German International School Washington D.C. vs Washington Yu Ying Public Charter School
German International School Washington D.C. and Washington Yu Ying Public Charter School are both in Washington Dc, about 17 km apart. Both schools offer Bespoke programmes. German International School Washington D.C. also offers American and German, and Washington Yu Ying Public Charter School also offers IB. Published annual fees are $16,430 - 31,830 at German International School Washington D.C. and $0 - 24,104 at Washington Yu Ying Public Charter School, which puts German International School Washington D.C. roughly 100% higher. German International School Washington D.C. takes pupils from 2 to 18, and Washington Yu Ying Public Charter School from 3 to 11. Washington Yu Ying Public Charter School is the larger school, with around 701 pupils to German International School Washington D.C.'s 500.
American Curriculum, Bespoke Curriculum, German Curriculum
Curriculum
IB (PYP), Bespoke Curriculum
Pupils
Pupils
500
Pupils
701
Typical class size
Typical class size
—
Typical class size
15
Instruction language
Instruction language
German, English
Instruction language
Mandarin, English
Opened
Opened
1961
Opened
2008
Bus service
Bus service
Yes
Bus service
No
Essentials
Essentials
Location
Location
The GISW campus is at 8617 Chateau Drive, Potomac, MD 20854. The school sits in a residential area near Washington, D.C. A Shuttle Bus Service runs from the Bolger Center, 9600 Newbridge Dr., Potomac, MD 20854, to the GISW campus, with multiple buses facilitating morning and after-school transportation.
Location
Two campuses in Washington, DC: Elementary Campus at 220 Taylor Street NE and Early Years Campus at 4350 First Street NE, DC 20017. The campuses are in Ward 5, near the Brookland-CUA Metro station.
Stages
Stages
Preschool (ages 2–4) with morning groups and an optional Afternoon Program and Extended Care; Elementary School from entry level through 4th grade with German curricula and English lessons at U.S. standards; Grades 5 through 12 earn the German International Abitur and a U.S. High School Diploma.
Stages
PK3–5
School type
School type
Independent, bilingual.
School type
Public Charter School
Pupil nationality mix
Pupil nationality mix
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Pupil nationality mix
—
Additional learning support
Additional learning support
—
Additional learning support
Special education services and English Language Learner support are provided.
Country affiliation
Country affiliation
Germany
Country affiliation
—
Religious affiliation
Religious affiliation
—
Religious affiliation
—
School day structure
School day structure
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School day structure
School hours are 8:05 a.m.–3:40 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 8:05 a.m.–1:05 p.m. on Friday. Extended hours run from 7:00 a.m.–8:00 a.m. before school and 3:40 p.m.–5:45 p.m. after school on MTWTh (and 1:05 p.m.–5:45 p.m. on Fridays).
Bus service details
Bus service details
Shuttle Bus Service from Bolger Center, 9600 Newbridge Dr., Potomac, MD 20854 to GISW and back. Three buses shuttle in the morning; the first leaves Bolger Center at 8:40 am. After classes, the first bus departs GISW between 11:35 and 11:40 am and returns to the Bolger Center. Direct drop-off or pick-up at GISW on Saturday mornings is not allowed; a parking pass is required to park on GISW grounds; buses are the default option for students and drivers with passes.
Bus service details
Bus service via DDOT route D74 (Brookland-CUA).
Fees
Fees
Fee details
Fee details
Overview (fees listed below apply to the published 2025/26 schedule)
Application & enrollment fees - Application fee (non‑refundable): USD 150. - New student enrollment fee (non‑refundable, per student): USD 2,500. A reduced enrollment fee of USD 1,400 applies for students moving from GISW Preschool to the School Entry Level (SEL). - Contract deposit (non‑refundable at signing; deducted from billing statement): USD 1,000 per student. - School Society membership fee (per family, per school year): USD 150. - Technology fee (per student, grades 1–12, per school year): USD 200. - Class account fee (per student, per school year): USD 150.
