About Nelson Mandela School
Nelson Mandela School Berlin provides quality bilingual education to children from a wide variety of backgrounds. English and German are our school’s official languages, but we do not stop at introducing our students just to German and Anglo-American values and traditions.
As a truly international school and a member of UNESCO’s Associated Schools Project Network (ASP), it is our business to acquaint our students with as many different aspects of life on this planet as possible – and to enable them to make a positive difference wherever they go.
Being named after Mr. Mandela, sub-Saharan Africa in general and South Africa in particular have a special place in our hearts, and we try and let that show wherever and whenever we can – be it in our classrooms or beyond.
How would you rate Nelson Mandela School?
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Find Out More >Curriculum
German, IB
Primary Language
English
Ages
6 to 18
Max Class Size
Unknown
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More Info >29 Reviews of Nelson Mandela School
Average Ratings
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How would you rate Nelson Mandela School?
Nelson mandela schule berlin is the best school to enrolled your kids,my two kids attend this school, and I am very happy about it.the staffs are excellent.
Our daughter is in 3rd grade and we're super happy with the school. I personally can't understand other negative feedback listed here. I think it's a perfect mix of international and local students, also our daughter finds the teachers inspiring and we also got good support in Covid times plus the school is free of charge. In case you're used to private schools with all inclusive mentality then perhaps NMS doesn't score 100% in every dimension as its a state school, but comparing to state schools we see very engaged teachers with even individualised learning programmes, small classes, diverse extracurriculars, great parent spirit, good social learning etc. etc. We're big fans and look forward to the next years. Of course, the admission process is tricky, but that's the responsibility of Berlin senate and a matter of not having sufficient resources for this kind of offering.
The Nelson Mandela School has become an institution in Berlin. One of two (free) international state schools with very good school facilities,, like libraries and digital infrastructure, thanks to the support of engaged teachers and parents. New students are tested for their proficiency in either English or German at this bilingual school,. NMS offers the German Abitur or the International Baccalaureate. This is a truly international state school in the heart of Berlin with a diverse and motivated student body and engaged bilingual staff and volunteers.
A wonderful international school 1-13 with a strong parent community, diverse staff and student body, internationally acclaimed art department and an active media education approach. German Abitur and IB certification. Language skills required for application; either native speaker level English and partner language German or vice versa.
Nelson Mandela School is absolutely amazing. Over the years facilities have been improved more and more for the best possible learning experience. It goes all the way from 1st grade to IB or Abi. Best possible ratings from me.
Great teachers, great community, international exposure, high quality education.
What a great place! Named after Nelson Mandela, the school is a ‚Schule ohne Rassismus‘.
I have spent my entire academic life at the NMS, from 2001 to 2014. I have seen new principals pass by, new teachers, new friends and class mates. As a student I had an extraordinary experience at this school. Learning from and with other cultures was such a privilege and over the years it has taught me extremely valuable soft skills. Of course, there are some teachers who I liked more than others but at the end of the day, that is the reality of school life and will happen in any school you visit. The majority of my teachers (and care takers during my primary years) were kind, open-minded, encouraging and enthusiastic! I can't recommend this school enough. I am forever grateful that my parents made the decision to send me there.
We just started 1st grade in August 2019. So far we have nothing but positive experiences. Compared to a few other Berlin international schools we toured, Nelson Mandela is by far the most diverse. You can see it in the faces of the students and children. In our Flex class (1st/2nd grade), there are students with parents from at least 10 different countries and this is just one classroom. A true melting pot of cultures, traditions, values, and backgrounds. The teachers seem happy to be in this environment. With each classroom having 2 teachers and an aid, they are well staffed with seemingly appropriate amounts of support. The library is funded by the parents association and has been a great resource for our new reader. The playground is well maintained. The catering services seem adequate. The 8am-4pm full day schedule, allows for plenty of break time for the kids to free play, between lessons. So far our experience has only been positive. Today we are just as happy as the day we received news we had been offered a place.
A really great school truely international and bilingual. A big school but with a friendly atmosphere.
Reviews from Google
Recent reviews posted on Google.
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Emily Smith, a week ago
We have been very happy at NMS with two kids starting in 2010. The community is strong, the international perspective of kids and families in refreshing, and the education is mostly on target. It is not as "highly mobile" as advertised but we see this as an advantage. Families are committed to Berlin and friendship flourish. As a public school, there are not as many resources as private schools, but it also means the economic backgrounds of families is diverse. Most kids are fluent in German AND English at home, many bringing a third language into the mix. Kids are more than just tolerant of differences, they seem to celebrate it when new kids enter the school who might come from unique backgrounds. I feel like my kids are challenged, without being anxious about learning. In 9th and 10th grade, they are still curious and active learners in almost all of their classes. Kids care about grades, but not so much that they lose sleep over it. The main drawback would be at times the administration and scheduling can be unorganized. On the optimistic side, kids learn to respond to a little chaos and be flexible. Lastly, we chose NMS so we would not have to change schools later on and face the lottery/crapshoot of applying to schools again after 6th grade. Knowing that our kids would be at NMS until high school graduation (they can choose from IB or Abitur) was a big selling point as we found navigating the German system as foreigners a challenge.
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Ralph Size, 10 months ago
We moved to Berlin from Asia some time ago and our son was admitted to NMS - we were in for a terrible and surreal experience. This school fails on so many levels, where to start..? - Above all, this is NOT an international school, so if you are an expat moving to Berlin stay clear. On paper, the school caters to "highly mobile" families but in reality, none of the kids in our class had ever lived abroad. It seems to be enough that one parent is non-German, but come on, 30% of Berlin's population is foreign, so that's the wrong criterion! As a result, parents at the school are not open-minded and there is no sense of community as you would normally find in expat circles. - Some people have commented on the school being racist. I guess that is partly true but it's not the kind of racism you would expect - what we experienced was a form of reverse racism. The school has a strange fixation on Africa. The curriculum and the school calendar are all about Africa - other parts of the world are ignored, and people seem to hold reservations againts the US and Asia in particular. As a result, children with at least one African parent are treated better than kids with parents from other parts of the world. As our child grew up in Asia, we wanted to make sure that he will be at an international school where his Asian background is cherished and appreciated. At NMS, the opposite happened. No one ever talked about Asia, Asian traditions or history, it was all about Africa and North Africa (Maghreb), so our son felt marginalized and unappreciated. - Academic standards are lower than average, so you will have a hard time changing schools once your kid is older. Several of our friends from school failed to secure a spot for their kids at other schools because they were too far behind academically. - As many have pointed out, the administration is a mess, teachers are not motivated, staff are calling in sick frequently. - Sex education in first grade: Our child was taught all about sexual intercourse, how it works, the technicalities of it. I kid you not, in first grade, at the age of seven! What is wrong with you people? - Safety concerns: As pointed out by others, accidents happen frequently at this school due to a lack of monitoring, sloppy staff and a chaotic administration.
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Alperen ergur, 9 months ago
I learned this place is self-contradictory: schools' target is highly mobile international families, BUT the school only admits students whose mother tongue is German or English.
