International Kindergarten in Düsseldorf: ISR Kindergarten Düsseldorf

Hallmarks of ISR Kindergarten Düsseldorf include a structured preschool curriculum with lessons in English, mathematics, and German; internationally trained Early Years Educators; group sizes adapted to each age; a modern new building with an outdoor play area; and care from 7:30 AM to 6:00 PM almost all year round.

From August 2027, families will also have access to an ISR school just a few hundred meters away: ISR Elementary School Düsseldorf.

A detailed description is available on the pages About ISR Kindergarten Düsseldorf and Why ISR Kindergarten Düsseldorf?

Cultural diversity shapes daily life at the kindergarten: events such as Community Culture Day give families the opportunity to share their own culture with the community, while German lessons introduce children to regional celebrations and traditions.

Further details about the location are provided on the About ISR Kindergarten Düsseldorf page.

In addition to English-language instruction, every child receives one hour of German each day. Early childhood education at ISR is therefore bilingual from the very beginning.

ISR Kindergarten Neuss, on the school campus, likewise teaches in English and follows the same academic program.

With the Autobahn close by, the kindergarten is easy to reach by car, and it is also well served by public transportation. The future ISR Elementary School Düsseldorf in the Altes Comenius in Oberkassel is just a few hundred meters away.

Directions to ISR Kindergarten Düsseldorf are available online, and the City of Düsseldorf provides information on the neighborhoods on its page for Stadtbezirk 4.

Children who turn three after June 30 of the year of enrollment are first assessed in person for their individual readiness before an admission decision is made.

For children under the age of three, ISR Kindergarten Meerbusch in Meerbusch-Büderich offers places from the age of one.

Children may arrive between 7:30 AM and 8:30 AM, and the kindergarten's instructional program ends at 3:10 PM. Pickup begins at 3:15 PM; afternoon care is followed at 4:15 PM by the Extended Care Program, which runs until 6:00 PM.

During the two-week summer closure, children may attend the ISR Summer School in Neuss. External partners also enrich the afternoons with activities such as music lessons.

The new campus is not a newly founded school but an extension of the existing one: its curriculum, educational approach, enrollment contract, tuition structure, and quality standards are identical to those of the Neuss campus and the ISR kindergartens in Düsseldorf-Niederkassel and Meerbusch-Büderich.

The school building, first occupied in 1912 on what was then Comeniusplatz, will thus return to its original purpose. The motto “Omnes omnia omnino” – everything, to everyone, thoroughly – on its historic facade embodies both more than a century of school tradition and ISR's own educational aspirations.

Further information is available on the ISR Elementary School Düsseldorf page.

Both locations belong to Stadtbezirk 4 on the left bank of the Rhine. The Elementary School will also be easy to reach from many parts of Düsseldorf via the nearby Belsenplatz and Barbarossaplatz public transit stops, and, as in Neuss, ISR will offer a school bus service.

An overview of all ISR locations in Düsseldorf is available on the International School in Düsseldorf page.

Families who begin in Oberkassel in August 2027 will form the founding cohort of the new campus and help shape its culture and community. For families at the kindergarten in Niederkassel, the journey there is especially short.

Questions about admission are answered by the ISR Admissions Team.

In ISR's experience, children from the ISR kindergartens are well prepared for Elementary School both academically and socially, and they get to know their teachers and new surroundings before the first day of school.

On their first day, new first graders are welcomed with a traditional German Einschulung ceremony, and each child receives a Schultüte, a traditional German school cone filled with school supplies and small surprises. In Oberkassel, parents, grandparents, and the school community will gather for this occasion in the Altes Comenius.

German is required for all students – either as a first language or as a foreign language, based on the North Rhine-Westphalia state curriculum. Beginning in Grade 6, students add a third language: French, Spanish, Japanese, or Chinese.

Details are provided in the Elementary School Curriculum.

An established substitute teacher system ensures that classes continue even when teachers are absent. A school nurse and a Wellbeing Counselor will be on site, and a security officer will accompany students during arrival and dismissal.

In addition to thoughtfully equipped classrooms, the historic building will feature a spacious auditorium, a gymnasium, a modern library, and newly designed playgrounds and outdoor learning spaces.

This path leads to two diplomas: the IB Diploma, recognized in Germany as equivalent to the Abitur, and the ISR High School Diploma. The Class of 2026 achieved an average IB score of 36 points with a pass rate of 100 percent.

An overview of the entire educational path is available on the Paths to University page.

For the youngest children, ISR has developed its own K-Starter program, in which children learn through sensory experiences and themed units that include social-emotional lessons, baking, and nature explorations.

The curriculum is flexible and responds to each child's stage of development, and mindfulness practices help children recognize their emotions and respond to them appropriately.

From “A” for Apfel to “Z” for Zebra, children explore letters, sounds, and words in a playful way and create a small piece of artwork for each letter; numbers, colors, and a steadily growing vocabulary follow.

