Choosing a primary school in Berlin

We could not verify a published social index for Berlin from an official source. That does not prove one does not exist, so treat this as an open question: ask your school authority whether Berlin uses a social index for primary schools, and what it is called. Whatever the answer, the practical question stays the same.

These are the award-winning primary schools we could verify in Berlin with an official source from the award organiser.

• Maria-Leo-Grundschule, Berlin

  Deutscher Schulpreis, 2025 · Hauptpreisträger (main winner)

  Its concept of learning houses instead of classrooms, with self-responsibility, individual support and a level-up system.

  Award organiser’s page

A winner, a finalist and a nominee are not the same claim. Check which one a school received before you read anything into it.

Deutscher SchulpreisJakob Muth-Preis

An award is a useful starting point, not a guarantee of the right fit.

Some primary schools have a particular focus. You may come across bilingual or immersion programmes, where part of the week is taught in another language. Others follow a pedagogical approach such as Montessori, Waldorf or Jenaplan. Some have a music, arts, sports or science profile.

Public and private schools are not the same thing. Most primary schools in Germany are public and free of charge. Private schools, often called Ersatzschulen, charge fees and can set their own admission requirements, such as an interview, a trial day or a certain language level. Check the current fees and the admission process directly with the school, because both can change.

We could not verify named primary schools with a special profile in Berlin from official sources, so we are not listing any. Instead, use the school directory for Berlin below and filter by school type, then check the school’s own website for its profile. For a private school, ask directly about current fees and admission requirements, because both can change.

School directory for Berlin

Not every profile exists in every state, and a school with a profile is not automatically easy to get into. Ask about places, waiting lists and how children are selected.

German is more than one subject on the timetable.

Your child needs German to understand a maths problem, describe an observation and explain an answer. Chatting confidently does not always mean these school-language skills are secure.

Teachers have a word for this: Bildungssprache. It means the language children need to learn and show what they know. It is different from the German of the playground.

Bildungssprache shows up everywhere: in a written instruction in Sachunterricht (primary general studies), in a word problem in maths, in the sentence a child writes to explain a result. It grows through explicit teaching, not simply through time spent in a German-speaking classroom.

In Berlin, the local term is Willkommensklasse. Children with little or no German attend a welcome class (Willkommensklasse) for up to a year to build language skills, while joining regular classes for subjects such as music, art and sport from the start.

Berlin Senate Department for Education (English guide)

So ask how the school teaches it. Look for reading comprehension work, vocabulary building, instructions and explanations, and structured writing, across subjects and not only in German lessons.

Children can develop these skills, and it takes time. It also helps when a school respects and encourages the languages children speak at home, because a strong first language supports learning a second one.

Children normally attend the primary school nearest their home. Admission to another primary school is possible depending on available places. After primary school, parents choose the secondary school.

Then look at the everyday. The journey to school, how often teachers change during the year, what happens when someone is ill, whether there is after-school care and what it costs, how the school communicates with parents, and how children experience the classroom and the playground.

Berlin Senate Department for EducationSenatsverwaltung für Bildung, Jugend und Familie