"Frankfurt International School's Oberursel Campus offers families a well-established, English-language education rooted in the International Baccalaureate framework."
Founded in 1961, Frankfurt International School — known widely as FIS — has decades of experience serving the international community in the greater Frankfurt region, making it one of the more enduring international schools in Germany. Though the school carries Frankfurt's name in its title, its main campus is situated in Oberursel, a pleasant town in the Taunus foothills just north of Frankfurt, offering families a quieter, more residential setting while remaining well within reach of the city. The Oberursel Campus is organized to serve students across the full span of their school years. A dedicated Primary School campus welcomes the youngest learners, beginning with the "First Steps" program for children as young as three years old and continuing through Grade 1. From there, students transition to the Main Campus, which houses both the Elementary School for Grades 2 through 5 and the Upper School for Grades 6 through 12. This thoughtful separation of younger and older students allows each age group to learn in an environment appropriately scaled to their developmental stage, while still being part of a single, cohesive school community. For families based in the Wiesbaden area, FIS also operates a satellite campus in Wiesbaden Naurod, serving students from First Steps through Grade 8. As a fully authorized IB World School, FIS delivers its entire program through the lens of the International Baccalaureate, a curriculum widely respected by universities and international schools around the world. The IB's emphasis on critical thinking, intercultural understanding, and academic rigor makes it a natural fit for the internationally mobile families — expatriates, relocating professionals, and globally minded locals — who make up the FIS community. Instruction is conducted in English throughout, which provides continuity for families arriving from English-speaking countries or from other international schools, and ensures students are well prepared for higher education in a wide range of countries. What distinguishes FIS is the combination of its long institutional history and its genuinely international student body. A school that has been welcoming families from around the world since 1961 brings a depth of experience that newer international schools simply cannot replicate. Over more than six decades, FIS has developed traditions, alumni networks, and a community culture that give it a sense of rootedness unusual among schools that primarily serve transient populations. At the same time, the school remains outward-looking and globally oriented by design, making it equally accessible to families arriving for the first time and those who have navigated international schooling before. For expat families relocating to the Frankfurt region, the Oberursel Campus represents a reassuring constant — a school with a proven track record, a clear academic philosophy, and a community that understands the particular rhythms and challenges of internationally mobile life.