Französisches Gymnasium Berlin, Berlin | International Schools Guide

Founded in 1689 by Huguenot refugees, this is the oldest gymnasium in Berlin and the oldest French school in the world, run today as a state secondary directly operated by the AEFE. No fees, around 810 students from roughly 50 nations, traditionally regarded as an academic elite school.

The FG covers grades 5 to 12, with a French and German bilingual track preparing pupils for the Abitur, the Baccalauréat or the AbiBac. École Voltaire feeds in directly from primary, which makes the two schools effectively one pathway for francophone families.

Reputation is academically serious and the language outcomes for committed students are strong. The picture from current and former students is mixed on the practical side. Praise centres on intensity and the standard of French teaching, criticism on tired facilities and the immediate Tiergarten environment around the building. Places are limited and the school is selective in practice via the language and academic profile required to keep up.

An unusual animal: Berlin's oldest school, founded by Huguenot refugees in 1689, run today as a state-funded public Gymnasium with French co-management through the AEFE. Around 810 pupils, fifty nationalities, no fees, and five possible leaving certificates including the dual Abibac. Academic results sit at the top of the Berlin table, the language immersion is the real thing rather than a marketing line, and the building in Tiergarten has the wear of a 1970s state school that has been waiting on a proper refurbishment. A new head took over in early 2025 after a turbulent administrative reshuffle at city level.

Considerations

Selective entry. Admission to Klasse 5 or 7 requires the Gymnasium Förderprognose and strong marks in German, mathematics and a foreign language, followed by an Aufnahmegespräch. Places are limited and there is no path in for children who cannot keep up with French-language instruction from the start.
Building and hygiene. The 1974 building shows its age. Roof works and partial fire-protection upgrades have been in the pipeline. Toilet condition and general cleanliness come up repeatedly in pupil and parent comments, and a flooding incident in early 2024 forced part of the school to learn from home for two days.
Dual administration. The bicephalous structure, one German head and one French proviseur answering to two ministries, is part of what makes the school distinctive and part of what makes it bureaucratically slow. Exam logistics, grading conventions and timetables sit across two systems that do not always line up.
Leadership transition. Nikola Dzembritzki took over the German headship in early 2025 after a high-profile reshuffle between Berlin schools that the Tagesspiegel covered closely. Too early to read the new tone, but the changeover itself was abrupt and parents were informed late.

Academic results. Consistently one of the strongest Abitur averages in Berlin, with 2023 reported around 1.53. Pupils can leave with the French Baccalauréat, the German Abitur, the Abibac dual diploma, the Brevet and the MSA.

Bilingual French immersion. Intensive French from Klasse 5, taught by a staff that is roughly half French and half German. Pupils who arrive with little French routinely come out genuinely bilingual by the upper school.

Mixed Franco-German community. Roughly a third Franco-German, a third francophone, a fifth German, a fifth other nationalities. The mix is woven into daily life rather than a Tuesday-morning culture slot, and the school sits closer to a small European community than a typical Berlin Gymnasium.

State-funded, no fees. A genuine rarity in the AEFE network: a French lycée abroad that costs nothing because it runs as a Berlin public school. The Berlin Senate covers the building and half the staff; France pays the rest through the AEFE.

Fr. Nikola Dzembritzki