Obermenzinger Gymnasium

In Brief

Worth a serious look if you want a proper bilingual Abitur school on the west side of Munich with small classes and a genuine community feel - but check the admission requirements for your child's current grade and language level before applying.

Obermenzinger Gymnasium sits in Obermenzing, a quiet western residential district about 15 minutes by S-Bahn from Munich Hauptbahnhof. It is a small private school - around 340 pupils from Grade 5 through to Abitur - that has offered bilingual German-English instruction since 2013. Each class has two adults in the room: a subject teacher and a dedicated teaching assistant who stays with the class across subjects, which is unusual for a German Gymnasium and gives students a named point of contact every day. Both the economic-focused (WWG) and language-focused (SG) Abitur branches are offered, plus ABIplus, which lets students earn a vocational qualification alongside the Abitur.

Class sizes cap at 24 with an average of 22, and a daily study hall period is built into the timetable - students can complete homework on site before going home. The school has an on-site team of psychologists, a canteen with two chefs, and a range of clubs including robotics, drama and golf. About a third of students in the bilingual track are international; the other two thirds are predominantly local German families who have spent time abroad. The school has been part of the European Erasmus+ network since 1996 and runs study trips to the UK, France and beyond.

The honest trade-off is that Obermenzing is not central and not close to the main international school belt south of the city. For families based east of the Isar or in the southern suburbs, the commute is real. The bilingual track requires a basic knowledge of German - this is not an English-medium school, and new arrivals from non-German speaking backgrounds may need language support to join. Fees at EUR 11,496 per year are notably lower than Munich's IB schools, which makes it attractive for self-funding families who want a solid bilingual education without the international school price tag.