You will find below a list of the most popular international and bilingual schools for expats in Switzerland with fee information. The list includes nursery schools, primary and secondary (high) schools for you to find the right school to prepare for the International Baccalaureate and other accreditation in Switzerland. Some schools may follow the American or British curriculums with English speaking programs while others are regulated under the French, German, Italian or Swiss language and system.

Education in Switzerland

Switzerland's education system is one of the most advanced in the world. The country is the go-to choice for many students looking to study internationally.

The administration and regulation of the school system in Switzerland is made by the cantons while having a set framework by the central government. Each canton sets its school calendar, curriculum, and criteria. This system is overseen by the State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI). The decentralization has it's perks, although it can make it hard for people to move their children from one canton to another.

Children start compulsory education when they are about four to six years old until about when they turn 15 years old. The cantons also regulate this.

Primary education

Primary education in most of Switzerland is considered from kindergarten to the first learning cycle. After they have finished kindergarten, around the age of 6, they go to primary school. Kindergarten is not compulsory in all of the cantons, but primary school is.

Depending on the cantons, the combinations might differ:

• In the German-speaking cantons, kindergarten and two years of primary education are combined into the first learning cycle, and students aged four to eight years are in the same class. They call this Grundstufe or Basisstufe.
• In the French-speaking cantons, two years of kindergarten are combined with two other years and make the first cycle of primary education.
• The Italian-speaking cantons children attend kindergarten from the age of four.

Secondary education

This is divided into two stages: lower secondary education and upper secondary education. Kids start their lower secondary education around the ages of 11 to 12, and it lasts 3 to 4 years. The upper secondary education is equivalent to the high schools in American education systems regarding the age of the students. Still, it is very much different from an American high school.

More information on the stages of education and schools can be found in the EasyExpat.com Guide to Geneva and Guide to Zurich

International Schools

International schools can be the perfect solution for an expat student (multinational corporation executives, children of diplomats, NGO staff) in Switzerland. Many schools provide similar standards of schooling around the globe, providing for an easy transition between schools whether they are in France or Vietnam.

There may be some local population, but the schools are usually geared for an international student body. Schools may follow a curriculum model from the US, UK, France, etc. Primary instruction may be any language (and multiple languages are usually taught), but it is usually in English, French, Spanish, German, or Japanese. Schools also provide internationally accepted accreditation such as the international baccalaureate.

Admission and enrolment procedures vary from school to school. Space is often limited and preference may be given to students based on nationality. Tuition tends to be expensive based on local standards, but offers high standards of learning, boast smaller class sizes, first-rate facilities, and extracurricular. Boarding facilities are available at some schools, but most only provide day classes.

Accreditation & Membership

• The CoIS (Council of International Schools) is a non-profit association of international schools and post-secondary institutions which provides educational accreditation, teacher and leadership recruitment services, links to higher education, governance assistance and help with founding new schools.
• European Council of International Schools (ECIS) is a collaborative network promoting the ideals and best practice of international education, complemented by grants and awards.
• Council of British International Schools (COBIS) is a responsive organisation that serves, supports and represents its member schools.
• New England Association of Schools & Colleges (NEASC) is a regional accrediting association which establishes standards for all levels of education, from pre-K to doctoral.
• Agency for French Education Abroad (Agence pour l'enseignement français à l'étranger, AEFE) is a national public agency under the administration of the French government that assures the quality of schools teaching the French national curriculum outside France.
• National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) represents over 1100 independent schools and associations in the United States and abroad.

International schools in Zurich

Bilingual School of Zurich - Terra Nova
Address: Florastrasse 19, 8700 Küsnacht
Tel: +41 58 440 93 50
Email: info@terra-nova.ch
Tuition Rates: 25,800 Swiss Francs (CHF) ($27,615) to 27,360 Swiss Francs (CHF) ($29,280) [school year 2021-22]

Terra Nova Bilingual School is a small by design, private school that provides excellent bilingual teaching in an international environment.
The school offers classes in German and English. The school's programme incorporates the Zurich canton curriculum and components of the American and British curricula.

