Department of Defense Dependents Schools The Department of Defense Dependents Schools ( DoDDS ) are a network of schools , both primary and secondary , that serve dependents of United States military - and other non - US - personnel outside the United States . The schools themselves are operated by the Department of Defense Education Activity ( DoDEA ) . This school system , wholly located outside the country , is the tenth largest American school system . History . DoDDS started operating schools October 14 , 1946 for the children of military overseas . The intent was to ensure an American educational experience for the American student . Therefore the children , teachers , and educational program were and are American . It then cost $ 10 to enroll a child ( $ in 2017 dollars ) . The schools would get operational funds from profits made by Class VI stores ( alcohol ) . It now can cost as much as $ 20 , 000 for enrollment for non - Command Sponsored military families , or Command Sponsored Contractors , and increases approximately $ 800 annually . In 2011 there were 120 schools . There are two high schools out of the original eight opened post World War II still in operation , Heidelberg High School in Heidelberg , Germany and Kubasaki High School on Okinawa , Japan . . W . T . Sampson High School in Cuba , which started in 1931 , is also still open . Berlin , Bremen , Frankfurt , Heidelberg , Munich and Nurnberg American High Schools opened in Germany in 1946 . Kubasaki and Yokohama American High Schools opened in Japan in 1946 . The tenth largest American school system is outside of the United States . In 1946 , the Department of Defense Dependent Schools was created for dependents of military members of the armed forces in overseas areas . After World War II , the increased demand for American education overseas was a result of the government ' s decision to allow soldiers to bring their families when deployed . By 1949 almost 100 schools were being operated separately by the Army , Navy , and Air Force in countries around the world . Operations . All schools in the DoDDS system operate outside of the States of the United States and the District of Columbia . There are also some schools that operate on military installations within the United States , but those are grouped in a separate organization within DoDEA , the Department of Defense Domestic Dependent Elementary and Secondary Schools ( DDESS ) . DoDDS has superintendents for two districts : Europe and Pacific . The DoDDS Pacific schools are , for the most part , in the Far East on installations in South Korea and Japan . Schools on military bases in Guam are under DDESS jurisdiction , but are administered by DoDDS Pacific ( presumably for administrative convenience ) . Turkish DoDDS schools are served by the European branch . Schools on the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base in Cuba fall under the jurisdiction of DoDDS , but are administered by DDESS . Schools on bases in Puerto Rico are under DDESS . Although the schools are primarily for dependents of military personnel , U . S . government employees are allowed to enroll their children in the schools on a space - available basis . As all of these schools are situated overseas , a concerted effort is made to immerse the children in the local color . Language and culture courses are offered as early as elementary school , while advanced language courses and opportunities to intimately view the culture of the student ' s host nation are offered throughout high school . DoDDS schools operate with two structures in terms of grade levels : As a result of IDEA 2004 , students with special education disabilities attend schools within DoDDS . These students are in pre - K ( preschool or early childhood ) through high school . The infants - toddlers special education program exists overseas on USA military bases , though not coordinated through DoDDS . School psychologists are directly employed by DoDDS and civilian employed clinical child psychologists are employed by the USA military to provide direct and indirect services to students with special needs . Not all levels of special education services are available at all schools and base locations . DoDDS range from Kindergarten to 12th grade , and some Universities are accredited by the Department of Defense . Environmental changes . While there are typical environmental changes that may affect any child ' s educational performance such as divorce , and relocation , there are some that are systemic with military children . Relocation is frequent and parents may be deployed from home . A study was done focusing on parental absences during the time of the military deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan within the 2002 to 2005 time period . The study reports the adverse effects of deployment especially with long deployments or deployments that occur during the month of academic testing . Effects can continue and can be detrimental for children ' s academic achievements . Districts . For the European branch of DoDDS , there are 5 districts : The Pacific branch , officially DoDDS - Pacific / DDESS - Guam , has three DoDDS districts and one DDESS district : Miscellaneous . The Kaiserslautern District has the most DoDDS schools worldwide , and serves over 5 , 000 students . Starting the 2007 / 2008 school year , Kaiserslautern High School was combined with the neighboring elementary school . Students from Landstuhl Middle School and other students living in select areas were redistricted to Kaiserslautern starting with school year 2008 - 2009 . Current elementary students will attend Vogelweh Elementary . Therefore , KHS ' s student population will increase from 650 students to about 900 . For every sports season , the schools compete in the DoDDS Championship , held at various locations .