page_title: Bonn American High School
section_title: High school opening
hierarchical_section_title: Bonn American High School / History / High school opening
caption_attribution_description: English: Sign of the former Bonn American Elementary School at the HICOG-Siedlung Plittersdorf in Bonn. Deutsch: Schild der ehemaligen Bonn American Elemantary school in der HICOG-Siedlung Plittersdorf in Bonn.
context_page_description: Bonn American High School was an American international school located in Bonn, Germany.
  Among the thirty-four American high schools opened in Germany by the United States Government during the Post-War period, Bonn American High School was unique in that it was the only school in the world built and owned by the U.S. Department of State. Developed out of an elementary school that originally opened in 1952, it was intended to support the families of personnel at the U.S. Embassy – which grew to become the largest U.S. Embassy in the world with over 900 Americans and 600 local staff – in Bonn, West Germany, then the linchpin of the West's engagement during the Cold War. When BAHS opened in 1971, it was only the thirteenth USG high school in Germany, and although not associated with a U.S. Department of Defense military installation, it was staffed and run as part of the Department of Defense Dependents Schools system in an arrangement between the Department of State and the Department of Defense. BAHS closed in 1997 following the transition of the Embassy to Berlin, and was part of the Post-War American Plittersdorf settlement, now a protected historical area.
context_section_description: Prior to the opening of BAHS in 1971, students of high school age attended the U.S. Department of Defense schools in Frankfurt, Wiesbaden and even Bitburg.  They took a U.S. Embassy bus to these schools on Sunday evening and stayed in dormitories during the week, returning to Plittersdorf on Friday afternoon.
  Unlike Berlin, Bonn had no particular international community, but in the Post-War period and throughout the Cold War, it was a key European capital.  Thus BAHS not only served the U.S. Embassy in Bonn, but also drew students from Bonn's diplomatic community and international companies.  For example, the 55 students of the Class of 1974 included eleven nationalities from five continents.  Students from countries in conflict with each other sometimes attended and studied side by side at either BAHS or the BAES.
caption: Bonn American Elementary School sign remains visible in Plittersdorf.  BAES was housed in one of the Plittersdorf apartment buildings.
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