Cities / Berlin / International Montessori School Berlin
International Montessori School Berlin
A small bilingual German-English Montessori primary on the Wannsee, around 120 children in grades 1 to 6 housed in the historic Landhaus Oppenheim. Open all-day from 7:30 to 18:00 with a feeder Kinderhaus on the same site.
In brief
A small bilingual German-English Montessori primary on the Wannsee, around 120 children in grades 1 to 6 housed in the historic Landhaus Oppenheim. Open all-day from 7:30 to 18:00 with a feeder Kinderhaus on the same site.
IMS works in mixed-age groups using a full set of authentic Montessori materials, with pairs of German and English-speaking guides and small class sizes by Berlin standards. The Wannsee setting is part of the appeal: a leafy lakeside corner of Steglitz-Zehlendorf rather than central Berlin, and a five-minute walk from the S-Bahn.
Parent feedback is largely positive on warmth of staff, depth of the Montessori practice and the children's appetite for school. The honest caveat is that as a small primary with no secondary stage, the school cannot stretch beyond grade 6, so families need a plan for the transition out. Admissions selectivity has also drawn criticism from at least one family declined after trial days, which is worth probing if a child has additional needs.
Fees
One-time fees
| Item | Age | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Administrative Fee | €350 |
Reviews
A small bilingual Montessori primary in the Landhaus Oppenheim, a few minutes from Wannsee S-Bahn. Around 120 children across grades 1 to 6, with two pedagogues in each classroom and German and English running in parallel by immersion. Fees sit at the low end for an English-language school in Berlin. From August 2026 the school is extending into secondary, opening grade 7 on the first floor of the existing building with grades 8 to 10 following year by year, and additional rooms within walking distance planned from 2028. Alexander Delport took over as head in 2024.
Positives
- Bilingual Montessori model. German and English run side by side through immersion rather than as timetabled language lessons, with two trained staff in each classroom. Parents who have seen the model in practice describe children settling well and choosing to carry projects home.
- Setting and scale. The historic Landhaus Oppenheim sits between water and forest at Heckeshorn, with around 120 children across the whole primary. Open all day from 7:30 to 18:00, with the Kinderhaus next door feeding the school from age two.
- Fees relative to Berlin peers. At roughly EUR 7,350 a year the school sits well below the BBIS, Berlin Metropolitan, and JFKS price point for English-language schooling in the city.
Considerations
- Secondary still being built out. Grade 7 launches in August 2026 and the school grows one year at a time toward Abitur. The first secondary cohorts share the primary building until additional rooms come on stream from 2028, and senate approval for the secondary stage was still pending at the time of writing.
- Commute from central Berlin. Heckeshorn is leafy but a long way from Mitte, Prenzlauer Berg, and Friedrichshain. Most families come from Zehlendorf, Steglitz, or Potsdam, and the S1 to Wannsee plus a short walk is the realistic route in.
- Selection and fit. Parents have described the admissions process as careful and the school as keen to see a child in classroom observation before offering a place. Children who need heavy structured intervention may find a 25-pupil mixed-age Montessori room a stretch.
Leadership