Tuition — annual amounts by program and year group (full‑year tuition shown; two columns reflect the published early‑contract rate and the standard rate) - Preschool (5 days, Mon–Fri) — 2‑year‑old programs: - Morning Program only (8:00–13:15): USD 20,223 (early/required contract date) / USD 21,223 (standard). - Morning + Afternoon Program (8:00–14:45): USD 23,928 / USD 24,928. - Morning + Afternoon + Extended Care (8:00–16:45): USD 29,967 / USD 30,967. - Preschool — 3/4‑year‑old programs: - Morning Program only (8:00–13:15): USD 16,430 / USD 17,430. - Morning + Afternoon Program (8:00–14:45): USD 20,135 / USD 21,135. - Morning + Afternoon + Extended Care (8:00–16:45): USD 26,174 / USD 27,174. - School Entry Level (SEL) through Grade 12 — School day (includes afternoon program until 15:15): - SEL: USD 24,166 / USD 25,166. - Grades 1–6: USD 25,418 / USD 26,418. - Grades 7–12: USD 26,293 / USD 27,293. - SEL through Grade 9 — School day with Extended Care (15:15–16:45): - SEL: USD 29,703 / USD 30,703. - Grades 1–6: USD 30,955 / USD 31,955. - Grades 7–9: USD 31,830 / USD 32,830. - Extended Care drop‑in fee (Preschool–Grade 9), per instance: USD 50.
Billing schedule and payment terms - Accepted payment schedules: annual (single payment), semi‑annual (two equal installments — typically August and January), or monthly (ten equal installments — typically August through May) processed through a tuition management system. Installment schedules divide the published annual tuition into equal payments for the chosen schedule. Credit card payments may incur a convenience fee charged by the tuition processor in addition to tuition. - Payment processing: tuition installments and recurring payments are handled through Blackbaud Tuition Management; families receive an enrollment email and set up their payment method (bank account or credit card). Semi‑annual withdrawals occur in August and January; monthly withdrawals are processed on the 5th or the 20th of each month (depending on family selection). Returned check, change, and late payment fees apply as published. - Payment by check/wire is accepted; when paying by automatic deduction, bank routing/ABA and account numbers are required. If paying by credit card, a processor convenience fee will be billed separately.
Bus, cafeteria and other recurring program fees - Bus (annual, service available mornings and afternoons at 15:20 and 16:55) — zone pricing by route: - Zone A: USD 2,707; Zone B: USD 3,198; Zone C: USD 3,669; Zone D: USD 4,160; Zone E: USD 4,751. Single ticket (one‑way): USD 15. - Cafeteria (annual fee for Preschool–Grade 12): USD 1,260. - Returned check fee: USD 50. Change fee: USD 50. Second replacement bus pass fee and other minor administrative fees apply as published. Late payment fees are charged monthly until the account is current. - Bookstore and sports uniform purchases: books, school supplies, and sports uniforms are available for purchase through the school bookstore; payments accepted in USD by major credit card, cash, or US check. Sports uniforms are required only for athletic teams where applicable.
Boarding - Boarding is not applicable. GISW operates as a day school; there are no boarding fees.
Other one‑time or occasional costs - New student enrollment fee (non‑refundable) as noted above: USD 2,500 (or USD 1,400 for Preschool→SEL transition). - Class account fee: USD 150 per student, per school year. - Technology fee for Grades 1–12: USD 200 per student, per school year. - Parents' or School Society membership fee: USD 150 per family, per school year. - Occasional program or activity fees (school trips, athletics team fees, special course fees) may apply; sports team uniforms are purchased separately through the bookstore. Returned check and administrative change fees apply as listed above.
Refund information and withdrawal terms - Tuition and fees are non‑refundable if a student leaves the school before the end of the school year. In cases of special hardship or family relocation that requires withdrawal during the school year, the school will consider a partial refund of prepaid tuition and/or waiver of remaining installments; decisions are made according to school policy and require a written request submitted within 10 days of withdrawal. Attendance for any part of a month is billed for the full month; leaves of absence require full payment of tuition and fees for the period.
