A long German-Iranian educational tradition
The German Embassy School in Tehran has a rich history dating back to 1907 when it was established as the first German school in the city. Initially subsidized by both the German and Persian governments, the school quickly grew in popularity, teaching up to 700 students by World War I. The teaching staff consisted of both German and Persian teachers, and the curriculum was taught in both German and Persian. Many of the school’s graduates went on to study in Germany and hold positions in higher administration in Iran, contributing significantly to the country’s technical development.
Despite interruptions caused by the two world wars and associated political effects, a German school was reopened in Tehran in 1955, known as the DST. Over time, the school grew in size and reputation, becoming the largest and most renowned German school abroad with almost 2,000 students from kindergarten to grade 13. The DST was also entitled to award school-leaving qualifications recognized in Germany and carried out a German Abitur examination in Tehran for the first time in 1964.
A cultural agreement allowed for gifted Iranian children to attend the German School in Tehran from grade 5 and above, making up two thirds of the upper school students. Due to high demand and limited capacity, the Iranian-German school was founded in 1975, providing bilingual education to German-Iranian children.
Following the Islamic Revolution, the German school had to cease operations in the spring of 1980. However, with the help of the German Embassy, the German Embassy School Tehran (DBST) opened just a few months later in September 1980, offering German schooling to remaining German-speaking and other foreign children. Today, the German Embassy School in Tehran continues to provide a high-quality German education to its diverse student body.
