Max-Rill-Schule Schloss Reichersbeuern Private school

• Institution type: private school;
• Type of studying: mixed;
• Location: Reichersboern, Germany;
• Educational programs: middle classes (5-12, Abitur) with a linguistic, socio-scientific or musical bias;
• The total number of students: 160 people, 65 of them on board (about 5% - foreign students);
• Age of students: from 14 to 18 years old;
• Type of accomodation: residence;
• Language of instruction: German.

The Max-Rill-Gymnasium school Schloss Reichersbeuern is located in an unusually beautiful place, at the very foot of the Alpine mountains, surrounded by stunning, clean lakes (one of the largest is Tegernsee). This provides students with accommodation in an ecologically clean area, ample opportunities for hiking, walking, sports and outdoor activities - and at the same time a large and vibrant Munich can be reached in just 40 minutes.

The prestigious school in Germany adheres to the state educational program, but is not afraid to introduce different innovations and authoring techniques for achieving the best results. With full confidence, the school can be called a reformer: the humanistic principles of education here were among the first across the country. The school is rightly proud of the level of academic preparation of its students: the peculiarity of teaching here is the bias in the music sphere, linguistics or social (humanitarian) sciences. On a serious, practical level, lessons are being conducted on vocals, solo and choral singing, playing musical instruments, teaching acting and dramatic skills. Thanks to such thorough preparation, many graduates enter profile universities and conservatories all over Europe.

Max-Rill-Gymnasium Schloss Reichersbeuern respects and appreciates the personality of each student - but this does not mean abandoning strict discipline: all students carefully observe the rules of conduct, the daily routine, they are required to participate in all spheres of school life, in various projects and events. Homework is also carried out under the supervision of the teacher up to grade 10. All this guarantees the full involvement of children in school life, they constantly feel the attention and care, never remain alone with their problems and difficulties. Thanks to the chamber atmosphere and a small number of students here everyone knows each other in person, the teachers are well acquainted with each student.

The basis of school philosophy is based on 5 core principles:

• Effective interaction with society;
• Love of work;
• Creativity;
• Social responsibility;
• Healthy lifestyle.

Educational institution operates on the principles of gradual, integrated education:

• Introductory stage - grade 5 (homework already included in the lesson structure);
• Junior school - grades 6-7;
• High school - grades 8-10;
• High school, graduates.

In one class there are 10 to 20 children (depending on age: younger students study in smaller groups). A compulsory school uniform is not accepted here.

Jamie Perfect

Director of the International School of Bremen

Why do parents value primary and secondary schools in Germany so much?

German primary and secondary schools offer a balanced education that prioritizes critical thinking, discipline, cultural understanding, and practical skills. The International Baccalaureate (IB) program, offered by many international schools including ISB, is highly esteemed worldwide.

Max-Rill-Gymnasium operates as a full-day school (Ganztagsschule): classes begin at 8:15 and run until 15:40 (on Fridays until 13:05). All classes have 38 academic hours per week, with — depending on the grade — three to five study periods (Lernzeiten) per week for self-study. In small classes, with an average of 15 students, teachers know each child personally.

Key features of the educational process:

• Each student is equipped with a personal iPad for digital learning; all rooms are fitted with interactive projectors and Wi-Fi.
• A weekly reading lesson: texts are discussed, performed, and dramatized.
• Foreign language instruction places emphasis on oral proficiency.
• All tests are announced in advance; there are no unannounced assessments.
• There is no denominational affiliation; only the subject «Ethics» is taught.
• Twice a year, academic progress meetings (Lernstandsgespräche) are held with the participation of students, parents, and class teachers.
• The guild system (Gilden) — compulsory extracurricular activities in sports, social, and creative areas (Monday–Thursday, 16:00–17:15).

Support for special educational needs is available: a reading and spelling course for children with dyslexia, an individual learning coach, and the creation of personalised learning plans. Foreign students with insufficient knowledge of German are initially enrolled as guests, gradually integrating into regular classes; additional German lessons are provided on top of the standard timetable.

In the boarding house, every evening from 18:45 to 20:00 is designated as mandatory study time with mentors, and every Friday there is a form period led by the class teacher. On Saturdays, boarding students attend practical lessons in core subjects from 8:30 to 12:45.

Max-Rill-Gymnasium Schloss Reichersbeuern offers education from grade 5 to grade 12 in three main tracks:

• Social Science Track (Sozialwissenschaftlicher Zweig) — the school's leading track, introduced in 1965. The school is considered one of the leaders in Bavaria in this area; its teachers participated in developing the official curriculum and wrote an approved textbook. From grade 8 — 100 hours of social practical training in grades 9 and 10.
• Language Track — focus on foreign languages and oral proficiency. From grade 10, Chinese may be studied as a new foreign language.
• Music Track — professional study of vocals, solo and choral singing, instrument playing, and acting.

