At a Glance
Head of School: Lars Hierath (since 2018)
Founding Year: 1980 (School History)
Affiliation: Independent, non-sectarian school (Mission)
Description: German International School New York (GISNY) is an independent, bilingual, college-preparatory day school for children in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade. GISNY welcomes families of every nationality with an interest in German language and German, Austrian and Swiss cultures. GISNY confers both the NY State High School Diploma and the German International Abitur (Deutsche Internationale Abitur, or DIA) on its graduates. GISNY is part of a network of over 140 German schools around the world providing an academically outstanding bilingual education.
Location: White Plains, NY in Westchester County, just 25 miles north of New York City. Conveniently located from the Hutchinson River Parkway/Merritt Parkway, I-287 and I-95.
Enrollment: 420 students in Pre-K through Grade 12
Student Body: Most students are from German-speaking countries and may have lived in several countries before coming to New York. A growing number of our students were either born in the United States or have lived the majority of their lives in the US. GISNY students speak a variety of languages with their families at home, including but not limited to German, English, French, Italian, Spanish, Japanese, Arabic, Tagalog and Thai.
Accreditation / Registration: New York State Association of Independent Schools; Permanent Conference of the Dept of Education of the Federal Republic of Germany; New York State Department of Education.
Recognition: GISNY received the Certificate of Excellence from Germany's Central Administration for Schools Abroad / Zentralstelle für das Auslandsschulwesen
Diplomas: New York State High School Diploma; German International Abitur / Deutsche Internationale Abiturprüfung (DIA); German Secondary School Certificate / Realschulabschluss.
Languages: German, English, Spanish, French and Latin
Faculty: Over 60 faculty members, 95% of whom hold advanced degrees (Master of Art or European equivalent)
Curriculum: A rigorous core curriculum that encompasses all the major disciplines of the arts and sciences and meets both Germany’s and New York State’s official requirements. All GISNY courses approximate and in some cases exceed the level of American honors and advanced placement classes.
Extended Day: 2:05 - 5:45pm. We offer over 40 after school classes, clubs and activities, as well as homework supervision and child care (After School Program)
Partners: Holocaust and Human Rights Education Center
The original name German School New York or Deutsche Schule New York (DSNY) was officially changed in 2014 to German International School New York (GISNY) / Deutsche Internationale Schule New York.
Non-Discrimination Policy
German International School New York seeks to assemble a diverse student body. We will not discriminate in either our admissions process or our education program on the basis of race, color, gender, religion, sexual orientation or national or ethnic origin.
