Kaiserslautern High School

Kaiserslautern High School, (formerly known as Rhine High School or Kaiserslautern American High School) also known as “K-Town” or simply “KHS”, is a private, Department of Defense (DoD) operated international school in Kaiserslautern, Germany. The school, which serves over 800 students with 62 full-time educators (11:1), is located at Vogelweh.

KHS is part of the DoDEA (Department of Defense Education Activity) as well as DoDDS (Department of Defense Dependents Schools) system. KHS is located in the Kaiserslautern District, one of the six European school districts run by DoDEA, and is one of largest DoDDS school by population in Europe. KHS serves students of the KMC (Kaiserslautern Military Community). The KMC inhabits approximately 50,000 Americans and is therefore the largest community of Americans outside of the continental US.

Shortly after the development of Western Area Command (WACOM) in 1952, when Americans took over the western area of Germany from the French, KHS was housed in a converted apartment building. On March 12, 1953, the school moved in to an old hospital building, and expanded continuously over the years.

From 1953 to 1958, the school included a dormitory for approximately 150 French and German students. The school was originally known as Rhine High, wasn’t referred to as KAHS until the early sixties, and KHS fairly recently. The school grew quickly, and prior to the construction of Ramstein High School in 1982, KHS was the largest military-operated high school outside the continental US with an enrollment of more than 1600 students.

Today, Kaiserslautern High School’s enrollment has increased due to the relocation of military forces in Europe. Nevertheless, KHS is known for providing excellent education, and has a graduation rate of over 85%. When compared to other DoDEA schools, KHS ranks first in standardized test scores. With an annual tuition of approximately $17,000, KHS is also a rather expensive institution. However, dependents of the military, Department of Defense contractors, NATO members and retired military dependents are exempt from paying.

KHS is fully accredited by the North Central Association for Accreditation (NCAA). Every five years the school is visited by North Central to assess the success of the school's individual school improvement plan. The professional and auxiliary staff members at the school complete an in-depth report which addresses one affective and one cognitive area that the school has chosen to address in an outcomes based school improvement plan. This self-study is submitted to the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools for their review and evaluation.

In 2012, Dr. Barriett Smith replaced Dr. Jennifer Beckwith as principal. Smith transferred from Ramstein High School, one of the largest schools in the DoDDS system. In 2011, the former vice principal Ms. Claudette DeWitt was replaced by Mr. Dana Francis.