I flew at Spangdahlem and there were a couple of civilian sim instructors that placed their kids in the base school (DOD school). They had to pay for it, but I believe it was well below the number you quoted for Colgne schools. If you wanted to live two hours south of Cologne in some nice little village serviced by the DOD school bus system, it may be something to consider. Much like Freight Dog's story, I have buddies that put their kiddos into German schools with great results as well.