Freie Schule Brigach Private Grund- und Hauptschule mit Werkrealschule

What Freie Schule Brigach Private Grund- und Hauptschule mit Werkrealschule does

Freie Schule Brigach is a state-approved private alternative school (Ersatzschule) located in Brigach near St. Georgen im Schwarzwald, Baden-Württemberg, operated since 2006 by the nonprofit association Selbstbestimmtes Lernen e.V. The school delivers Grund-, Haupt-, and Werkrealschule education for grades 1 through 10 based on a self-directed learning model in which approximately 85% of learning activity is chosen by the student (subject, timing, partners), with instruction supported by 'learning guides' (Lernbegleitung) rather than conventional teachers; grades, homework, and rigid class hierarchies are explicitly avoided, and students later sit external state examinations (Schulfremdenprüfung) at public examination centers to earn a Hauptschulabschluss or Werkrealschulabschluss/Mittlere Reife. Student count is intentionally small (~17 in 2016, ~26 in 2019) and the staff comprises a four-member board plus roughly 5-9 learning guides, pedagogical assistants, and school office personnel, supplemented by European Voluntary Service (EVS) volunteers from countries including Spain, the UK, and Mexico.

The school's core offering is its educational program rather than a software platform; supporting tools include self-developed 'Werkzeuge' learning materials (spelling tables, quantity tables, blank exercise books), Snappet tablets, Calliope Minis, and a student-run business called Happy Möhre. A major building expansion completed in 2020 added a new staircase, kitchen, technology room, and accessibility features, with approximately 700,000 EUR in construction costs funded via GLS Bank loans and contributions from foundations (Aktion Mensch, Software AG-Stiftung), local firms (ABP-Antriebstechnik, ALS, BBBank, Sparkasse Schwarzwald-Baar), and private donors.

Freie Schule Brigach operates a mixed revenue model typical of German private Ersatzschulen: a recurring subscription Schulgeld from parents (with the state of Baden-Württemberg subsidizing ~80% of comparable public per-pupil costs), ancillary donations through a Bildungsfonds shopping portal, sponsor memberships starting at 50 EUR/year, child sponsorships at 180 EUR/month, ~1,300 EUR from annual UNICEF charity runs, and grant funding from Erasmus+ for hosting international delegations. The school is explicitly not venture-backed, has no parent company, and distributes via direct enrollment with word-of-mouth family referrals in the Schwarzwald-Baar-Kreis as its primary acquisition channel.

Name

Freie Schule Brigach Private Grund- und Hauptschule mit Werkrealschule

Legal name

Freie Schule Brigach Selbstbestimmtes Lernen e.V.

Website

https://freie-schule-brigach.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Freie Schule Brigach is a state-approved nonprofit private alternative school in St. Georgen/Schwarzwald, Germany, providing grades 1-10 self-directed education funded by parent tuition (~20%), state subsidies (~80%), donations, and Erasmus+ grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

St. Georgen (Brigach)

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Parent tuition fees (Schulgeld): Parents pay school fees according to the school's fee schedule (Gebührenordnung). Private schools in Baden-Württemberg receive 80% state subsidies; parents cover 20% through tuition.
2. Donations and Sponsorships: The school accepts direct donations, supports Bildungsfonds shopping platform (commission from online purchases), and offers sponsorship memberships starting at 50 EUR/year. Child sponsorships at 180 EUR/month for financially disadvantaged families.
3. EU/Funding Programs: The school participates in European Voluntary Service (EVS) hosting international volunteers, and Erasmus+ programs hosting international delegations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Freie Schule Brigach is a state-approved private alternative Ersatzschule (primary and secondary school with Werkrealschule, grades 1-10) operating in Brigach, St. Georgen, Baden-Württemberg. Its core product is a self-directed learning education based on approximately 85% student autonomy, supported by learning guides (Lernbegleiter) in place of conventional teachers, with no grades, no homework, and a democratic learning culture. Students ultimately prepare for and sit external state examinations (Schulfremdenprüfung) to earn the Hauptschulabschluss or Mittlere Reife (Werkrealschulabschluss), with tuition funded by parents and supplemented by state subsidies, donations, and sponsorships.

