Independent Bonn International School

What Independent Bonn International School does

Independent Bonn International School (IBIS) is a non-profit, state-approved Ersatzschule (private substitute school) headquartered at Tulpenbaumweg 42, Bonn-Bad Godesberg, Germany, operating as an eingetragener Verein under German law. Founded in 1963 as the British Embassy Preparatory School (BEPS) and rebranded to IBIS in 1997 following the relocation of many embassies to Berlin, it is the oldest international school in Bonn and serves children aged 3 to 12 across Kindergarten, Reception, and Years 1 through 8, with a student body drawn from over 38 nationalities. The core educational offering is a dual curriculum that combines the English National Curriculum with the North Rhine-Westphalian (NRW) German curriculum, including a dedicated EAL (English as an Additional Language) programme, differentiated German instruction (DaM/DaF), and Computing as a weekly subject from Year 1. Supporting infrastructure includes a library of over 5,000 books with digital catalog access, ICT-equipped classrooms (iPads, PCs, interactive whiteboards), a wellbeing programme anchored by the Carnegie Mental Health Bronze Award (the first awarded to a German school), and ancillary services such as a daily hot lunch via local caterer Lehmanns, after-school supervision until 17:30, fee-based extracurricular clubs, and a Welcome Team of local professional services for new families. Class sizes are capped at 22 with an average under 15, and each class has both a dedicated teacher and a teaching assistant, supported by a faculty of 25 teachers and 16 teaching assistants drawn from 11 nationalities.

The business model is a recurring annual tuition subscription billed per family, supplemented by transaction fees for catered lunches and after-school activities; tuition is not publicly disclosed and is quoted on inquiry. As a non-profit, all revenue is reinvested into facilities, learning materials, and staff training, with a separate Support Association (Förderverein, founded 2001) acting as an additional fundraising vehicle. Go-to-market is direct enrollment via the school's website, complemented by an Outlook-calendar booking system for school tours, twice-yearly open days, virtual open weeks, community events (Books and Breakfast, Community Connection Cafe), and a parent volunteer network (VIPs) that drives word-of-mouth referrals. Customer segments span international families, diplomatic and corporate expatriate families (with referenceable pipelines to Deutsche Telekom, Deutsche Post DHL, and UN employees), and German families seeking English immersion, all anchored in the Bonn/Bad Godesberg catchment. IBIS holds memberships in COBIS (with ISI inspection), ECIS, CIS, and AGIS, and was led through a 2022 headteacher succession that installed Tara O'Shea following a five-year tenure as Deputy Headteacher.

Name

Independent Bonn International School

Legal name

Independent Bonn International School e.V.

Website

https://ibis-school.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1963

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Non-profit international primary school in Bonn, Germany, founded 1963, serving children aged 3–12 from 38+ nationalities through a dual English National Curriculum and North Rhine-Westphalian curriculum with EAL and German language support.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

International Primary Education

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYEDAJABAG

International/Global Curriculum Schools (IB, Cambridge, etc.)

Education/K–12 / Primary & Secondary Education/Private & Independent K–12 Schools

SECONDARYEDACADAG

Bilingual & Language-Immersion Early Learning Academies

Education/Early Childhood Education/Early Learning Academies & Montessori/Reggio/Steiner Programs

Keywords

• International primary education
• Bilingual English German schooling
• EAL language support
• Private international school
• State-approved Ersatzschule

Headquarters

HQ city

Bonn

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, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Tuition and School Fees: As a private Ersatzschule (substitute school), IBIS charges tuition fees. Being a non-profit organisation means all revenue goes directly toward improving the school, learning materials, staff training, and facilities. Additional costs include uniform, school lunch, class trips, excursions and special projects.
2. Catering Services: Fresh lunch provided daily by local catering company Lehmanns. Parents order and pay for meals through online system. School is nut-free including catering.
3. After-School Activities: Fee-based after-school clubs and activities run by staff and external partners. Lunchtime clubs are free of charge.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Independent Bonn International School (IBIS) is a private, state-approved Ersatzschule (substitute school) for the primary level, delivering full-day bilingual English-German education to children aged 3-12 (Kindergarten through Year 8). It follows both the English National Curriculum and the North Rhine-Westphalian (NRW) curriculum, supplemented by EAL support, German as Mother/Foreign Language (DaM/DaF) instruction, a Computing curriculum, a wellbeing programme, a school library, daily hot lunch catering, and after-school supervision with extracurricular clubs.

