Introducing German School New York

German School New York is an overseas extension of the educational system of the Federal Republic of Germany. A sophisticated mastery of the German Language is required to cope with the demands of our university preparatory curriculum. Additionally, English is taught by highly qualified American teachers as if it were the native language of the student. The enrichment of the German curriculum with elements from fine American college preparatory programs enables us to award the New York State High School Diploma and the Zeugnis der Allgemeinen Hochschulreife at the completion of grade 12. This gives our students access to institutions of higher education in the European Community as well as the United States.  For more detailed information, please review our School Profile.

Our Students

German School New York has an enrollment of 370 students in K-12. Beyond the hard work and diligence the students must demonstrate in order to complete our degree program, a word should be added concerning their life experience. Students at our school are, for the most part, citizens of German-speaking countries who bring to our campus the culture, style, and outlook of foreign nationals. In addition, they have entered enthusiastically into the cultural and academic life of the U.S., having lived here for at least two years, and in many cases, for all of secondary school. They combine enthusiasm for learning and the special qualities of their adopted and native countries with the genial, deeply tolerant perspective of the multilingual “global citizen.”

Our Grading system

German School New York has a semester system. Grades are given on a scale of 0-15, with 15 being the best grade, at the end of January and June. Abitur examinations are concluded in 12^th grade at the end of May. Since Abitur examinations are the all important finals after years of effort, seniors have to study diligently up to the very end of their high school years.

All exams, including the Abitur, are essay and problem solving tasks, never multiple choice. Although infusing more test taking emphasis in the lives of our students would increase their test scores, many parents feel that expensive test taking preparation is not a wise use of their children’s time.

To facilitate comparison with American high school reports, our transcripts reflect only course work taken in grades nine through thirteen. However, the compulsory Gymnasium (junior and senior high school combined) curriculum really begins at grade 5; by the time they enter grade nine, students will already have completed at least four years of English and two years of French, four years of mathematics, and two each of two or three natural sciences, social sciences, art and music.

The Question of Honors and AP Courses

In the German educational system, only about 25 to 30 % of a given age group attend the college preparatory track of high school. Therefore, Gymnasium, particularly its Oberstufe (three upper grades), is by definition an honors school. The content of the courses is quite advanced, approximating and sometimes exceeding the AP curriculum.

Ranking

German School does not rank because of the low number of students in our graduating class. To give an idea of our students’ standing, we have included grade distribution charts transposing our grades into the marking system of 0 to 4.0. Our GPA tops at 4.0. High grades are not handed out easily, but have to be earned with considerable effort. Not even our most brilliant students are able to maintain a 4.0 GPA throughout high school and only 1% of our graduates have ever achieved 4.0 in the Abitur examinations.

Our graduates tell us that they are very successful in college. Our A students excel in “most competitive” colleges. Our B students as well graduate from excellent colleges with honors. Examples: Bryn Mawr, Fordham, Lehigh, Skidmore GPA 3.6 - 3.8 - majors: Literature, business, industrial engineering.

Universities Which Our Graduates Attend

Our graduating classes usually have between 12 and 18 students most of whom return to Europe to continue their education at German universities.

Here is a list of  American colleges currently attended by our alumni:

Class of 2008    -         Middlebury, Northeastern U., Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, SUNY Purchase, U of Delaware

Class of 2007    -         Brandeis, Cornell, CUNY City College, Duke, Drew, Lafayette, Mount Holyoke, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Skidmore, Saint Andrews/UK, U. of Massachusetts at Amherst, Wellesley

Class of 2006     -        Bates, Brown, Bryn Mawr, CUNY Hunter, Skidmore, Wesleyan,    Whittier

Class of 2005      -        Barnard, Bryn Mawr, SUNY Purchase Conservatory

Additional universities from which our alumni have graduated:

Bowdoin, Carnegie Mellon, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Fordham, Imperial/UK, Lehigh, Johns Hopkins, McGill/Canada, MIT, Navy Academy Annapolis, Northwestern, NYU, Oberlin, Oxford/UK, U. of Pennsylvania, Princeton, Sarah Lawrence, Stanford, SUNY Binghamton, Tufts/School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, U. of Virginia, Vassar, Washington U. in St. Louis, William and Mary, Williams. 

Students were also accepted to Caltech and to Harvard, but chose to attend other colleges.

Curriculum

Our school follows a strict core curriculum which requires that all students take Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, German, English, 5 years of French, Geography, European History, American Studies, Religious Studies, Art, Music, and Physical Education. All of these classes must be taken at the appropriate grade level which means that, for example, all 12^th graders take the same math class.

Requirements in Grades 9 through 12

4 years: German, English, Mathematics, European History, American History and Economy, Music or Art, Physical Education

2 years: Biology, Physics, Chemistry, French (starting with French III),

1 years: Global Studies, Ethics and Religious Studies

Latin and Spanish are offered as an optional fourth language.

Mathematics

All students go beyond differential and integral calculus to vector algebra and advanced topics in probability and statistics before they graduate.

Natural Sciences

All students study chemistry, biology and physics from grades 6 through 10 at a substantive level which incorporates mathematical skills. Students continue studying two or all three of these sciences up to the Abitur. They study nuclear physics, mechanics, electrodynamics, and optics. In chemistry class, they study organic and inorganic chemistry, biochemistry and physical chemistry. Biology class includes genetics, evolution, behavioral science, neurobiology, cellular biology and the physiology of metabolism.

Languages

All students take German and English. In addition, a minimum of five years of French is required for graduation. Native fluency of German is expected and all work is graded to that standard. In English, students study in depth up to six plays of Shakespeare as well as many modern authors. They also study French literature from the 17^th to the 20^th century.

Social Studies

Social Studies includes Geography, Religious Studies, American Studies, and European History.. Students study ecosystems and economy, world religions, ethical issues, American history and economics as well as European history  with special emphasis on Germany and the holocaust. In addition, the syllabus in English and French requires the study of current events, their historical underpinnings and possible consequences for our future.