident nurse. read more

What a wonderful school! My daughter has been attending since she was 3 years old and she is a 7th grader now. Every year, we've had great, engaged, motivated teachers, and the small class sizes mean that she has always been able to get individual attention and assignments tailored to her skill level - you simply can't get that at larger schools. The parent community is tight and there are many great events that take place (Oktoberfest being my personal favorite). I highly recommend GISC to everyone, regardless of whether you're a German speaker or not. read more

If I could only review the teachers in my child's class, I would give the school a much higher rating. However, since I pulled my child in the middle of the academic year, the teachers are not the only aspect of an educational experience. As I began my school hunt for my preschooler, I was incredibly excited to find a GISC. As my daughter has been immersed in German, from growing up in Switzerland, I really wanted her to be able to keep up with the language. The school seemed very well kept and on the rise. Some things were a bit disorganized but to be expected since the school lost their previous Director and had a change in personnel. Our problem arose with the handling of a couple instances of bullying/sexual harassment. One boy, in particular, kept going after our daughter to pull down her pants or push her. The boy fully admitted to engaging in such behavior, on more than one occasion. The school's answer to the situation was to hold a meeting with the parents, in which the parent of the boy yelled at me and told me I was being too sensitive and was raising my daughter to make unnecessary complaints and that her sons highly inappropriate behavior was perfectly normal and acceptable. The school also said that my daughter could switch preschool groups if it made us feel better. The school's answer is for my child to have to alter and uproot her routine because they don't feel it appropriate to remove the OFFENDING child from the classroom, which is classic victim shaming. When I told the Director that instead of altering my child's routine, we were going to withdraw her from the school at the end of the term (due to prepaid tuition), she seemed genuinely shocked. My advice, if you have a female child do NOT, under any circumstances send your child to this school. The school allowed the offending child's parent to yell at me for taking my daughter's complaints seriously and they then tried to victim shame by having my daughter alter her routine so she is no longer harassed. The Director even went so far as to say something along the lines of giving my child some tools and tips to prevent the harassment in the future. So, the responsibility is on the VICTIM to prevent their harassment... We wanted to immediately withdraw our child from the school but felt like we should give the school the opportunity to make things right. The offending child continued to bully our child and we felt any further complaints would fall upon deaf ears. We, as a family, withdrew interest and participation in school events and functions. We felt very foolish because we had told several of our Swiss German expat families about the school prior to the incidents and several had made plans to reach out and enroll in the 2017-18 school year when their US expat assignments begin. Thankfully, we shared our experience in enough time and now several will be attending either Lycee or Parker. In any event, I am genuinely saddened we had to leave this school. I felt it had potential. However, as a former professional educational fundraiser, I have seen a lot of "behind the curtain" actions from school administrators and this, by far, has left a really sour note. read more

My daughters have been going to GISC for several years, and we couldn't be happier. We're a bilingual household and really wanted our little ones to learn both languages, but like most bilingual kids ours fairly quickly settled on the dominant language exclusively. Then they started German School, and both girls began speaking fluent German in full sentences within the first few weeks. More importantly, they are happy, content, safe, and supported at the school. Some of our faves about GISC: - The school is small, meaning our kids are in groups of around 15-18 children and know pretty much every other kid, even across the grades. They are comfortable interacting with children of varying ages and with the teachers, which is a huge pro for me. The environment is warm and welcoming, and our little preschooler in particular can still get snuggles whenever she likes. - The kids do great academically. I say this with the caveat that I totally think we push children academically at way too young of an age, so I was looking for faults here. But I have to say that so far at least my first grader has shown no signs of being pushed too hard. She absolutely loves reading in both languages, and I very much credit the school with that. The preschool is still largely play-based in the mornings but offers the older preschoolers access to learning and academic content in the afternoon, and that's allowed our almost five year old to slowly get ready for kindergarten. - GISC has just started moving to an IB primary school curriculum, and so far we're loving what we've seen. The girls come home with fascinating questions about why things are the way they are, and more to the point, they have begun asking themselves these questions and are confident in their own ability to explore answers. I love this, although I could probably do without being asked "Why?"38456645 times a day. Making my kids feel capable has been the best thing that the school has brought into our family to date. - The new director is active, engaged, engaging, and just awesome. - Last but not least: We love the other parents. :) And if you've ever sat through an interminable PTA meeting you know how important that is. People are engaged in the school without being too insane about it, and the resulting social scene is especially important when you're an expat. Not to mention access to other families' goulash recipe. Wir lieben GISC! read more