Fee payment options (methods accepted) - Automatic bank account withdrawal (ACH) or automatic credit card charge via Blackbaud Tuition Management (Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express). A convenience fee applies for credit card payments and is billed separately. Families may also pay by check or wire transfer to the school; specific bank details are provided during tuition enrollment/registration for payments.
(End of fee overview.)
Fee details
Application fees
- There is no application fee charged by Washington Yu Ying Public Charter School for entry; all new applications are submitted through the My School DC common lottery system (no per-school application charge).
Tuition fees (by year group / school year)
- For District of Columbia resident students attending Washington Yu Ying PCS: there is no tuition and no mandatory school attendance fee; the school is a public charter school and does not charge tuition or mandatory payments for DC resident enrollment.
- For non-resident students (i.e., students who are not DC residents) a non-resident tuition charge may apply. The OSSE Nonresident Tuition Payment Scale for school year 2025–2026 (used where applicable) lists annual non-resident tuition amounts by grade group as follows: 2025–2026 rates — Pre-K3: USD 20,194; Pre-K4 & Kindergarten: USD 19,591; Grades 1–5: USD 15,070; Grades 6–8: USD 16,276; Grades 9–12: USD 18,385. For public charter schools an additional facilities fee applies (USD 3,850 for SY 2025–2026). These non-resident and facilities amounts are billed in addition to any applicable program-specific charges for students who qualify as non-residents. (If 2026–2027 OSSE nonresident rates are needed, those should be checked when published; the figures above are the OSSE SY 2025–2026 schedule.)
Per-term / per-year detail
- DC resident students: Annual tuition per student = USD 0 (no per-term tuition). Mandatory per-term or per-year tuition charges are not assessed for DC resident students.
- Non-resident students: the OSSE schedule above is expressed as an annual amount by grade band (annual total). Where charged, the OSSE annual total and the charter facilities fee are the baseline tuition-related amounts; billing frequency (term/month) for non-resident invoicing follows the enrollment agreement and OSSE/authorizer billing procedures.
Billing schedule and payment terms
- There is no school tuition billing for DC resident students.
- Optional and program fees (for example: before- and after-care, paid meals for non-eligible students, and fee-based extracurricular activities or individual field trips) are billed separately from enrollment and are collected by the responsible program or vendor. Washington Yu Ying uses the REEF aftercare registration system for before/after-school care and E-Funds for lunch and fee payments; those systems manage their own registration and billing schedules and payment terms. Before- and after-care is offered on a sliding-scale / voucher basis when eligible; families are billed according to the vendor's published schedule when they register for those services. Parents should expect program-level billing (monthly or per-session) for aftercare and per-event billing for optional activities.
Boarding / residential fees
- Washington Yu Ying PCS does not operate a boarding program. Boarding fees are not applicable.
Other costs and optional fees
- School uniform: Not required. There is no mandatory uniform fee.
- Meals: Breakfast is provided free to all students through the federal School Breakfast Program; paid lunch or snacks for families who do not qualify for free/reduced benefits are managed through the school's meal program and paid via the school's lunch payment system. Families should complete the Free and Reduced Meal (FARM) application if they believe they qualify for reduced or free meals. Meal charges, when applicable, are billed through the school's lunch payment system.
- Aftercare / extended-day programs: Before- and after-school care is offered and is fee-based; fees are charged and collected through the school's aftercare vendor/registration system (REEF/EZChildTrack) and are subject to that vendor's rates and payment rules. Sliding-scale and voucher options are noted as available.
- Field trips and voluntary activities: The school may charge fees for voluntary activities such as field trips or certain enrichment programs; such charges are activity-specific and billed separately when those activities occur.
