Education

Enrollment in schools is based on where you live, not where you work. For more information regarding school zoning (including what villages are serviced by DoDEA buses), please contact the School Liaison Office at 86msg.slo@us.af.mil or the DoDEA Transportation Offices at kaiserslautern.sbo@dodea.edu or Ramstein.SBO@DODEA.EDU.

The following documents are required to enroll students in DoDEA Schools:

• Sponsor's Orders
• Proof of residence or TLA
• Parent ID
• Student Social Security Number
• Shot Record
• Previous school records/address (if applicable)
• Birth Certificate/Passport (Kindergarten & 1st Grade)

Registration forms for DoDEA schools can be completed online at https://www.dodea.edu/registration.  You will have to finalize the enrollment directly at the school you are zoned for; if a family decides to enroll their child(ren) into school while they are still in TLF/TLA, the school zoned for your TLF/TLA location will be the assigned school for the student. Please understand that when the family moves out of TLF/TLA, and if the permanent home is outside the current school zone, the child(ren) will need to switch schools accordingly.

Students who enroll in DoDEA schools are required to meet specific immunization requirements (DoDEA Regulation 2942.01, “School Health Services,” September 2, 2016).Current immunizations required are against measles, mumps, rubella (MMR), meningococcal, varicella (VAR), chicken pox, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, influenza, diphtheria, tetanus toxoids, and Polio virus.

Age requirements:

• Sure Start, a child must be 4 years of age by September 1.
• Kindergarten Programs, a child must be 5 years of age by September 1. 
• First Grade, a child must be 6 years of age by September 1. 

If you have any questions about exceptions, please contact DoDEA.

School age dependents without command sponsorship will be considered on a space-available basis. Space-available students require prior approval from the District Superintendents' Office for enrollment and must have base access.

Part-time status only applies to homeschool students DoDEA AI 1375.01.-1.2

Home schools may enroll their children in a DoDEA school on a part-time basis to permit them to complete graduation requirements or to obtain a course required for admission to a specific post-graduation program. For more information, please speak to the counselor at the school your home is zoned for.

The DoDEA instructional program provides a comprehensive Pre-K through 12th grade curriculum that is dedicated to attaining highest student achievement for all students. Currently 100% of DoDEA schools are accredited and in good standing with their regional accrediting agency. Students consistently achieve high scores in the National Assessment of Educational Progress and above the national average on standardized assessments. Minority students have been especially successful, scoring at or near the highest in the nation in mathematics.

DoDEA measures student progress with multiple performance-based assessments. Beginning in School Year 2017-2018, and in conjunction with the implementation of the College and Career Ready Standards (CCRS), DoDEA transitioned to the DoDEA Comprehensive Assessment Program. DoDEA students also take the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), which provides comparisons of student achievement in reading, writing, math, and science. All DoDEA schools are accredited by the North Central Association Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement (NCA CASI) or the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Council on Accreditation and School Improvement (SACS CASI), which provide each school with an independent evaluation.

For more information regarding DoDEA’s curriculum, please visit the following link: Curriculum Standardized test scores for all the Kaiserslautern Military Community Schools are available through the DoDEA Data Center.

Tuition fees are updated annually, therefore it is recommended to check with DoDEA for the most recent fees. Tuition for the 2021-2022 school year:

TUITION RATES

Preschool Services for Children with Disabilities (PSCD) offers eligible young children with disabilities specially designed instruction, support, and services to meet their identified individualized learning needs. Rates vary by hours.

DoDEA, as one of only two Federally-operated school systems, is responsible for planning, directing, coordinating, and managing Pre-K through 12th grade educational programs on behalf of the Department of Defense (DoD). DoDEA is globally positioned, operating 166 accredited schools in 8 districts located in 11 foreign countries, 7 states, Guam, and Puerto Rico. DoDEA employs approximately 15,000 employees who serve more than 72,000 children of active duty military and DoD civilian families. DoDEA is committed to ensuring that all school-aged children of military families are provided a world-class education that prepares them for postsecondary education and/or career success and to be leading contributors in their communities as well as in our 21st century globalized society.

DoDEA operates as a field activity of the Office of the Secretary of Defense (Personnel and Readiness). It is headed by a director who oversees all agency functions from DoDEA headquarters in Alexandria, Virginia. DoDEA's schools are divided into 3 geographic areas: Europe, the Pacific, and the Americas.

There are 11 schools within the Kaiserslautern Military Community (KMC) that service the immediate area of Ramstein, Kaiserslautern, Vogelweh, Landstuhl and Sembach. The schools have a dedicated staff of professional educators including enrichment teachers, speech therapists, reading specialists, counselors, host nation and English as a Second Language teachers, and classes for students with special needs.

A variety of special education services are available through DoDEA from age 3-21. Working with your EFMP Specialist is imperative. The EFMP Specialist will work with the DoDEA schools in the KMC to determine if they are able to adequately service your child’s specific needs.

