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United States, San Francisco
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The German International School of Silicon Valley (GISSV) was founded in 1999 by six German and American families who desired a German and California accredited curriculum. The Mountain View campus welcomed its first 34 students in February 2000. In 2003, the school officially changed its name to German International School of Silicon Valley (GISSV). A San Francisco campus opened in 2011 in the Presidio and moved to Castro in August 2020. The Berkeley/East Bay campus opened in 2007 and later relocated to Emeryville in 2017, where it now operates as East Bay German International School, an independent school.
GISSV has a vibrant international school community thanks to small class sizes and a cohesive preschool–12 structure, with enriching events that involve all students, teachers and parents. The school operates across two campuses in Mountain View and San Francisco with bilingual German-English programming. The Parent Association coordinates volunteering, fundraising and signature events such as the Holiday Market in Mountain View and the Laternenfest in San Francisco.
Each GISSV campus has a Parent Association that works closely with the school administration and the Board of Directors. The PA includes representatives from each school division who meet with division heads to discuss issues. The PA coordinates parent committees and volunteers, and supports fundraising and signature events such as the annual Holiday Market in Mountain View or the Laternenfest in San Francisco. PA priorities include improving communication, fostering community, working with teachers, assisting with resolving issues, fundraising, encouraging volunteerism, and promoting GISSV. The PA uses the My GISSV portal for communication, including a PA newsletter and meeting minutes. Mountain View Campus contact: office@gissv.org; San Francisco Campus contact: sf-office@gissv.org.
German International School of Silicon Valley (GISSV) is an independent, nonprofit preschool–12 school with campuses in Mountain View and San Francisco, offering a dual-language education in German and English based on the Thuringian curriculum. The age range is 2 to 18. The school provides preschool–12 bilingual instruction with English and California standards integrated. Students graduate with both the German International Abitur and the California High School Diploma, enabling admission to universities in the United States, Germany and other European countries. The school is accredited by the German Government (ZfA) and the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC). Classes are small, with student-teacher ratios averaging under 20:1 overall and about 10:1 in preschool. From grade 6, students can study additional languages (French in Mountain View; Spanish in Mountain View and SF). The curriculum emphasizes project-based learning, social-emotional development, critical thinking, and access to science and technology resources. Beyond academics, GISSV offers orchestras, choir, musical theater, clubs, and international exchange programs, fostering a global community.
