Europe has always been the epitome of prime education as they have the most advanced curriculums available for their people. The area of Central Europe includes countries like Germany, Austria, Switzerland, etc. The international schools of Central Europe provide a curriculum that is not the national curriculum of the country they are located in. Most of these international schools use English as the language of learning. However, it is very likely that many of the children in the school will speak it as a second or third language. At present, there seems to be a stark difference in international school prices between Western/Central Europe and Eastern/Southern Europe.

There is a clear difference in international school prices between Western and Central Europe and the East and South of the continent. 7 of the top 10 cities with the highest international school fees are in Western and Central Europe, while 7 of the 10 cheapest cities for international schools are in Eastern and Southern Europe. Switzerland dominates as the most expensive country in Central Europe for international schools; Zurich, Lausanne, and Geneva take the top 3 spots. Lausanne and Geneva are both small cities with a population of less than 200,000. The lowest maximum, however, belongs to the Danish capital Copenhagen. In Denmark, both public and private schools (which includes international schools) are heavily subsidized by the government. This may explain why education is so affordable – comparatively speaking – in a country with a reputation for a high cost of living.

The international schools of central Europe consist of students coming from different parts of the world which is a great opportunity for students to socialize and get accustomed to foreign languages and cultures. One-on-one training is often an efficient teaching approach but large-size classes make this method inconvenient and hard to apply. It is common that state schools are highly populated and teachers can hardly find time to work with individuals. In contrast, international schools in Central Europe have a low rate of student: teacher ratio, which enables teachers to respond to students’ needs at any time without interrupting the education process for the group. In traditional schools, there is a small number of extracurricular activities if not any which is definitely bad. Extracurricular activities can help students to enrich their studying experience by gaining new skills and socializing. The icing cake of international schools is they organize plenty of extracurricular activities and try to engage students all the time.

In central Europe, most of the international schools are generally fee-paying and keep class sizes small; typically, no more than 20 students. For many local students, getting an international school education is a top priority for their families and a large portion of the family income may be dedicated to it. Parents hope that this will help their children achieve a place at an English-speaking university and, ultimately, the best career options. As a result, most local students attending international schools are very motivated and want to learn.

Finding the right school for your child is one of the major concerns for many international families when relocating to a new country or city and they can be confident to find a wide range of private international schools to choose from. These schools typically offer different curricula, with the most popular being the British, American and International Baccalaureate (IB).