Danube International School

Danube International School (DIS) is a private international school in Vienna, Austria. located in the Second District, between the Danube Canal and the Prater. The school was previously situated in the 10th District but as it grew in numbers it was necessary to relocate. The present site is in a listed building (architect Gustav Sachs) which has been refurbished and modernised to provide spacious, light and airy accommodation.^{[citation needed]}

The school is privately owned and managed, but is accredited by the Austrian Government. It has a strong commitment to the international dimension and attracts a multi-cultural and diverse intake including many Austrians, but also children of parents in the international business, arts and diplomatic communities. DIS has an enrollment of approximately 380 students from pre-kindergarten to twelfth grade.

Courses

The school runs courses including IB Diploma the IB Middle Years Programme.

History

The school began in 1990 as a response to quotas imposed by the other International Schools in Vienna which had restrictions on the number of Austrians that could attend their schools. DIS was then known as the 'Pawen International Community School' with 9 students but by the end of the first year in June 1992 the intake had risen to over 170 students. The school rapidly outgrew the building. The school began in Schrutkagasse in the 13th District of Vienna (which now houses a Rudolf Steiner School), and then relocated to a building at Gudrunstrasse 184, in the 10th District, which was home to DIS for 7 years - from 1992 to 1999.

The school today and future plans

The school has recently seen a good deal of change and in 2009 a new director and secondary principal were appointed, both with strong senior leadership experience in a variety of international schools. The school has modernized and expanded the top floor creating a new art suite and extra classrooms.

DIS offers a wide range of sports and activities and has a strong commitment to community and charity work. For some years, DIS students have supported the Waluka Primary School in western Kenya. Danube International School Grade 11 and 12 students who visited Waluka Primary School in October 2007 raised over € 2.000 by auctioning photos which they had made during the visit and on safari afterwards. This money was used to pay for an energy saving stove (which burns wood), so that cooking school meals can now be done more efficiently. Firewood is scarce and expensive in Kenya. The energy saving stove allows Waluka Primary School to economize on firewood, enabling school lunches for over 700 students to be cooked more quickly and cheaply.

With continuing demand for private education in Austria the school plans a modest expansion of numbers over a period of years.

• Official School Site