Additional programs:

• One-Year Intensive German Language Course (DaF) — for foreign students with no knowledge of German. Foreign students are first enrolled as guest students and gradually integrated into regular classes.
• Inclusive Program — the school accepts students with giftedness, Asperger's syndrome, ADHD, dyslexia, visual, hearing, and motor impairments. There is a reading and spelling course for children with dyslexia, individual academic coaching, and gifted support programs (from 2022–2023 — through the Bavarian Center for Giftedness).

• 2009 — the school was awarded the prize of the Masonic lodges of Munich and Southern Bavaria for its humanistic approach to education.
• The school theater Max-Rill-Theater has been nominated multiple times for the Tassilo-Kulturpreis by the Süddeutsche Zeitung newspaper.
• A 9th-grade student won the regional round of the Jugend musiziert competition in Bavaria and advanced to the final of the federal competition in the category «Classical Singing».
• Graduates consistently demonstrate high results in the Abitur exam: at the level of the Bavarian average and above.
• Participation and victories in competitions: Jugend musiziert (up to federal level), Jugend forscht, Mathematics Olympiad, European competition (Big Challenge), Planspiel Börse.
• Since 2023, the school has been participating in the federal research project schAUT together with universities, dedicated to studying barriers for students with autism.

• The school's symbol is an owl — the embodiment of wisdom, knowledge, and protection. The school is home to a real owl named Fritze and a school dog named Hanny.
• The school community represents more than 20 nationalities, including children from Brazil, China, Denmark, England, France, Italy, Croatia, Morocco, Nepal, Poland, Spain, Taiwan, and Turkey.
• For the 2018 anniversary, students created a school museum with an exhibition and archive in the arch of the castle gates.
• In 1965, the school was one of the first in Bavaria to introduce a social sciences track (under Principal Dr. Michael Scherer).
• The website is available in German, English, and Russian, and consultations for parents of foreign students are conducted in 7 languages.
• In 2014–2015, the school participated in a university research project «Child Well-being as a Collective Orientation Model».
• Collaborates with a partner school in Beijing.
• The Schlaglicht Kultur series offers lectures and discussions on current topics throughout the academic year.

For students Max-Rill-Gymnasium Schloss Reichersbeuern prepared cozy, fully equipped 2-4-bed rooms, high school students usually occupy private bedrooms, the total capacity of the residence - 60 people. In a spacious common dining room, meals are organized according to the principle of full boarding (three times a day), dishes are varied and balanced. Children are divided into "families" of 10-12 people, each headed by a "parent" - educator.

Subject list: Art, biology, business, chemistry, design, economics, geography, graphic arts, history, Information Technology, law, maths, physical education, physics
Activity list: badminton, diving, fitness, football, horseback riding, martial arts, music studio, sailing, skiing, swimming, table tennis, theater workshop, Trampoline jumping, volleyball, water sports, yoga

Many schoolchildren give free time to sports:

• Rock climbing and mountaineering;
• American football and basketball;
• Badminton;
• Archery;
• Aerobics;
• General fitness;
• Tennis;
• Golf;
• Ping-pong;
• Master mountain bikes;
• Mountain skis or snowboards;
• Hiking in the mountains and valleys.

The creative directions are also developed: drama, digital photography, music (singing in the choir, playing musical instruments) and even gardening. You can learn ballet, attend astronomy lessons and housekeeping, learn to provide first aid, to study political science and the basics of etiquette. Weekly meetings of academic circles are organized - they are based on all subjects of the program.

Each student at the Max-Rill-Gymnasium Schloss Reichersbeuern attends a minimum of 2 electives or a mug at his own discretion. For an additional fee, you can attend filmmaking classes.

Also, various trips, walks and excursions are constantly held:

• Visiting theaters;
• Cinemas;
• Museums and galleries of art;
• Concerts and exhibitions;
• Performances of chamber groups.

EXAMPLE SCHEDULE OF THE DAY

• 7:30 - breakfast;
• 7:55 - 13:05 - academic classes;
• 13:15 - lunch;
• 14:25 - 16:00 - academic classes;
• 16:15 - 17:30 - doing homework, playing sports and attending sports sections;
• 18:30 - dinner;
• 19:30 - free time, self-studying, leisure and recreation activities.