Freies Gymnasium Zürich International School
Address: Arbenzstrasse 19
8008 Zürich
Tel: +41 43 456 77 77
Email: sekretariat@fgz.ch
Tuition Rates: From 24,300 Swiss Francs (CHF) ($25,790) to 29, 200Swiss Francs (CHF) ($30,990) [school year 2022-23]

The education offered spans from the 5th class of the primary school right through to the Swiss Matura examination. The various programmes – monolingual and bilingual – are finely tuned to complement each other and geared to the same goal: the in-house Matura curriculum which is recognized both throughout Switzerland and internationally. The monolingual programme covers all the departments of FGZ – from the preparatory classes right through to the Swiss Matura examination. The development of the first language, German, is an important priority especially in the preparatory classes.

Institut Montana Zugerberg
Address: Schönfels 5, 6300 Zug (1h from Zurich)
Switzerland
Tel: +41 41 729 11 77
Email: info@montana-zug.ch / admissions@montana-zug.ch
Tuition Rates: From 27,700 Swiss Francs (CHF) ($29,400) to 61,900 Swiss Francs (CHF) ($65,700) [school year 2022-23]

Institut Montana Zugerberg is a Swiss international day and boarding school located on Mt. Zugerberg, overlooking the city of Zug and its lake.
Today it is a co-educational school that takes around 330 students. Over 45 nationalities are represented on campus. IMZ accepts students aged 6 to 19 from all parts of the world. The school is divided into four sections: a Swiss Bilingual Elementary School and a Swiss Bilingual Secondary School both following the Lehrplan 21; a Swiss Senior High School offering the Swiss Matura; and an International School that follows the Cambridge Lower Secondary, the Cambridge IGCSE and the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme.

Hull's School International School
Address: Falkenstrasse 28a
CH-8008 Zürich
Tel: +41 44 254 30 40
Email: college@hullschool.ch
Tuition Rates: From 28,800 Swiss Francs (CHF) ($30,570) to 30,000 Swiss Francs (CHF) ($31,840) [school year 2022-23]

Hull's School is the English college in Zürich for teenagers. The college programme covers British IGCSE and A Level qualifications. Hull's School is a private, independent, co-educational day school for teenagers from the age of 14. Students are mostly Swiss, with about 10% coming from international backgrounds. In the first two years students acquire a general education and complete a range of IGCSEs. After a further two years they pass the UK A-levels, which are fully recognized by all the top universities in Switzerland and everywhere in the world.

International School of Central Switzerland
Address: Lorzenparkstrasse 8, 6330 Cham, Switzerland (1h from Zurich)
Tel: +41 41 781 44 44
Email: info@iscs-zug.ch                         
Tuition Rates: From 27,300 Swiss Francs (CHF) ($28,975) to 34,300 Swiss Francs (CHF) ($36,400) [school year 2022-23]

The International School of Central Switzerland (ISCS) is a private international school in Cham, Canton of Zug, Switzerland. It serves students aged 3 to 18 in Kindergarten through Year 13 and is a Cambridge International School.

SIS Swiss International School
Address: Seestrasse 269
CH-8038 Zürich
Tel: +41 44 206 47 27
Email: info@swissinternationalschool.ch
Tuition Rates: Inquire at school

SIS operates 17 bilingual day schools in Switzerland, Germany and Brazil. From kindergarten through to secondary and college level, more than 3.800 students from both local and internationally mobile families are educated in English and German. In Switzerland, SIS has schools in eight locations.
The school is an International Baccalaureate (IB) World School. In addition to the Swiss bilingual Matura, the students can also complete the IB Diploma. With this dual qualification, they are ideally prepared for continuing their education at Swiss or international universities.

