The Internationale Schule am Rhein (ISR) was founded on the initiative of the Rhein-Kreis Neuss, the city of Neuss and the Industrie- und Handelskammer ('Chamber of Commerce and Industry', IHK) of the mid-Lower Rhine, using the Internationale Schule Frankfurt (ISF) as a model. The ISR's governing body was established in October 2002.

 The start of the 2003/2004 school year saw the tentative start-up of the state-accredited alternative school in rooms of the Hammfeld vocational training centre. The first year already saw 16 nations united under one roof here in Neuss. It was clear that the Rhein-Kreis Neuss' vocational training centre would not provide enough space for the adequate conducting of a schooling programme ranging from kindergarten age up to Allgemeine Hochschulreife (a general qualification for university entrance). The problem was solved with an own school building on the Konrad Adenauer ring.

After a construction period of only 10 months, the necessary new building could be inaugurated in October 2007 and the ISR move to its final home by the municipal forest.

Since its move into the new, state-of the art, 14,000 square metre complex, pupils from approximately 30 different nations are educated there. As a member of the SABIS® school network, the ISR offers an outstanding international education concept with experience from over 40 similar school projects world-wide.

The use of English in class and as the everyday language from kindergarten onwards prepares the pupils for a world in which multicultural understanding is becoming ever more important.

"The Internationale Schule and its multilingual education spectrum is an important locational factor for the Rhein-Kreis Neuss. Foreign employees will only decide to accept a job in the region if an educational infrastructure is in place in which their children are well educated and in which they can gain internationally recognised qualifications. The same goes for international companies investigating the possibilities of settling here. In the age of globalisation and in the worldwide regional competition, the importance of the Internationale Schule as a locational advantage for the Rhein-Kreis Neuss will continue to grow." District governor Dieter Patt