The Deutsche Internationale Schule Johannesburg is an integrated school with a bilingual educational programme: it offers both Matric, the South African exit exam, and the German Abitur.

After an overwhelming vote by parents, the decision was taken to rename the school the ‘Deutsche Internationale Schule Johannesburg’ in March 2003.

Founded in 1886, Johannesburg emerged after the discovery of gold, which saw many people flock to the area, including a large German community.

They were taught Religion, German, English, Dutch, Arithmetic, Biology, History, Geography, Singing, Drawing and Gymnastics.

In 1920, the School Board saw that the time had come to breathe new life into the Deutsche Schule Johannesburg project and Saturday classes started in the sacristy of the Friedenskirche.

Due to the strict policy of political neutrality to which the DSJ committed itself, the authorities allowed the school to remain open, this despite the anti-German sentiment in the country.

The facility in Hillbrow was too small and this meant that land in Parktown was purchased in 1959 but due to budget constraints, construction only commenced in 1967.

The cost of the new school building was an estimated R1 million and was paid for by the Federal Republic of Germany as well as a fund established by the parents.

From 2009 onwards, graduates would finish with a combined National Senior Certificate (NSC) and the German International Abitir (DIA).

In 2012, the opening of a Regentröpchen occurred (meaning that the DSJ caters for all learners from age 1 to Matric) along with the first Grade 8 class of the English Medium High School.