Traditional German songs, rhymes, and games, as well as regional celebrations, are an integral part of the lessons.

Independence matters just as much: children practice putting on their own shoes, coats, and rain pants. At lunch in their classroom, they set and clear the table, learn to use utensils, and practice good table manners.

Conferences are generally held online, and parents may request a meeting with their child's educator at any time. Weekly group updates, the KG Times newsletter, and email reminders keep families informed.

All parents are also members of the ISR Parent Network, which fosters exchange between families and the school.

Music and Mindful & Motoric Movement complete the weekly schedule. Children eat lunch together in their classroom, followed by a quiet rest period. Afternoons are devoted to music, dance, games, arts and crafts, a second snack, and further playtime; in KG2, the morning's learning is also reinforced through crafts, games, and songs.

A detailed daily schedule for each age group is described on the About ISR Kindergarten Düsseldorf page.

The rooms are tailored to the different age groups and offer space for focused learning as well as for movement and free play.

Photos and further information are available on the Why ISR Kindergarten Düsseldorf? page.

They are joined by a physical education teacher and by the German teacher who works with each group every day, so that the needs of every child can be met individually.

• ISR Kindergarten Düsseldorf – Niederkasseler Kirchweg 36, 40547 Düsseldorf; from age three; taught in English with daily German lessons; 7:30 AM – 6:00 PM.
• ISR Kindergarten Neuss – Konrad-Adenauer-Ring 2, 41464 Neuss; from age three; taught in English with daily German lessons; 7:30 AM – 6:00 PM.
• ISR Kindergarten Meerbusch – Isseldyk 51, 40667 Meerbusch; from age one; German-language with a bilingual program; 7:30 AM – 6:00 PM.

An overview of all three locations is available on the ISR Kindergartens welcome page.

In Neuss, the kindergarten, the Elementary School, and the Secondary School share one campus with a gymnasium, a library, a cafeteria, and an integrated music school; a school nurse is also on site.

Further information is available on the pages International Kindergarten in Neuss and About ISR Kindergarten Neuss.

Children learn in under-three and over-three groups; core hours run from 9:00 AM to 3:15 PM, with care available from 7:30 AM to 6:00 PM. Set idyllically within a nature reserve, the kindergarten is open nearly year-round and closes only between Christmas and New Year's and for two weeks in July.

Further information is available on the Why ISR Kindergarten Meerbusch? page.

The ISR Admissions Team is pleased to advise on the most suitable location.

Useful questions include:

• Does the kindergarten follow a structured preschool curriculum?
• In which language are children taught, and how is German supported?
• How large are the groups, and how many staff members support them?
• What are the care hours and closure periods?
• How are parents informed about their child's development?
• Which school follows, and how far away is it?
• Can we visit the kindergarten before applying?

The answers for ISR Kindergarten Düsseldorf are set out on the Why ISR Kindergarten Düsseldorf? page.

For families in Oberkassel, this means an international kindergarten combined with a future school in their own neighborhood. Official information on the neighborhoods is available on the City of Düsseldorf's page for Stadtbezirk 4.

Families from Neuss and the surrounding Rhein-Kreis Neuss will find an equivalent program at ISR Kindergarten Neuss on the school campus.

ISR is funded entirely by kindergarten and school fees and receives no public funds; all revenue is reinvested exclusively in the education of its children and students.

Further information is available on the Tuition Fees page.

ISR accepts inquiries throughout the year; admission and group placement depend on the individual child and on availability.

Families who are also interested in ISR Elementary School Düsseldorf can already enroll their child in the 2027 founding cohort; enrollment opened in October 2026.

Information on fees is available from the ISR Kindergarten Düsseldorf team at +49 (0)211 95074-13 or info@isr-kindergarten.de.

ISR Elementary School Düsseldorf shares the tuition structure of the Neuss campus, and all-day care until 6:00 PM is included at no additional cost. Further details are provided on the Tuition Fees page.

Tours of ISR Elementary School Düsseldorf in the Altes Comenius will be offered beginning in February 2027. Written inquiries can be sent via the ISR Kindergarten Düsseldorf contact form.

Contact details for the locations:

• ISR Kindergarten Düsseldorf: +49 (0)211 95074-13 · info@isr-kindergarten.de
• ISR Elementary School Düsseldorf (Admissions): +49 (0)211 95074-14 · Isabel.Reimann@isr-school.de
• ISR Kindergarten Neuss: +49 (0)2131 40388-0 · info@isr-school.de
• ISR Kindergarten Meerbusch: +49 (0)2132 5159899 · kontakt@isr-kindergarten.de

ISR International School on the Rhine offers international early childhood education to families in Düsseldorf, Neuss, and Meerbusch at three kindergarten locations. In Düsseldorf, ISR Kindergarten Düsseldorf in Niederkassel will be joined in August 2027 by ISR Elementary School Düsseldorf in neighboring Oberkassel.