ISH is a non-profit organization and remains the only Council of International Schools-accredited organisation in Hamburg.

ISH was founded in 1957 as a British Army School with 50 students from 12 nations in the house of the U.S. Consul C. H. Timberlake.

The architects have designed buildings that offer a quiet ambiance for the education of pupils of different nations and cultures.

The ISH Music Enrichment Programme (MEP), founded in 2004, offers music instruction, both individual and ensemble, on the school premises to students in grades 1 to 12, as well as individual and group instruction on the following instruments: violin, viola, cello, flute, clarinet, saxophone, trumpet, French horn, trombone, guitar, bass, piano, drums/percussion and voice.

A wide range of Special Interests include the Chess Club, The Yearbook Production Team, The Model United Nations and Debating Society, and more.