German International School Washington D.C. vs Washington Yu Ying Public Charter School

	G German International School Washington D.C. Washington Dc, United States	W Washington Yu Ying Public Charter School Washington Dc, United States
Snapshot	Snapshot
Fees / year	Fees / year $16,430 - 31,830	Fees / year $0 - 24,104
Age range	Age range 2 - 18 years	Age range 3 - 11 years
Type	Type Co-educational	Type Co-educational
Curriculum	Curriculum 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 —	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 —	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 —	Boarding arrangements —
Uniform requirement	Uniform requirement —	Uniform requirement —
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 —	Student teacher ratio —
Exam results	Exam results —	Exam results —
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 —
Gifted and talented	Gifted and talented STEM/MINT Education offers specialized mathematics and science curricula focused on problem-solving and research.	Gifted and talented —
Academic calendar	Academic calendar —	Academic calendar —
Wellbeing & support	Wellbeing & support
Social & emotional learning	Social & emotional learning —	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 —	English as an additional language —
Mental wellbeing	Mental wellbeing —	Mental wellbeing —
Safeguarding	Safeguarding —	Safeguarding —
Safeguarding policy	Safeguarding policy —	Safeguarding policy —
Facilities	Facilities
Facilities overview	Facilities overview —	Facilities overview —
Sports facilities	Sports facilities —	Sports facilities —
Academic facilities	Academic facilities —	Academic facilities —
Extra curricular facilities	Extra curricular facilities —	Extra curricular facilities —
Parent experience	Parent experience
History	History —	History —
Community	Community —	Community —
Parent teacher association	Parent teacher association —	Parent teacher association —
Extra-curricular	Extra-curricular
Academic & intellectual	Academic & intellectual —	Academic & intellectual —
Arts & creative	Arts & creative —	Arts & creative —
Cultural & language	Cultural & language —	Cultural & language —
Social & hobbies	Social & hobbies —	Social & hobbies —
Community & service	Community & service —	Community & service —
Leadership & professional	Leadership & professional —	Leadership & professional —
Lifestyle & wellbeing	Lifestyle & wellbeing —	Lifestyle & wellbeing —
Language provision	Language provision
Language provision	Language provision —	Language provision —
Bilingual teaching	Bilingual teaching —	Bilingual teaching —
Immersion programs	Immersion programs —	Immersion programs —
Reputation	Reputation
Awards	Awards —	Awards —
Accreditations	Accreditations —	Accreditations —
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.	Scholarships —
Waitlist	Waitlist —	Waitlist —
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