We moved to Chicago in May 2015 a big international move for our family. As an American, I was returning "home", my husband living abroad and our daughter age 5 transitioning to a very different American school in her native German language. She speaks both languages fluently, but is very shy, so academically the move was ok, but socially hard. A note, American schools in general are more structured than German kindergartens and elementary schools do not start until age 6. Luckily our daughter quickly met her best friend the first day, and this made life easier. The transition was difficult, but the caring "village" definitely made this easier than any move to a large private school or a public school. The class sizes are small and you have a personal relationship with the teachers, assistants and even Director (i.e. principal). The children are taught to be independent even in the preschool! While this means things are often forgotten, misplaced, they are returned the next day. My daughter started kindergarten this year and she is reading in both languages, loves exploring and conducting science experiments (with a hypothesis, testing and drawing her findings), music and gym everyday and learning her independence! She is exhausted when she comes home, but loves returning each day! The teachers are really engaged and enthusiastic and motivated by the children. If I have had a concern, there is a personal reply from teachers or administration within hours. They work with each parent and child to find an individual solution since there are no "cookie cutters". Honestly, the only negative is the small older building, especially the limited outdoor space. Still the school really makes the most of it. On nice days, there is also always a few moms heading to Chase Park after class lets out for a play date. Regarding a "village", the school community is strong and there are no one stays an outsider. I was quickly in contacts with other moms, from many countries, and enjoy the events, volunteering, after school activities and also private dates with new found friends. For those arriving from abroad, do not let the exterior of the building scare you! Please come in and find out! We, foremost our daughter, but our entire family are really satisfied and happy. We will be sad when it is time to leave. read more

As parents we spend countless hours (and sometimes years) searching to find an elementary school where we know our precious children will be safe, loved, happy and intellectually challenged each day. In my case, the search to find this school started when my daughter was born in the fall of 2008 and I became a stay-at-home dad. From the start of our search, my wife and I were doubtful we would come across a school that would meet all of our expectations. The reason we were so pessimistic was because my wife and I are both elementary school teachers. We know first hand how hard teachers, administration and staff need to work to make each child in the school feel safe, loved, happy and challenged every single day from the minute the students walk into school until the time the students walk out. Then one day in the fall of 2009, I visited the playgroup at German International School Chicago (GISC) with my daughter just to get a peek inside the school. After two more years of attending the playgroup at GISC, asking a lot of questions, reading a lot of research about the benefits of brain development in bilingual children, and continuing to visit numerous other schools around Chicago, it was crystal clear to me that GISC was the dream school I had been searching for years for my daughter. As soon as my daughter was eligible to attend GISC, in the fall of 2011, I enrolled her. It is now 2017 and the German International School Chicago still continues to meet the four criteria we all want for our children and they continue to exceed my expectations. The only difference now is that I have two daughters that are enrolled into GISC and both of them speak German fluently. My daughters' lives right now could not be any better off educationally, emotionally and developmentally. I owe it all to the GISC teachers, staff, parents, community members and the truly amazing director at GISC, Frau Obritzberger. Thank you so much GISC! My family and I are looking forward to the very bright future ahead at GISC. read more

