Switzerland has a largely decentralised education system. Each canton (district) has its own independent education department. The Swiss Conference of Cantonal Education is a united body of Swiss cantons aimed at standardising the system.

Education is divided into four sections: pre-school or kindergarten, primary, secondary, and tertiary or higher education. In the majority of cantons, English is taught beginning in the primary school level. Although private schools exist, the majority of students attend state-run schools. Education in Switzerland is compulsory until the age of 16.

Pre-school/kindergarten

Kindergarten (école enfantine in French and scuola dell'infanzia in Italian) attendance is mostly voluntary in Switzerland, although the majority of children attend a pre-school for at least one year.

Children are not divided into achievement groups at this level. Public kindergarten attendance is free of charge in Switzerland, with local government providing financial support.

Primary school

Primary school attendance is obligatory and free of charge for all children six years and older. Primary school lasts six years in 20 of the cantons and four or five years in the other cantons.

In comparison to the lower secondary level, children at the primary level are not divided into achievement groups. Cantons are responsible for determining the curricula of the primary schools. All of the cantons teach one national language (German, French, Italian or Romanic) and two foreign languages in addition to math, history, geography and science.

Lower secondary school

Pupils between 12 and 16 years of age attend lower secondary schools. In most cantons this level is divided according to performance: schools with basic courses promote practical abilities and prepare students for apprenticeships, while schools with expanded courses prepare students for general education schools or more demanding apprenticeships.

Upper secondary school

After nine years of compulsory education, adolescents continue to the upper secondary level, which is split into vocational and general education. Basic vocational education lasts between two and four years and provides practical and technical training.Education takes place at the company providing the apprenticeship, vocational schools, and in cross-company courses. General education students attend Matura schools and specialised middle schools, Fachmittelschulen. Matura schools’ curriculum includes languages, humanities, economics, math, science, visual arts, music and sport. Specialised middle schools prepare pupils for higher vocational education in healthcare, social service, teaching, communication and information, and the arts.

Tertiary level/higher education

Higher education includes technical and vocational schools as well as universities. There are 11 universities in Switzerland: nine run by the cantons and two, called The Federal Institutes of Technology, managed by the confederation of Zurich and Lausanne. Other universities are located in Basel, Berne, Fribourg, Geneva, Lucerne and St Gallen. To be accepted to a bachelor’s programme at a Swiss university, a foreign certificate must be recognised by the university as equivalent to a Swiss certificate, such as the International Baccalaureate diploma (IB), A levels (GCE) or equivalent.

Updated for 2011 in cooperation with:
Mrs. Raji Sundaram, Principal
British School of Geneva
+41 (0) 22 795 7512
principal@britishschoolgeneva.ch
www.britishschoolgeneva.ch