
Schule Schloss Salem - Facts and Figures
A quick overview
Status
State accredited gymnasium and boarding school, Years 5 to 12
Degrees
Abitur (German university entrance qualifying examination) and International Baccalaureate (IB)
Round Square
Founding Member of Round Square, an international association of over 200 schools which are committed to the holistic pedagogical precepts of Kurt Hahn.
G30 Schools
Member of the G30 School Network of 50 leading schools from around the world
Internationality
Schule Schloss Salem is Germany's most prominent boarding school, both at home and abroad. Here students from 43 countries live and learn together, reflecting the diversity of our world today.
School Partnerships
Regular exchange programmes with over 50 partner schools on all continents
Enrolment
600 boarding school places for girls and boys (95% of the students are boarders)
Teacher-Student Ratio
1:6
Class Size
Between 14 (on average) and 22 (maximum)
Dormitory Wing Groups
Between 12 (Years 5 – 6) and 18 (Years 7 – 10) and 24 maximum in Years 11 & 12
Campuses
Age-consistent educational settings at two locations: Schloss Salem (Years 5-10) and Salem International College (Schloss Spetzgart/ Salem10PLUS, Year 11 & Härlen Campus/Year 12)
Scholarship Programme
Up to 20% of the students qualify for academic scholarships
Democratic Education
Strong student co-responsibility for everyday organisation through elected offices in both academic life and the boarding school
Learning to Take Responsibility
Three-year mandatory program of participation in active services to the school community and beyond (Fire Brigade, Red Cross, Emergency Rescue Services, Nautical or Water Rescue Services, Social Outreach Services, Environmental Awareness Service, Global Action Network, etc.); a comprehensive health education programme in Years 5-12
Foreign Languages Program
German and English are used for everyday communication on the school's campuses; in addition the following languages are taught in the classroom:
In Years 5 & 6:
Intensive "German as a Foreign Language" (DaF) for non-native Speakers
From Year 5:
English (also for native speakers)
From Year 6:
Latin or French as the second foreign language
From Year 8:
Spanish or French as the third foreign language, science or music track
Abitur or IB?
Unique in Germany, Salem offers to option to enrol in international classes from Year 8 onwards, as preparation for the student's choice between Abitur or IB after Year 10. The Baden-Württemberg curriculum is taught completely in English in IC classes.
Sportsactivities
Hockey is a school tradition, along with 20 other kinds of sports; indoor swimming pool at located in Schloss Salem; the school harbour at Lake Constance offers sailboats and kayaks.
Outdoor Education
An extracurricular programme like no other in Germany (age-appropriate challenges ranging from hut-to-hut hikes to weeks-long excursions to the Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award)
Holistic Learning
11 artisan-creative pursuits
Extracurricular Music
26 musical instrument teachers, school bands, school orchestra, school choir
Salem - and then?
Intensive career counselling with experts on the school staff, for both German-language countries and international placements
Theatre
A wide variety of musical and theatre performances throughout the year. Theatre Arts as curriculum choice in the IB Diploma programme
Holistic Education
Practiced in the organisation of daily life in the classroom and the boarding school
Salem 10Plus
Transition year into Gymnasium for students with school leaving certificates from Realschule or a comprehensive school; offering elementary Spanish as 2nd foreign language.