Are you a parent looking for an enriching, supportive private school that is reasonably priced? Are you searching for an environment where the staff and parents work together to continually improve the children's education? Are you worried about class size, curriculum, and preparing your child for life in this global economy? If you answered yes, then this school is for you and your child! My husband and I are Americans with very minimal German language skills. We researched bilingual programs, as a second language is a gift that we cannot give to our girls, but we were faced with either very expensive tuitions or a lottery system with no guarantees. We found out about the German International School of Chicago (GISC) from a bumper sticker and immediately contacted the school. Making that call was single-handedly the best decision for our children and our lives. How dedicated are we to this school (even with some of the growing pains of a new-ish school)? After only one month of our then 4-year old beginning the Pre-school program, we sold our home in Evanston and moved one mile from the school. At this point in time (January 2016), our older daughter is now a first grader and completely fluent in German. Our younger child started this year and is singing songs and playing in German. The academics are rigorous but engaging. The teachers and admin are supportive and available for parents at any time. Is the playground small? Yes it is - but have you seen Chase Park nearby? We cannot say enough positive things about the school. German and American heritage/culture is celebrated and enjoyed by all children. Parents get together for traditional German festivities, but German skills are not required. Everyone is welcomed. PLEASE don't take our word for it - go to the GISC homepage and look into taking a tour. You will be met by lovely people and globally minded children looking to make a difference in the world, in either language. read more

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We are halfway into our first year at GISC (what we in the US call kindergarten- Vorschule in German) and the school has exceeded our high expectations. Our daughter entered kindergarten without knowing German and we do not speak German at home, but now she comes home with entire German sentences. Our daughter's teacher is supportive, compassionate, and makes learning fun. The school supports the child as a unique individual. In choosing a school, we wanted our daughter to have the numerous brain benefits of a bilingual education. GISC was the best fit for our family and also the most affordable choice in the city. The administrators truly listen to the families. There is a morning bus route, regular field trips, a wide variety of quality after school activities and excellent parent-teacher and administrator-parent communication. GISC is a great school! read more

My husband, my two sons (age 6 and 4) and me moved from Germany to Chicago about one and a half years ago. We were very happy as we found out, that there is a German International School here in Chicago. There are two main reasons, why we chose GISC for our two boys. First of all we wanted to make the transition for our boys as easy and stressless as possible. Moving is already exciting enough, but moving to a place where you don't understand the others is even more challenging. My husband and me wanted our kids, who didn't speak english yet, to at least be able to talk to their teachers and classmates and to be understood and to understand. Second we wanted to especially give our older son the basics of German reading and writing and wanted to have a curriculum in the style of the curriculum taught in german elementary schools. We found all this, but even more at GISC. Actually you can't really compare GISC to a normal german elementary school. As it is a private school, with by the way reasonable tuitions, the sizes of the classes are much smaller and so the teaching is individually aligned to the kids skills. My older son for example could profit of an one to one English lesson every other week, until he caught up with the other kids. Now he is fluent in English, too. The school gives the kids a creative environment, where they are not only taught things, but where they are encouraged to explore stuff and develop their own skills. The preschool as well is a bit different compared to the german "Kindergarten". Kids do a lot of free play, as common in german preschools, too, but they also have project works, where they already learn specific things, e.g about biology (how a caterpillar becomes a butterfly), history (who lived on earth before humans were there - everything about dinosaurs) and many more things. Regular Field Trips, mostly related to recently learned topics are offered, too. Both my boys like to go to GISC very much and their social contacts formed much quicker than it probably would have been possible at a "normal" american school. Not only my boys profited from this great community at GISC, but also my husband and espescially me. We both found new acquaintanceship very quick, as there are so many things offered by the school. The school's Parent Organisation is very active in bringing parents together. Every other week takes place a parent coffee meet, where parents have the chance to get to know each other. There are "Lady's nights" organized regularly, which is a lot of fun for all the mums, but also the dad's have their regular events. And with events like "Oktoberfest", Laternenfest or the annual Spring Gala the whole GISC community comes together to spend some fun time together. We are all more than happy, that we found this school and are a part of this amazing community. read more

My daughter attends GISC and we are really happy with our experience there. There are so many great things about the school. First, the most obvious is the language. We don't have any German speakers in our family (I speak a little "caveman German"), but that hasn't hindered our daughter's experience. She was proficient in weeks and fluent in a few short months. I love that she will be bilingual, with all the documented benefits that come with it. Second, the education is fabulous. The classes are small and my daughter gets attention she wouldn't get elsewhere. Third, the GISC community is a wonderful group of families and we enjoy the opportunity to celebrate our German heritage. It's a wonderful place to send your kids!! read more

