Twin Cities German Immersion School

The idea for an independent school arose in 2001 from a very successful Saturday school and a handful of dedicated parents, teachers and employees of the Germanic-American Institute in St. Paul. The TCGIS then began its official operations as a public charter school in the fall of 2005 with 43 children and 2 teachers in kindergarten and 1st grade. The school's mission is "Innovative Education of the whole child through German immersion," and the stated educational goal is to educate young people to be open and responsible global citizens: "Hearing others, seeing others, thinking and acting with an open mind."

The TCGIS has now developed into a two- to three-stream K-8 (elementary school and middle school up to grade 8). The school currently has about 535 students, 80 employees and 10-15 teaching interns per year from German-speaking countries.

The aim of the primary school is to lay a solid foundation for the German language in the students. All core and minor subjects are taught in German. The "responsive classroom" principle ensures that teachers and students work together to create a social and academic learning environment that enables better collaborative learning and working. At the end of primary school, all students should be able to communicate in German, both written and spoken. In the middle school, which is designed to prepare students more for American high school, some subjects are also taught in English. However, a high proportion of German in the academic area is retained here too. In the 5th grade, the students take part in the international comparison test A2. The 8th grade students take the DSD I exam. In the 7th grade, the students have the opportunity to take Spanish as a third foreign language. There is an annual exchange with three schools in Ochtrup, Schöppingen and Gronau.

Since 2016, there has been a close cooperation with Central High School in St. Paul, where TCGIS students can participate in a German immersion program that leads to the International Baccalaureate. At the high school, students take the DSDII exam. Students leave school at a C1 level and with a degree that is recommended by the KMK as a university entrance qualification in Germany.