Zurich International School
Address: Steinacherstrasse 140
8820 Wädenswil, Switzerland
Tel: +41 58 750 25 00
Email: admissions@zis.ch                      
Tuition Rates: From 30,700 Swiss Francs (CHF) ($32,580) to Swiss Francs (CHF) ($) [school year 2022-23]

Zurich International School (ZIS) is an independent non-profit day school in Switzerland for students aged 3 to 18 in the greater Zurich area.
Over 1,300 students from more than 50 countries are enrolled in the school.
The school has three campuses: Lower School in Wädenswil for students aged 3 to 11, Middle School in Kilchberg for students aged 11 to 14 and Upper School in Adliswil for students aged 14 to 18. As of 2011 it is the largest international school in the Zurich area.

International schools in Geneva

Collège du Léman
Address: Route de Sauverny 74
CH-1290 Versoix, Geneva
Tel: +41 22 775 55 55
Email: info@cdl.ch
Tuition Rates: From 22,900 Swiss Francs (CHF) ($24,300) to 34,950 Swiss Francs (CHF) ($37,090) [school year 2022-23]

Collège du Léman (CDL) is a Swiss boarding and day school, for boys and girls from 2 to 18 years old, currently based in Versoix, canton of Geneva, Switzerland. It has approximately 1900 students representing more than 100 nationalities and has been accredited by both the European Council of International Schools and the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC).

Ecole Mosaic International School
Address: Avenue Dumas, 23,
1206 Genève, Switzerland
Tel: +41 22 346 21 69
Email: info@ecolemosaic.com          
Tuition Rates: From 13,090 Swiss Francs (CHF) ($13,890) to 16,990 Swiss Francs (CHF) ($18,030) [school year 2022-23]

Mosaic School offers a bilingual program based on the PER – Plan d'étude romand (introduced in 2011 in the Canton of Geneva) and the English National Curriculum (last edition in 2014). In order to allow each child to fully benefit from Mosaic's bilingual program, the school has set up a compulsory language tutoring program for students from 3P (6 years old) who will not have spent 3 full school years in a French / English bilingual education.

Institut Florimont International School
Address: Av. du Petit-Lancy 37, 1213 Petit-Lancy, Geneva, Switzerland
Tel: +41 22 879 00 00
Email: reception@florimont.ch
Tuition Rates: From 17,350 Swiss Francs (CHF) ($18,415) to 27,400 Swiss Francs (CHF) ($29,080) [school year 2022-23]

The Institut Florimont is a school in Geneva. It was founded in 1905 by the Congrégation des Missionnaires de Saint François de Sales, soon after a law in France prohibited religious congregations of any persuasion. The Institut Florimont started out as a private catholic French-speaking boarding school for boys.
However, the school has been directed by a lay person since 1995, and has accepted girls at the secondary II level since 1978. In 1995, the entire school became co-ed, boarding was no longer offered, and the pre-school classes were opened.
The school offers a complete curriculum from pre-school (starting at 3 years). Students can choose to complete their studies in any of the following three branches: the cantonal maturité gymnasiale; the French baccalauréat, and the IB Diploma Programme.

Institut International de Lancy
Address: 24, avenue Eugène-Lance
1212 Grand-Lancy, Genève
Suisse
Tel: +41 22 884 90 11 / 22 794 26 20
Email: Online form https://www.iil.ch/en/contact/
Tuition Rates: From 15,400 Swiss Francs (CHF) ($16,345) to 27,800 Swiss Francs (CHF) ($29,504) [school year 2021-22]

The Institut International de Lancy is an international, non-profit school located in Geneva, Switzerland. English, French and Bilingual programmes are offered for students aged 3 to 19. The school uses a curriculum of core and foundation subjects within a structure that follows the English National Curriculum («Cambridge International Examinations») and the Baccalauréat en France. The school also provides the IB (International Baccalaureate) since 2009 and the preparation to the Examen de Maturité Suisse.