My daughter is in the second year of preschool at the German school and we couldn't be happier. I am a native German speaker and my husband is American but while I tried to speak German to her at home, I mostly spoke English. So when she started preschool at three years old, she could understand some German but really only say a few words in German. 1.5 years later she is fluent in German and learning to read and write in both German and English. Apart from that the German school is a very personal and friendly school with lots of parent involvement (if you wish to be involved). The kids spend a lot of time outside which I love. In preschool, kids get to decide how much they want to learn or if they'd rather play. If your child is academically inclined, they will definitely nurture this though. They do fun little science projects, field trips, learn different songs and dances. Most of all the teachers are just wonderful. I couldn't recommend the German school more! read more

It has been a wonderful preschool and now elementary school for my two daughters, with the perfect mix of academic and social development throughout. But I've been equally impressed with the community of wonderful families! It's so great to have a huge group of similarly internationally-minded parents for my wife and I to spend so much time with. I couldn't be more effusive in my praise of and encouragement to prospective parents about this school. read more

We have been at the school for over two years. My experience is limited to the preschool. That experience has been exceptional. The staff, director, and board of trustees, teachers and parents are so committed to this very special school. And it is just that - a very special school. Beyond a top notch education, a bilingual education, personal attention, and small classes, German International School Chicago provides an amazing community for the children and the parents. The families are smart, hard-working, loving, nurturing, caring, international-minded, compassionate, interesting and genuine. It's actually amazing how much in common there is among the families, despite them coming from all over the world and speaking different languages. I know my children are safe and very cared for if ever under the supervision of other families. (And I am not a particularly trusting person, especially when it comes to my children.) With respect to the international community and bilingual education - it is so neat! My Chicago born and raised 5-year old child (raised in an English-speaking household) is fluent in German now and is translating for new students just learning German. Also, my child's best friend is a German native speaker. As a result of their close friendship, they each learned the other's language better and more quickly than they may have otherwise. This is really a great school, where you learn both English and German, as well as other languages. For people who do not have a particular connection to German, keep in mind that German is spoken in Austria, Germany, and Switzerland, and that Germany has the largest economy in Europe. Further, it just happens to be the primary language used in the school. So many families also speak Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, and other languages. Many of the children are actually trilingual, and that is before they start to formally study French in school (3rd grade, I believe). I have read the two negative reviews on here and while I don't have them in front of me while I write my own review, their experiences differ so much from my own and from those experiences of others I know. Honestly, I can't believe they are talking about the same school! They just don't sound right. I do note that one reviewer was only at the school for a couple of days. So it doesn't seem like they gave the school much of a chance. The other person didn't say how long they were at the school. That being said, everyone is very protective of their children and will have strong feelings about things relating to their children. I hope they found a better fit elsewhere. Meanwhile, I know this is definitely the school for my family and I hope that my children will graduate high school from German International School Chicago with an IB diploma. read more