School age children attend the DODEA Europe East District in the Kaiserslautern Military Community (KMC). The KMC is the largest school district outside the continental United States with 31 schools. All schools are located near government housing areas. The school your child(ren) attends will depend on where you live, not where you work.

For a complete list of schools in the Kaiserslautern Military Community including links to their Web sites, E-mail addresses, and other contact information, click here https://www.dodea.edu/Europe/east/index.cfm

Standardized test scores for all DoDEA Schools  are available through the DoDEA Data Center https://www.dodea.edu/assessments/index.cfm

There are several private educational options available in the area. For a listing of some of the most up to date information, please contact the Kaiserslautern Military Community School Liaison Office at 314-480-9374.

There are no U.S. state or federal government regulations regarding homeschooling while in the KMC. Should parents be interested in homeschooling, it is highly recommended that they use an accredited curriculum and either go off of the requirements of the state they are PCSing from, or the requirements of their home of record state.

It is important to note that homeschooling in Germany is illegal for German citizens. Homeschooling families should be aware and use discretion when off base during “normal school hours” to avoid unwarranted attention by local authorities.

Parents who elect to homeschool may also enroll their children in DoDEA on a part-time basis. For more information, please refer to DoDEA’s Home Schooling Policy, or speak to the counselor at the school your home is zoned for.

The School Liaison Office may also connect homeschool families to local homeschool groups that sometimes share in field trips, PE, parties, curriculum fairs, science fairs, workshops and other educational and social activities. If interested, please contact the School Liaison Office at 314-480-9374.

Kaiserslautern Military Community School Liaison Office

DSN: 314-480-9374
CIV: +49 6371-47-9374
Organization Email: 86MSG.SLO@us.af.mil
Website: http://www.ramstein.af.mil/86MSGSLO/
Facebook: KMC School Liaison Offices

Building 2203 Room 111

Contact schools in the East District at the following link DODEA Europe East District

AAFES runs the cafeterias in all of the DODEA schools in the KMC. AAFES provides delicious and nutritious meals daily; hot lunches, vegetarian options, sandwiches and entrée salads. Fresh fruit and a variety of milk flavors are offered, as are a la carte options. School meals meet USDA dietary guidelines. 

How to Get Set Up for the School Meal Program:

• Register your child(ren) at school and obtain a DoDEA Student ID# (10-digit) from the school registrar.
• Set up a lunch account at the AAFES Exchange Customer Service Desk
  • a. Money can be deposited at the Customer Service Desk, online at MyPaymentsPlus or at the school cafeteria
  • You will receive a 6-Digit PIN number assigned to your child to use for all purchases
  • ALL students, including Sure Start and those eligible for Free & Reduced meals, must have a lunch account
• Deposit money into Student Accounts by setting up a Parent Account through MyPaymentsPlus
  • View student balances and purchase history
  • Make payments to your student’s account online or with the phone app
  • Set up alerts and reminders for low balances
  • Online deposits have a small nominal administrative fee to cover credit card fees
  • For additional support, contact MyPaymentsPlus at: +1-877-237-0946.
•      4. Apply online for the Free & Reduced Lunch Program
  • Apply at https://freeandreducedapps.aafes.com/
  • AAFES employees are the only people who have access to the application system
  • Parents must reapply every school year after 1 July
  • sure Start students MUST apply online for free lunches as part of the program
  • Not rank dependent; qualifications based on monthly income and household size

The Free/Reduced Lunch Program provided by the United States Department of Agriculture is available to families in the KMC. This program is based off of household size and income. Income for military families includes Base Pay, BAS, and any special duty pay if applicable. Civilians and contractor families are also eligible to apply. Guidelines for the FRLP can be found at the USDA Free and Reduced Lunch Program website.

Transportation

The safety of our children is paramount to every member of this community and all of us play an active role. Our community has an exemplary school bus safety record because of the parents, school personnel, transportation office personnel, and security police working together.

All DoDEA schools in the KMC are located on the local US military installations. Students who live on base can walk to school if they are old enough according the KMC Child Supervision Policy Matrix, which can be obtained from your School Liaison Office. DoDEA provides bus transportation for eligible DoDEA-E students who live outside the school's walking area and within school districting lines.

To ride the bus, students must have a current bus pass, which can be obtained at the Student Transportation Office (contact information below). Supervision requirements for children walking to the buses and waiting at the pick-up location are also included on the supervision matrix. Safe and courteous conduct of dependents riding the school buses is the responsibility of the sponsor.

*It is recommended that before renting quarters on the economy, check with STO to determine if the residence is along an established school bus route.

German Schools

You may also choose to enroll your children in German schools rather than American schools. To do so, you must visit the school or Rathaus (City Hall) in or near the village in which you live for more information.