International schools in Lausanne

Aiglon College
Address: Avenue Centrale 61
1885 Chesières (60km from Lausanne)
Tel: +41 24 496 61 61
Email: info@aiglon.ch
Tuition Rates: From 38,000 Swiss Francs (CHF) ($40,700) to 83,000 Swiss Francs (CHF) ($88,920) [school year 2021-22]

Aiglon College is a private co-educational boarding school in Switzerland, broadly modelled on British boarding school lines. It is an independent, non-profit school located in the Swiss Alps. It is located 60 km from Lausanne in the alpine village of Chesieres, near the ski resort of Villars, in the canton of Vaud.

Brillantmont International School
Address: Avenue Charles-Secrétan 16
1005 Lausanne, Switzerland
Tel: +41 21 310 0400
Email: info@brillantmont.ch
Tuition Rates: 77,000 Swiss Francs (CHF) ($82,400) to 82,000 Swiss Francs (CHF) ($29,280) [school year 2021-22]

Brillantmont International School is a coeducational international school. Established in 1882, is one of the oldest boarding schools in Switzerland, being owned by the same family for five generations. At the present day, Brillantmont homes around 150 students, boarding and day, aged 13–18, from over 35 different nationalities.
Brillantmont's academic programmes are taught in English.[4] Students study in the British Programme, to prepare for the IGCSE and A Level examinations (Cambridge Assessment International Education); or for the American Programme, which prepares students for the American High School Graduation Diploma.

École nouvelle de la Suisse romande
Address: Ch. de Rovéréaz 20
C.P. 161 CH – 1000 Lausanne 12
Tel: +41 21 654 65 00
Email: admissions@ensr.ch
Tuition Rates: From $14,162 to $27,100 [school year 2022-23]

ENSR welcomes students from Kindergarten to High School and prepares them for a life in an unpredictable world. École nouvelle de la Suisse romande uses the Montessori program for the kindergarten level and, the International Baccalaureate or Swiss Maturity for middle and high school level.

Haut-Lac International Bilingual
Address: Chemin de Pangires 26
1806 Saint-Légier-La Chiésaz, Vaud
Tel: +41 21 555 50 00
Email: info@haut-lac.ch
Tuition Rates: Inquire at school

Haut-Lac International Bilingual School is a coeducational international school for ages 3 to 18 years located in Saint-Légier-La Chiésaz, in the canton of Vaud, Switzerland.
Haut-Lac provides academic instruction in English and French and students are encouraged to become bilingual, benefiting from a selection of courses in both languages. In 2002, it became authorized to run the IB Middle Years Programme followed two years later by authorization to run the IB Diploma Programme.
The secondary school campus was moved to the village of Saint-Légier-La Chiésaz in 2003. In 2014, a new campus for infant and primary school students was completed nearby.

International School of Lausanne
Address: Chemin de la Grangette 2
1052 Le Mont-sur-Lausanne
Tel: +41 21 560 02 02
Email: info@isl.ch                                  
Tuition Rates: From 27,600 Swiss Francs (CHF) ($29,290) to 37,080 Swiss Francs (CHF) ($39,355) [school year 2022-23]

Founded in 1962, the International School of Lausanne is a non-profit, English language, IB World School set in beautiful Le Mont-sur-Lausanne. The International School of Lausanne is a not-for-profit, English-language day school that emphasises academic excellence and rigor in a supportive school and family environment. The School comprises the Primary School (ages 3-10), including the Early Childhood Centre; and the Secondary School, made up of the Middle and High Schools (ages 11-13 and 14-18 respectively). International Baccalaureate (IB) Programme.

International schools in Lugano

American School in Switzerland
Address: Via Collina d'Oro 15,
6926 Montagnola, Switzerland
Tel: +41 91 960 51 51
Email: reception@tasis.ch / admissions@tasis.ch
Tuition Rates: From 26,500 Swiss Francs (CHF) ($28,360) to 91,000 Swiss Francs (CHF) ($97,395) [school year 2022-23]

The American School in Switzerland welcomes more than 700 day and boarding students from Pre-Kindergarten to Postgraduate, with 250 students between ages 12-19 residing on campus.
Their academic programs provide a rich and varied curriculum that encourages students to find their own voice no matter what the discipline. High School students can choose from a selection of Advanced Placement courses or pursue the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma, providing access to colleges and universities around the world. Accredited by the European Council of International Schools (ECIS) and the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC), we are proud to employ gifted, passionate educators who encourage intellectual curiosity.