Our son attended the German International School in Chicago for 2 days and we knew very quickly that our approach to education diverges too much from the school's in order to continue there. I understand that some parents might share the school's values and setup, and I am only sharing my own observations and experiences here. This review applies in particular to the preschool context in the school. I am German and live in North America; when we decided to come to Chicago for 1 year, I was truly excited about the prospect of sending our child to the German International School! It seemed to be a wonderful opportunity for us since we are a multilingual family who lives in North America. My son is fluent in German and I thought this would be a great way to connect with the German community in Chicago and give him some "German culture" while continuing to strengthen his language. Because the school is run by Germans, claims to use Montessori based approaches, and is in the price range of good independent schools, I trusted that it must be a good school. Let me be clear about what were the reasons that motivated us to immediately take him out of this preschool (though I was very motivated to make it work), and look for a different school: PHILOSOPHY & PARENT-SCHOOL-PARTNERSHIP: - there is no gradual entry for preschool children. At the age of 3, children are immediately expected to stay at school all day. Parents were only allowed to stay for 15 minutes on day 1, afterwards they were forced to leave right away after drop off ("curb-side drop off" at the street is even more welcome). This is developmentally absolutely inappropriate, and does not help the children feel safe and transition well. The school, as a consequence, had to deal with groups of emotionally overwhelmed children who could not cope. The educators were not able to support/console so many overwhelmed children at the same time, and there was simply chaos while parents were kicked out. Several moms told me that their (potty trained) children wetted 4 sets of clothes daily for the first 2 days because they were so stressed. The school did not consider this to be a reason to inform the parents to pick up their child early, or to adjust their plans of how to have children enter the school system. The school did not take the children's emotions seriously! - forming nurturing, caring relationships with children is not a priority in this school (it should be!) - The educators literally kicked parents out of the room and said "no, you cannot help your child, you cannot stay for another 10 minutes, it's not allowed" - The family is clearly not part of this school system. The principal with whom I had a lengthy talk said to me "This is school and you as parents are hindering your child! Once you leave, your child will get over it quickly and in 3 weeks they won't be screaming anymore; they won't remember" --- I am still digesting those words. No acknowledgment, no empathy, no interest in connecting. - The focus is on academics rather than play-based learning. Children get to exercise their left area of their brain intensely, but the fantasy, imagination, creativity, free play, exploration comes way too short (if it exists at all). The work material isn't impressive either for the tuition you pay - Preschoolers need to develop their social and emotional skills in order to thrive and succeed in and outside of school (cooperation, communication, decision making, etc.); there was no attention given to those crucial areas of development SPACE: - hardly any outside space: the "playground" is a euphemism; it's tiny and does not give children quality outside time. The building was originally not designed to be a school - this becomes clear in many parts of the space (gloomy rooms, no windows in some classrooms) I think the school would benefit from new and strong leadership who has a clear philosophy, a clear concept for the school, and a more timely understanding of education and child development. * * * read more

My daughter started GSC when she was not even three years old. We had to find an option for her in the fall, but due to her birth date, she was not able to start Pre-K in public schools. We were seeking a safe, warm and friendly environment where she could play and make friends--what we got was so much more. My husband is from Germany, and was skeptical whether his speaking German was enough for our daughter to pick up the language. But in just a few months at the school, she was having full conversations with him in German. More importantly, she has fun every day. She loves her classmates and her teacher. And she's learning so much. Every week, there is a well-planned out themed curriculum. Much more than we expected for Pre-K. But to her, it's just fun. This is the best any parent could hope for, to start your child out with a love of school and learning. The families are a mix of cultures, mostly of mixed cultural backgrounds. Some speak German, some do not, which makes it comfortable and easy for me. For my husband, it's wonderful to connect with others with German in their history. Our daughter is moving into her third year at GSC, now entering Kindergarten, and we're excited to help the school grow and flourish. read more

Hi, our son Benjamin might be joining the GISC this fall. He is currently being brought up bilingual (German and Spanish). Our dilemma is that by sending him to GISC, that he will not learn English. Can anybody in this group let me know if we are panicking or whether this could be a valid concern? We are expats that change countries Ina regular basis, so it is important for us that he learns English given that we will be here for another 2 years once he starts....any views? read more

We also have had the most amazing experience at the German School Chicago. I am from Munich and was so happy that our youngest daughter could join GSC when it opened its doors in 2009. I send her primarily because of the German Immersion but received so much more...their method of teaching (Montessori) enabled her to start actively reading at 5 and loving the learning experience to no end. I am so glad that the school is growing and is now offering first through third grade! If you are looking for a school that will not only give your child another language but a real sense of community and love of learning, visit GSC and enroll your kid :) read more

Very Happy with the German School Chicago: We have a four year old daughter who started at the German School Chicago in September 2010. Every morning she is keen to get to school and she quickly became fluent in German. All of the staff are warm, caring and professional and the parents too are proactive and keen to create an outstanding educational institute. We are also very pleased that the school runs on Montessori principles. The achievements to date by the School's Board and founders are particularly admirable since the German School Chicago only opened its doors in September 2009 - it is very odd that such a major US city with a long history of German immigration and large German community does not already have a well established German school! In any case, this dereliction by the local German community is now being addressed and we look forward to the school expanding into 3rd, 4th and subsequent Grades in the years ahead. We highly recommend the German School Chicago to anyone interested in having their children educated in a cultured, internationally-oriented, German environment. read more