German Embassy School Addis Ababa

DBS Addis Ababa was founded in 1926 as an expert school within the Missionary House, with classes beginning in 1928 at the Mission House and later known as the Georg-Haccius Schule. The current campus on the German Embassy grounds was established in 1996 when then-President Roman Herzog broke ground, after earlier relocations including Amist Kilo where enrollment peaked. After World War II, the school was re-founded in 1954 as an interdenominational, multinational institution, and enrollment grew to about 150 by 1961 with German officials recognizing the school. The 1960s and 1970s brought growth, including the first graduating class in 1963, official German recognition in 1967, the Mittlere Reife in 1968, and a relocation to the Embassy again in 1978 during periods of instability. From the 1990s onward, a modern campus was developed, updated facilities opened in 2000, IB Diploma Programme was authorized in 2003, Ethiopian student readmission occurred in 2004, the 50th anniversary was celebrated in 2005, and PASCH (2010), Excellent German School Abroad status (2011), and IB accreditation (2014) followed; flood protection and new classrooms were completed in 2017-18. Today the DBSAA serves over 300 students from Kindergarten to the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme.

DBSAA has an active community including the German School Association, the Parent and Student Council, and Alumni. The Parent Council comprises the Chairman, Deputy Chairman, Secretary, Treasurer, and a Kindergarten coordinator; it represents the interests of all parents to the school administration, facilitates communication between parents and teachers, and participates in shaping school policies, programs and extracurricular activities, including organizing social, cultural and educational events and reporting outcomes from monthly meetings. The Student Representative Council represents the entire student body, with elections in Grades 5-12; it plans activities and fundraising, and acts as a liaison between students and the school administration, with biweekly meetings and an annual planning retreat. Alumni are welcome to stay connected via an online form, social media, and newsletters, and may visit the campus to share memories.

The Parent Council is the formal parent body at DBSAA. It includes the Chairman, Deputy Chairman, Secretary, Treasurer, and a Kindergarten coordinator. It represents parent interests to the school administration, facilitates communication between parents and teachers, and participates in shaping policies, programs and extracurricular activities that impact students. It organizes social, cultural and educational events and communicates monthly meeting outcomes to the parents. The Council mobilizes parent involvement for events such as Ethiopian Day, St Martin, Christmas, Jazz Festival, Sportsday, Open Day, Fleamarket and Booksales.