Product overview

IBIS is an educational institution offering a unified full-day school programme (Kleinkindergarten bis Year 8) that integrates curriculum delivery, student care, meals, and parent communication into a single continuous service. Its portfolio includes the Core Educational Programme (following the English National Curriculum and the North Rhine-Westphalian curriculum), the EAL and German language support modules, the Wellbeing and Mental Health Programme, a Computing and ICT infrastructure strand, the Library and Digital Media Collection, the Hot Lunch Programme via Lehmanns, After-School Supervision and Extra-Curricular Activities, the Parent Communication Portal for booking and ordering, and the Welcome Team for new family onboarding. These offerings are designed to interconnect as a seamless whole-day educational service for children aged 3–12.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• IBIS Core Educational Programme

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core, supporting and minor.

• Lehmanns SchulverpflegungcoreOthersLocal catering company providing fresh daily lunch to students. Delivers nut-free meals with two menu options daily, each including fresh salad and dessert. Menu developed in cooperation with I.B.I.S. team.
• Welcome Team NetworksupportingOthersNetwork of local professionals including pediatricians (Dr. Marianne Esser), GP (Charles O'Donoghue), dentist (Dr. Rainer M. Zierl), tax expert (Prof. Dr. Manfred Klein), relocation services (Inge Brendler/Here Location, Judith Wambach/bizorganization), insurance broker (Michael Kühn), driving school (Jörg Wiese/Fahrschule Nett), and others who provide support services to IBIS families.
• Neighboring German Primary SchoolminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIBIS shares a sports hall with a neighboring German primary school, located 3 minutes walk from campus. Schools maintain ongoing close exchange beyond shared facilities.
• Council of British Independent Schools (COBIS)coreOthersIBIS is a COBIS Patrons Accredited Member. COBIS supports British international schools worldwide and conducts inspections through the Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI).
• Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI)coreOthersBritish independent schools inspectorate that conducts regular inspections of IBIS to ensure educational quality and compliance with standards.
• DRESS FOR SCHOOLminorOthersLeading supplier of high-quality school uniforms. Provides online uniform ordering system for IBIS families at ibis-school.dress-for-school.de

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• British International School of Cologne: British international school serving the Cologne metropolitan area, comparable in curriculum (English National Curriculum) and target segment. Regional rather than direct competitor given different catchment, but draws from the same broader NRW expatriate pool.
• Cologne International School: International school in Cologne offering bilingual education from kindergarten through secondary. Comparable target families and curriculum approach within the broader NRW region.
• St. George's School Cologne: Private international school in Cologne offering bilingual education from primary through secondary. Comparable in curriculum philosophy and target families but serves a different city within NRW.
• Düsseldorf International School: International school in Düsseldorf serving expatriate and German families from kindergarten through secondary. Comparable in offering English-medium international education in the same NRW region.

Broad incumbents

• Berlin British School: British international school in Berlin serving the English-speaking expatriate community with primary and secondary education. Comparable English National Curriculum foundation and target segment, but in a different German city.
• Munich International School: Long-established international school in Munich offering full IB continuum from primary through Diploma. Comparable in serving expatriate families in Germany with English-medium instruction, but at substantially larger scale than IBIS.
• Frankfurt International School: Large, established international school in Frankfurt serving a much larger expatriate community. Comparable curriculum (IB and English-language programs) but operates at significantly greater scale and offers full K-12 including IB Diploma.
• Bavarian International School: International school near Munich offering IB continuum from primary through Diploma. Comparable in curriculum and target expatriate families, but serves southern Germany rather than the Bonn/Rhine region.

Direct peers

• Aloisiuskolleg (Bonn): Private Catholic school in Bonn serving primary and secondary grades with bilingual tracks. Competes for German families in the same city seeking premium private education with international orientation.
• Bonn International School (BIS): Direct competitor in Bonn offering international education from kindergarten through secondary school. Overlaps directly with IBIS on expatriate and internationally-minded German family segments in the same geographic catchment area.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/IBIS_school
• Facebookfacebook.com/IndependentBonnInternationalSchool
• Instagraminstagram.com/ibis_school_bonn
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/school/independent-bonn-international-school-ibis

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 Independent Bonn International School