German International School of Dallas

"Our son has been attending for almost a year now and we absolutely love GISD. He has been in two classrooms now and we can not say enough good things about his teachers and staff. Everyone is very attentive and caring. I was a little nervous at first, as neither my husband or I speak any German. I was nervous this would hold my son back from learning but he says German words and uses them properly (he just turned 2). You can tell the teachers care for their students, and are making each child feel special and cared for throughout the day. My son is THRIVING at GISD! We love that they spend a lot of time outdoors and it isn’t stuffy. All of his classmates are friendly and sweet and the parents we’ve met have been very helpful and it’s just a great community. If we ever have questions or concerns we just message them thru our app & they are fast to respond. I would 100% recommend GISD to any parent who is looking for a daycare/school for their young ones!"

"I chose this school for its philosophy, great outdoor play space, a lot of outdoor time, the European approach, and that it was okay my son was not potty trained yet. Above all, I wanted him to have a warm and caring experience with his first time away from home. The head mistress of the school personally assured me that his not being fully potty trained would not be an issue and he would be able to stay with his peers. That was our main reason for choosing the school. Part way through the year when classes changed they moved him to the younger class without any notification to me. I was devastated. This is not the experience I wanted for my child and why didn’t they come to me to let me know things had changed? The worst part was in the following weekly summary letters they send to all the families they would say things like, “parents, please potty train your children. We hate seeing a child left behind.” My child was the only older child in the class so not very veiled who they were taking about and was not supposed to be left behind! They left him behind. Why were they trying to make me feel bad about a situation of their creation? No one asked me about his potty training journey or why he was delayed. There was no team approach to my child nor curiosity nor sensitivity to what we were going through. It felt like such a passively aggressive note straight to me before all the parents. I felt very hurt instead of supported or like I was part of their community. This kind of language was used more than once in their letters. I was hoping for a better experience once he was potty trained and with his peers so we stayed another year. He was the only one in his class that didn’t have German at home and he felt left out. They told me he would go off by himself when they would explain and talk about activities. That’s not the experience I was hoping for. I really want to like this school and I’m so sad it didn’t work out. I enjoyed the parents I met."

"We love this school. The teachers are incredibly caring, prepared, and foster the fun in learning. Classrooms are small, thus allowing loving attention and dedication to each young student. It is largely thanks to this school that our children are fluent in both, German and English, and we are seeing them flourish and mature. Towards the end of the summer break our children are looking forward to going back to school which shows how much the school is instilling a joy of studying - something they will greatly benefit from in the future. We highly recommend this school to anyone who is looking for a great education for their children."

"My three children went to GISD to learn German and grow up to value traditions and holidays that we observe and celebrate in Germany, something that has always been very important to me, having grown up in Germany. All of my boys have very different personalities, and all three have loved their time at the school. They have made life-long connections with other German and international families, some of which are still strong to this day. Two of my boys joined the school as toddlers and one of them has gone all the way up Kindergarten before seamlessly transitioning into the American school system. We have absolutely loved this school, the small class sizes and the loving environment where kids can still play and grow and explore. "Growing up" with the school, the boys had the opportunity to meet many teachers and I can honestly say that they have always been in a nurturing and loving environment. Although all of my kids had different German speaking abilities, they have never felt misunderstood or unable to express themselves. I can only recommend this school to anyone that is looking for a full immersion program. We had a wonderful experience and would not hesitate to chose it again."

"Over the last five years, all three of our children attended (or still attend) GISD. My oldest started in August 2018 and my youngest is still there. Our kids have had the best experience there - emotionally and academically. First, it is a true German immersion school, and all three kids are completely fluent in German. Whenever we go to Germany, my kids can communicate with everyone without any issues. Now that my older two children are in American schools, they go to Goethe Institute classes on the weekend to keep up their German skills. The instructor has also been impressed with their vocabulary. Second, it is a warm and nurturing environment. We have loved all of the teachers and there has been relatively low turnover for a childcare setting. The teachers (and the director) communicate well and respond very quickly to any issues via email or school app. We have been extremely impressed at how seriously the director has taken any concerns and how quickly she works to resolve them. Third, the teaching philosophy is very German and we love that the kids go outside (almost) everyday. They are allowed to explore their world, play, and be kids, all while learning at the same time. Finally, even though it is a small school, it has turned out to be the perfect environment for our family and children. We would highly recommend GISD to any family and, especially, to any family looking to raise native German speakers."