Colegio Alemán de Puerto Varas

The school is located at KM 1,4 Camino Ensenada, Puerto Varas, Chile. Contact: Tel +56 65 2 230450; Email info@dspuertovaras.cl.

From Spielgruppe (playgroup) to IV Medio (12th grade).

The school offers the International Baccalaureate (IB) Primary Years Programme and is an applicant for the IB Middle Years Programme.

Germany (Schulen Partner der Zukunft network)

The school offers science–humanities education from early childhood (Medio Mayor) through the fourth year of upper secondary education. The initial cycle comprises Spielgruppe, Prekinder and Kinder for students aged 3 to 6, with German taught from age 3 and a focus on constructivist pedagogy, social-emotional development, and the Faustlos program for peaceful conflict resolution. The First Primary Cycle covers grades 1–4 and uses the national curriculum implemented through the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme (PYP), organized around six transdisciplinary themes that foster conceptual understanding and personal and social skills to prepare students to be agents of change. The Second Primary Cycle and Secondary Education cover grades 5–12, with the International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme (MYP) for grades 5–9, aligning the national curriculum with Ministry of Education guidelines. The school is authorized to deliver PYP and MYP and is pursuing authorization for the Diploma Programme (IB DP), aiming to offer a continuous IB continuum; the IB framework emphasizes inquiry, international-mindedness, and holistic development within a student-centered approach.

The school fosters the development of cognitive, artistic, and athletic abilities. German is taught as the first foreign language and contributes to forming individuals who are engaged with a multicultural society and the environment, all within a person-centered educational model. The school's mission emphasizes forming integral people and promoting a respectful, inclusive community. The vision describes a secular institution that develops students who fully realize their potential, maintain harmonious relationships, and lead with mutual understanding in a global society. The school includes a Plan for Integral Formation and a Plan for Citizen Formation as part of its social and emotional learning framework, and maintains a School Coexistence Plan to support a positive and safe learning climate. The IB program and its practices reinforce these aims by encouraging students to be proactive, responsible, autonomous, and open-minded.

The school has a Diversity in Learning Policy that governs attention to diverse learning needs and differentiated assessment to ensure equitable curriculum access. It recognizes different learning styles and uses appropriate diversification and curricular adjustments when needed. It defines Special Educational Needs as permanent or temporary difficulties requiring additional or extraordinary supports to ensure learning, with clear distinctions between permanent and temporary needs. It provides integrated support for all students and employs a psychoeducational team that coordinates interventions and may involve external specialists when appropriate. It establishes diversified evaluation procedures to guide supports and to share resolutions with families and teachers, and outlines specific actions to reduce barriers in methodological and socio-emotional learning, including clarifying instructions, adjusting workload, offering flexible modalities, and using alternative communication strategies.

The school participates in the International Baccalaureate (IB) program, authorized for the Primary Years Programme since 2019 and for the Middle Years Programme, with plans to implement the Diploma Programme to offer the full IB continuum. This reflects a multilingual, internationally oriented educational approach designed to prepare students for global engagement. The school also certifies German and English language proficiency; a ceremony recognizes language diplomas in German and English, underscoring English language certification as part of its linguistic offerings. The Deutsches Sprachdiplom (DSD) is available through KMK testing at the school, with DSD I (B1) and DSD II (B2/C1) offered since 2011 and 2014 respectively, and students may take these exams if they meet required standards. In addition, the school maintains language-related certificates in German and English, reinforcing its multilingual curriculum and opportunities for language certification.

The Diversity in Learning policy supports socio-emotional development by promoting equity, reducing barriers, and fostering personal growth and self-esteem. The school implements a psychoeducational support approach, with coordinated actions to support students' well-being and learning, including teacher training and information sharing across school years and referrals to external specialists when needed. It pursues a climate of inclusion and personal security, aligning diversified learning with strategies to strengthen resilience and confidence. The Talenteer program (featured in school communications) aims to broaden students' horizons, develop socio-emotional skills, and prepare them for higher education, reinforcing mental wellbeing through social and emotional development. The school also emphasizes citizenship formation and inclusive coexistence planning to cultivate a positive, respectful school climate and healthy student relationships.

The school publishes an Internal Regulations and Coexistence Policy, and admission processes require acknowledgment of the Educational Project, evaluation and promotion regulations, and the Internal Regulations and Coexistence Policy posted on the school site. This framework supports safeguarding by defining expectations for student conduct and by ensuring families are informed about the school's governance and convivencia standards. The school also provides procedures and supports to address student wellbeing within its inclusion and diversity practices, and communicates these policies to the community during admissions and ongoing schooling.

Admissions for 2027 run from April 1 to April 10. The process has the following steps: 1. Web registration: interested families must register online and complete the forms available in the admission schedule, including the application form, a sworn declaration, a document detailing the non‑academic binding variable, and proof of payment of the registration fee. 2. Submission of formal documentation: after online registration, families must attach the documents specified in the Admission Regulations. 3. Interviews with families: parents or guardians of applicants participate in an interview with two members of the admissions committee to discuss the Educational Project and address questions. 4. Interviews with applicants: applicants from 2nd Grade to IV Medio participate in interviews to explore their interests and prior schooling. 5. Scoring: admissions consider two variables for all applicants from Medio Mayor through IV Medio: an academic variable (based on an observation day or tests) and a binding non‑academic variable. The final score combines these two components: 50% from academic assessment and 50% from non‑academic indicators. 6. Results and waiting list: selected applicants who fill vacancies are admitted; if vacancies are insufficient, a waiting list is created and remains in effect for the current year. 7. Enrollment: families notified of selection must enroll within five business days; failure to enroll is treated as withdrawal. 8. Age requirements by cycle: Medio Mayor admission requires the child to be 3 years old by March 31 of the ingreso year; Pre‑Kinder and Kinder require ages 4 and 5 by that date; Primero Básico requires 6 years by that date; from 2° Básico to IV Año de Enseñanza Media, language and mathematics exams are required and a passing mark of 60% is required for each. 9. Seats by course: course seat availability is published as part of the admission schedule. 10. Cupos por Curso are published on the admission materials and related links.

If the number of applicants with approved examinations exceeds the number of available seats, those with the highest scores are admitted and a waiting list is created. The waiting list remains in effect for the current year. The list is published in a visible place at the school and applicants' families are notified in writing within 15 calendar days after the selection term.