International schools in Bern

British School of Bern
Address: Sperlisacher 2
3075 Rüfenacht
Switzerland
Tel: +41 31 952 7555
Email: info@britishschool.ch
Tuition Rates: Inquire at school

The British School of Bern is an English-speaking, International day school established in 1988. It is for pupils of all nationalities from the ages of three to twelve years. The school learning programme is based on the latest British and International curriculums. Lessons are given in English. Both regular testing and continuous assessment are considered to be important when monitoring each child's progress. National tests from England and America are used.

International School of Berne
Address: Allmendingenweg 93073 Gümligen, Switzerland
Tel: +41 31 959 10 00
Email: office@isberne.ch                        
Tuition Rates: From 12,220 Swiss Francs (CHF) ($14,030) to 36,035 Swiss Francs (CHF) ($38,245) [school year 2022-23]

International School of Berne (ISBerne) is an international school in Gümligen, Muri bei Bern, Switzerland. Founded in 1961, it serves primarily international students aged 3 to 18. The school offers 2 diploma options. The curriculum is the International Baccalaureate and is taught in English. Two official Swiss languages, German and French, are taught as additional languages. ISBerne is a member of the Swiss Group of International Schools (SGIS).

International schools in Basel

ELA Basel International School
Address: Gartenstrasse 93, 4052 Basel, Switzerland
Tel: +41 61 313 05 80
Email: office@ela-basel.ch / admissions@ela-basel.ch
Tuition Rates: Inquire at school

ELA Basel is an independent, not-for-profit organisation located in Basel, Switzerland. They are committed to providing high quality childcare and education appropriate for young children from the age of 3 months to the end of Primary School at 12 years old.Being the "Swiss British School", ELA Basel uses the English National Curriculum as a guiding framework. This framework is adapted to accommodate our Swiss setting, geography, history and culture. For German and French we follow the Swiss Lehrplan 21 curriculum.

International School Basel
Address: Fleischbachstrasse 2, 4153 Reinach, Switzerland
Tel: +41 61 715 33 33
Email: info@isbasel.ch
Tuition Rates: From 21,290 Swiss Francs (CHF) ($22,595) to 33,730 Swiss Francs (CHF) ($35,800) [school year 2022-23]

The International School of the Basel Region AG (ISBR AG) is an English-speaking school for students from ages 3–19 (PYP1-DP2). ISB is an authorised International Baccalaureate (IB) World School, and offers the following programmes: IB Diploma Programme (DP), IB Middle Years Programme (MYP) and IB Primary Years Programme (PYP).

ipso! International School - Die bilinguale Ganztagesschule
Address: Bahnhofstrasse 26
CH-4310 Rheinfelden, Basel
Tel: +41 61 831 06 06
Email: international@ipso.ch                  
Tuition Rates: Inquire at school

Ipso! is the most important provider of private education in north-western Switzerland and is one of the leading education companies in German-speaking Switzerland. The educational concept of the ipso! International School is based on the globally recognized and binding requirements of the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Program IB PYP . Since autumn 2015, the bilingual IB PYP of our school has been accredited by the IB organization according to strict, international quality standards and is regularly checked as an "IB World School".

International schools in Luzern

Four-Forest Bilingual International School
Address: Maihofstrasse 95A
CH-6006 Luzern
Tel: +41 41 320 25 31
Email: schulleitung@four-forestschool.ch
Tuition Rates: From 19,800 Swiss Francs (CHF) ($) to 27,600 Swiss Francs (CHF) ($) [school year 2022-23]

This school draws students from both the international and local community. The North American curriculum is taught with English as a Second Language in the pre-school and early elementary school. Classes transition to being taught in English.