Product overview

Freie Schule Brigach is a private alternative school operating as a single unified educational program (not a platform-plus-modules architecture). The core offering is self-directed learning education for grades 1-10, complemented by a student-run business called Happy Möhre and a Fairtrade-School program. The school uses an individualized approach where students work at their own pace without traditional grades until they choose to take external exams for their Hauptschulabschluss or Mittlere Reife.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Freie Schule Brigach Educational Program (Private Alternative School, Grades 1-10) A state-approved private Ersatzschule delivering primary (Grundschule) and secondary (Haupt-/Werkrealschule) education for grades 1 through 10, based on approximately 85% self-directed learning supported by learning guides. The program culminates in the Werkrealschulabschluss / Hauptschulabschluss or Mittlere Reife via external state examinations (Schulfremdenprüfung), and is designed for families seeking an alternative to conventional graded schooling.
• Happy Möhre Schülerfirma (Student-Run Business) A student-run business operated by school children that democratically plans menus and prepares/sells meals, teaching entrepreneurship, sustainable food practices, and democratic decision-making. Active when conditions allow (e.g., outside pandemic restrictions).
• Fairtrade-School Program An officially certified Fairtrade-School program (certified November 2015 by Stiftung Entwicklungszusammenarbeit Baden-Württemberg) implementing fair trade principles, fair trade products in the school kitchen, and student awareness-raising around fair trade.

Quantifiable outcome

• All students pass external examinations with above-average grades, including multiple students achieving 1.0 GPA and district-best scores
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered major, core and minor.

• Erasmus+ ProgrammemajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016International exchange program hosting Turkish teachers and school administrators from Gaziantep province as part of professional development visits. The school was visited by a 10-person delegation from Turkey.
• European Voluntary Service (EVS)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016The school hosts European Voluntary Service volunteers from various countries (Spain, Britain, Mexico) who contribute to language teaching, music, and cultural exchange programs.
• Stiftung Entwicklungszusammenarbeit Baden-WürttembergminorOthers · 1 January 2015Awarded Fairtrade-School certification to the school, recognizing commitment to fair trade products in the school kitchen.
• Bundesverband der Freien Alternativschulen e.V.coreOthersThe school is a member of the Federal Association of Free Alternative Schools (BAS) representing alternative educational institutions in Germany.
• Unicef GermanyminorOthersAnnual participation in UNICEF charity runs, with students 'earning' approximately 1,300 EUR annually split between UNICEF projects and the school's children's account.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Others

• Bundesverband der Freien Alternativschulen: National trade association (of which Freie Schule Brigach is a member) representing free alternative schools in Germany; serves as industry body, advocacy channel, and peer-networking infrastructure for the same operator segment.
• GLS Bank: Mission-driven German bank that provided the construction loan for the Freie Schule Brigach facility — an enabling financial-services partner serving the same social-enterprise / alternative-education ecosystem in which the school operates.

Direct peers

• Freie Schule Frankfurt: Private alternative school in Frankfurt practicing self-determined learning; comparable in operating model (state-approved Ersatzschule, mixed-age groups, no traditional grading) though at a larger urban scale.
• Freie Aktive Schule Stuttgart: Alternative free school in Baden-Württemberg using child-centered, self-directed learning; geographic and pedagogical peer competing in the same state-subsidy and parent-choice market.
• Fläming-Schule: Long-established free school in Bad Belzig (Brandenburg) practicing self-directed, democratic learning without grades — closely comparable pedagogical model and small-scale nonprofit structure in the German Freie-Alternativschulen landscape.
• Sudbury-Schule Berlin: Democratic free school in Berlin based on the Sudbury Valley model with full student self-governance; directly comparable as a small, private, alternative K–12 institution competing for the same parent segment seeking non-traditional education.

Broad incumbents

• Bund der Freien Waldorfschulen: National federation representing Germany's ~250 Waldorf/Steiner schools — the largest established alternative K–12 network; competes for the same parent segment seeking non-mainstream education, with much greater scale and brand recognition.
• Montessori Dachverband Deutschland: German Montessori federation representing Montessori schools nationwide; an adjacent alternative-pedagogy incumbent that overlaps the same addressable market of parents seeking child-centered K–12 education.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/freie-schule-brigach-private-grund--und-hauptschule-mit-werkrealschule

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Freie Schule Brigach Private Grund- und Hauptschule mit Werkrealschule