- Other incidental fees: The school maintains an online payments link for lunch and miscellaneous school fee payments (E-Funds). Any incidental or optional fee assessed to a family (for example, lost-library materials, optional program supplies, or community-event tickets) would be billed through the school's established fee-payment channels.
Refund information
- There is no tuition to refund for DC resident students. Refund practices for optional, paid programs (aftercare, paid lunches, field trips, enrichment classes) are determined by the specific program or payment vendor and by the school's program policies; families should follow the refund and cancellation policies published by the program provider at the time of registration for that program. Examples of the program vendors used for billing at the school include REEF (aftercare) and E-Funds (lunch & fees payments).
Fee payment options
- Online payment through the school's E-Funds Lunch & Fees Payments portal is used for meal and miscellaneous fee payments.
- Before- and after-care registration and payment are processed through the REEF / EZChildTrack parent portal. Payment methods available there include the portal's accepted online payment methods (as provided by that vendor at registration).
- For non-resident tuition billing, invoicing and permitted payment methods follow OSSE/authorizer billing procedures for out-of-district tuition (as applicable).
Summary (key points for parents)
- Washington Yu Ying PCS does not charge tuition or mandatory attendance fees for DC resident students; there is no per-term or per-year tuition to be paid by resident families.
- Non-resident students may be billed OSSE's nonresident tuition by grade band plus a charter facilities fee (the OSSE SY 2025–2026 schedule provides the most recent published example of those amounts).
- Optional services (aftercare, paid meals for non-eligible families, field trips, enrichment) have separate fees and are billed through the program vendors (REEF, E-Funds, etc.). Sliding-scale and voucher help for aftercare is available where eligible.
If you need a single-line summary for a database entry: “Washington Yu Ying PCS: No tuition or mandatory fees for DC residents; non-resident tuition may apply per OSSE non-resident schedule (e.g., SY25–26 rates) plus charter facilities fee; optional paid programs (aftercare, meals, field trips) billed separately via REEF/E-Funds.”
Diving deeper
Diving deeper
Boarding arrangements
Boarding arrangements
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Boarding arrangements
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Uniform requirement
Uniform requirement
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Uniform requirement
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Food options
Food options
—
Food options
—
House system
House system
—
House system
—
Governance and ownership
Governance and ownership
—
Governance and ownership
—
Academics
Academics
Curriculum details
Curriculum details
Preschool: Ages 2 through 4; morning groups with the option of staying for the afternoon program and for extended care. Elementary School runs from School Entry Level through 4th grade with a modern learning environment, German curricula, English lessons at U.S. standards, and lab science. Grades 5 through 12 graduate with the U.S. High School Diploma and the German International Abitur, opening doors to universities worldwide. STEM/MINT is offered to allow students to specialize in rigorous mathematics and science curricula focused on problem-solving and research.
Curriculum details
The school uses the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme (PYP) within an immersive Chinese-English model. PK3 and PK4 have 100% Mandarin instruction with no English classroom instruction. Kindergarten and Grade 1 have Mandarin instruction for all subjects with 75% Mandarin and 25% English in core subjects, and English Language Arts is taught for 180 days. Grades 2–5 have a 50/50 Mandarin-English model with all subjects taught through 90 days Mandarin and 90 days English, delivered on an every-other-day language model.
Student teacher ratio
Student teacher ratio
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Student teacher ratio
—
Exam results
Exam results
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Exam results
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Higher education progression
Higher education progression
Graduates earn both the German International Abitur and a U.S. High School Diploma, enabling admission to universities worldwide.
Higher education progression
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Gifted and talented
Gifted and talented
STEM/MINT Education offers specialized mathematics and science curricula focused on problem-solving and research.