International schools in Villars-sur-Ollon

College Alpin Beau Soleil
Address: Route du Village 1
1884 Villars-sur-Ollon
Tel: +41 24 496 26 10
Tuition Rates: Inquire at school

Founded in 1910, Collège Alpin International Beau Soleil is one of the oldest private boarding schools in Switzerland. It is located 1,350 metres (4,430 ft) above sea level on the Swiss Alps of Villars-sur-Ollon, Switzerland. The college provides a full boarding education for students aged 11–18 years old from 50 different countries. The International Baccalaureate (IB) Middle Years Programme (MYP) is the framework for study in Grades 6 to 10 at Beau Soleil.
With a strong focus on internationalism and learning through collaboration, communication and creativity, senior students follow the IB in English, French or a bilingual programme, or complete an Advanced Studies Diploma.

International schools in St. Gallen

Institut Auf Dem Rosenberg
Address: Höhenweg 60, 9000 St. Gallen, Switzerland
Tel: +41 71 277 77 77
Email: info@instrosenberg.ch
Tuition Rates: Institut Auf Dem Rosenberg is recognized as one of the most expensive schools in the world. The average cost for a year at the boarding school is 140,000 Swiss Francs (CHF) ($148,590) [school year 2022-23]

Rosenberg is a Swiss boarding school providing a state-of-the-art, holistic learning environment for responsible leaders of the 21st century. We are passionate about the development of meaningful learning experiences for children and young adults, typically aged 6 to 18 years. The school offers an international curriculum that offers unmatched depth and prepares students for a wide range of external examinations including IGCSEs, A-Levels, Advanced Placement® (APs), the IB® International Baccalaureate and the GIB® DP Programme.

International schools in Rolle

Institut Le Rosey
Address: 1180 Rolle, Switzerland
Tel: +41 21 822 55 00
Email: Rosey@rosey.ch
Tuition Rates: Inquire at school

Institut Le Rosey, established in 1880, is the oldest private boarding school in Switzerland and one of the most exclusive schools in the world. From January to March, Le Rosey moves up to its winter quarters to the village of Gstaad, one of Europe's most beautiful skiing locations.
The school also owns a campus in the ski resort village of Gstaad in the canton of Bern, to where the student body, faculty, and staff move during the months of January through March. In 2015, Christophe Gudin, the son of the fourth director of Le Rosey Philippe Gudin, became the fifth one. Kim Kovacevic is the headmaster.
Institut Le Rosey is fully accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges, the International Baccalaureate, the Ministry of National Education of France and the Council of International Schools. Le Rosey is also a member of the European Council of International Schools.

International schools in Buchs

International School Rheintal
Address: Aeulistrasse 10, 9470 Buchs, St. Gallen, Switzerland
Tel: +41 81 750 63 00
Email: office@isr.ch                               
Tuition Rates: From 23,700 Swiss Francs (CHF) ($25,150) to 32,200 Swiss Francs (CHF) ($34,175) [school year 2022-23]

ISR is a fully authorised International Baccalaureate® (IB) World school.It offers a continuum of international education through three challenging, high-quality and globally recognised educational programmes to students aged 3 to 19.

International schools in Saanen

John F. Kennedy International School
Address: Chilchgasse 8, 3792 Saanen/Gstaad - Switzerland
Tel: +41 33 744 13 72
Email: info@jfk.ch                                  
Tuition Rates: From 27,300 Swiss Francs (CHF) ($28,950) to 36,600 Swiss Francs (CHF) ($38,845) [school year 2021-22]

Located in the beautiful Gstaad area, JFK is an English language international boarding and day school for 60 to 70 students between 5 and 14. On the campus for boarding children comfortable residences with rooms for 3-4 people are prepared, for boys and girls there are separate floors. Together with the children there are teachers and educators, so the safety and comfort of children is guaranteed in 24/7 mode.