• State-recognized (staatlich anerkannt) private gymnasium since 1938 — the oldest secondary school in the Landkreis district.
• A non-profit School Association managing the school since its founding.
• Small classes: an average of 15 students, maximum 20.
• A multinational student community.
• Bavaria's leading school in the social-science profile (introduced in 1965), teachers participated in developing the official Bavarian curriculum.
• Located in a nearly 1,000-year-old castle in nature near the Alps, 40 minutes from Munich.
• Boarding house for 60 students with a system of small «family» groups of 8–12 children supervised by mentors.
• Guild system (Gilden): sports, creative, language, and craft activities for all-round development.
• Partner of the Clavis Festival classical music festival; the theater company is a nominee for a cultural award.
• Inclusive education: support for students with dyslexia, ADHD, Asperger's syndrome, visual, hearing, and motor impairments.
• Participant in a federal research project in collaboration with universities.
• Support for gifted students through training with the Bavarian Center for Giftedness (since the 2022/23 academic year).
• Prize-winner at regional and federal competitions: Jugend musiziert, Jugend forscht, Mathematics Olympiad, Big Challenge.
• Recipient of a humanist award for its approach to education.

The main school assignment is located in a real castle with narrow window-loopholes, round graceful turrets and thick stone walls. The charm of the antique interior, decorative wooden and stone elements is harmoniously combined with modern equipment and well-established infrastructure.

Some services are not included in tuition fee and are paid additionally:

• Registration fee;
• Teaching deposit;
• Personal, pocket money, additional costs (for example, individual lessons or excursions).

Extras:

• Registration fee (for a programme/course) 500 EUR
• Deposit for a course/programme 8400 EUR
• Pocket money 3000 EUR

Admission to Max-Rill-Gymnasium Schloss Reichersbeuern takes place in several stages, and Smapse specialists will guide you through each of them.

1. Initial consultation — introduction to the requirements and conditions, selection of the appropriate format of study (day school or boarding).
2. Introductory visit (Probewoche) — a trial week of residence: allows you to assess the atmosphere, meet the staff and classmates before making a final decision.
3. Personal interview with the school principal — an interview with the candidate and their family.
4. Enrollment processing — submission of documents and signing of the contract.

For foreign students, the mandatory minimum level is B2 (for admission up to grade 9). If the language level is insufficient, a one-year DaF course is offered directly at the school.

The school accepts students from primary schools, gymnasiums, foreign schools, Realschule (grades 5–6), after grade 10 of other types of schools, as well as from alternative schools (Montessori, Waldorf).

Graduates of Max-Rill-Gymnasium Schloss Reichersbeuern receive the Bavarian school-leaving certificate Abitur — one of the most recognized in Europe. The school's average grade consistently matches the Bavarian average of approximately 2.3:

• 2021: average Abitur grade — 2.29 (one of the best results, despite pandemic conditions),
• 2019: average grade for native German speakers — 2.28 (equal to the Bavarian average),
• 2016: average grade of the main graduating class — 2.11 (with the Bavarian average at 2.30),
• 2015: one of the youngest students in Bavaria passed the Abitur at age 16.

Thanks to the musical, linguistic, and social science profiles, many graduates go on to study at specialized universities and conservatories across Europe. The social science profile, with 100 hours of practical training in grades 9 and 10, gives graduates a competitive advantage when applying to faculties of sociology, political science, law, and international relations.

For admission to the Max-Rill-Schule Schloss Reichersbeuern, you should take care in advance of obtaining a student visa and collecting the necessary documents (at least a month). It will be necessary to provide a report card with grades from the previous place of study (the average score is not lower than the average), and also to demonstrate a sufficiently high level of the German language (from B2).

If the level of the German language or academic knowledge is insufficient, the child is encouraged to take an effective preparatory course at the Humboldt Institutions (Lindenberg or Bad Schussenried). In just 6 months you can raise the language level practically from scratch to the required B2 thanks to qualified teachers, balanced curriculums and full immersion in the language and cultural environment of Germany.

In order to become a candidate for enrollment in the Max-Rill Schule Schloss Reichersbeuern, the entrant will be required to provide the admission committee with the following information:

• Full name, date of birth
• School report card with grades, translated into German or English
• Personal hobbies, interests, success certificates in academic, creative activity
• Letters of recommendation from previous teachers translated into English or German
• Personal written motivation letter (in English or German).

It is also required to:

• Indicate (you can approximately) the annual or monthly budget for studying
• Select the priority region for obtaining an education in Germany.

After receiving all the necessary information, the advisory council begins selecting a school for the student: assesses its opportunities and requests, contacts schools identified as priority and reveals the number of seats available and the possibility of admission.

Usually, foreign students begin the process of studying in Germany with the Humboldt-Institute language courses (the German academic program for the year): in this case, the selected secondary schools receive full reports on the student's successes and achievements, his behavior in the classroom, tthe degree of involvement in school extra-curricular activities. After the preparatory language course is completed and all formalities are settled, the student goes for basic studying to the boarding school he has chosen and the advice board.

Scholarships can be awarded to students who have reached outstanding heights in music or art, and also demonstrate excellent academic success (scholarships targeted, personal).

• Guardianship services during the studies
• Student supervision