Gifted and talented
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Academic calendar
Academic calendar
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Academic calendar
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Wellbeing & support
Wellbeing & support
Social & emotional learning
Social & emotional learning
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Social & emotional learning
—
Special educational needs (SEN)
Special educational needs (SEN)
—
Special educational needs (SEN)
—
English as an additional language
English as an additional language
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English as an additional language
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Mental wellbeing
Mental wellbeing
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Mental wellbeing
—
Safeguarding
Safeguarding
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Safeguarding
—
Safeguarding policy
Safeguarding policy
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Safeguarding policy
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Facilities
Facilities
Facilities overview
Facilities overview
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Facilities overview
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Sports facilities
Sports facilities
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Sports facilities
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Academic facilities
Academic facilities
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Academic facilities
—
Extra curricular facilities
Extra curricular facilities
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Extra curricular facilities
—
Parent experience
Parent experience
History
History
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History
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Community
Community
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Community
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Parent teacher association
Parent teacher association
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Parent teacher association
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Extra-curricular
Extra-curricular
Academic & intellectual
Academic & intellectual
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Academic & intellectual
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Arts & creative
Arts & creative
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Arts & creative
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Cultural & language
Cultural & language
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Cultural & language
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Social & hobbies
Social & hobbies
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Social & hobbies
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Community & service
Community & service
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Community & service
—
Leadership & professional
Leadership & professional
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Leadership & professional
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Lifestyle & wellbeing
Lifestyle & wellbeing
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Lifestyle & wellbeing
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Language provision
Language provision
Language provision
Language provision
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Language provision
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Bilingual teaching
Bilingual teaching
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Bilingual teaching
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Immersion programs
Immersion programs
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Immersion programs
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Reputation
Reputation
Awards
Awards
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Awards
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Accreditations
Accreditations
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Accreditations
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Admissions
Admissions
Admissions
Admissions
1. Create an account on GISW's application portal to start the online application. Submit the required information and supporting documents via the portal. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis, subject to availability. The fee schedule includes an Application Fee of $150, a New Student Enrollment Fee of $2,500 (with contract signing and non-refundable), and a Contract Deposit of $1,000 (added to tuition, non-refundable). 2. After the Admissions Office reviews the application, the decision is posted in the application portal. The typical processing time is four to six weeks. GISW cannot accept new students in Grade 12. Application checklists cover Preschool (2, 3, 4-year-olds), Grades K-4, and Grades 5-11. 3. If admitted, sign the enrollment contract in the application portal. The contract submission is due 10 days after receipt. For questions, contact the Director of Enrollment Management, Ms.
Admissions
To enroll, families apply through the My School DC lottery. Yu Ying participates in the My School DC common application and common lottery, which means only applications submitted through My School DC are accepted. New students must complete the Yu Ying online registration form via PowerSchool (you'll receive instructions in a separate email) and submit a copy of the child's birth certificate. You must also submit the DC Residency Form and proof of DC residency via DocuSign; the DocuSign message will include instructions on online completion and document attachment. Before the first day of school, submit additional forms including the DC Universal Health Certificate, the DC Oral Health Assessment Form, up-to-date immunizations, and any applicable Medical Dietary Accommodations Form or Milk Substitution and Philosophical Dietary Accommodations Form; provide an IEP if applicable. Immunizations must be current to attend in person. Siblings of current Yu Ying and DCI students may receive enrollment preference if they live with the current student in Washington, DC and are related by blood or adoption, or are a step-sibling. Equitable Access Preference: Yu Ying is open to all and sets aside seats for at-risk students (homeless, in DC foster care, or eligible for government benefits such as SNAP or TANF) to improve their chances of matching with Yu Ying when they select the school as a top choice in the My School DC lottery. The page notes a helpful My School DC lottery video and provides an “Apply Now” link for the process.
Scholarships
Scholarships
GISW offers need-based financial aid through the Tuition Assistance Program (TAP). FAST (Financial Aid for School Tuition) provides the need analysis used to determine awards. Awards typically range from 10% to 40% of tuition, with a maximum of $4,000 per student for Preschool. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis; those submitted by February 20, 2026 are guaranteed a response by March 27, 2026 via email.