Education in Switzerland

Compulsory Education

Compulsory education in Switzerland is offered free of charge to all children, regardless of resident status, and generally lasts eleven years. Though there are minor differences in organisation among the cantons, children are generally grouped by age into the following divisions:

• Primary, which comprises one-to-two years of kindergarten (and an additional optional third year of kindergarten in Ticino) and five-to-six years of primary school, depending on the canton

• Lower Secondary, which comprises three-to-four years (depending on the canton) of further academics and career guidance and orientation

In most cantons, kindergarten (école maternelle or jardin d'enfants in French; scuola materna in Italian) instruction is informal and focused on learning the rules and norms of school and how to behave in a group. In primary school (école primare in French; scuola elementare in Italian; Primarschule in German), children learn more formal academics, including reading, writing, maths, environmental sciences, social sciences, physical education, art (including music and handicrafts), and religious studies. Older primary children also learn a second national language and English. 

In lower secondary school (cycle d'orientation in French; scuola media in Italian; Sekundarschule in German), children continue to learn formal academic subjects and are offered home economics, career guidance, and orientation toward further education. At this stage, children may be tracked into pre-academic or pre-vocational streams depending on ability and interest. Some cantons rely on standardised assessments for tracking purposes, whereas others use a more holistic approach, taking into account marks and teachers' recommendations.

Many cantons do not provide students with a certificate of completion at the end of compulsory school, and there is no national exam for admission to upper secondary school. Instead, cantons are responsible to establish frameworks for placement decisions, some electing to rely upon the results of standardised assessments and others relying on non-standardised tests and teachers' recommendations.

Upper Secondary Education

While there are modest differences in program organisation from canton to canton, upper secondary education in Switzerland is broadly divided into two tracks, vocational education and general education:

• Vocational education usually consists of practical, on-the-job training in companies contracted to provided training within their respective sectors, as well as theoretical, classroom-based education provided by vocational schools. These programs may last two years, and provide a certificate, or three-two-four years, and provide a diploma. 

• General education usually consists of three-to-four years of academic instruction at a Baccalaureate school, characterised as a gymnase (French), lycée-collège( French), école de culture générale (French), liceo (Italian) or Gymnasium (German), depending on the canton. In certain cantons, students may attend Baccalaureate schools at the lower-secondary level, extending the duration of the program to six years. Successful completion results in a federally-recognised Baccalaureate diploma. It is important to note that the diplomas conferred by these schools vary with respect to the tertiary programmes to which they guarantee admission. Some programs result in a diploma that will guarantee admission to a premier university or polytechnical institute, whereas others confer a diploma guaranteeing admission to more career-oriented tertiary schools, such as teachers' colleges or nursing schools.

Because there is no stigma associated with vocational training, and because vocational trainees routinely receive an apprentice’s salary, many Swiss students — even high achievers — choose to pursue vocational education. In fact, the large majority of students in Switzerland go on to vocational education and training, and 90% of those students complete their programmes. The general education track is pursued mainly by those students who wish to obtain the credential required for tertiary (university or technical school) education. Admission to a Baccalaureate school generally requires strong academic performance and positive teacher evaluations; some cantons also require prospective Baccalaureate students to sit an entrance examination. 

Special Education

Special education services are provided to children with documented disabilities free of charge by local school authorities. Eligibility guidelines and service provision vary from canton to canton. In general, children with specific learning disorders, such as dyslexia of dyscalculia, attend mainstream schools and receive special education services, such as instructional accommodations, speech therapy, psycho-motor therapy, school psychology or support classes. Children with more complex needs or global developmental disabilities, such as intellectual disability, may receive instruction in special schools for some of all of their classes. It is important to note that children who require only instructional accommodation, such as additional time or the use of a calculator, continue to receive marks in their classes and proceed through the education system in a manner similar to their peers. Children who require content modifications (eg, adjustment in instructional level), however, may receive a narrative report in lieu of end-of-term marks. This typically limits a child's educational trajectory; for example, a child receiving such a report would be unlikely to be permitted to attend a Baccalaureate school, regardless of their overall achievement. 

Parents should also be aware that they encounter delays in the establishment of services (eg, special education, speech therapy) for their children, as the Swiss education system is transitioning from a more segregated to a more inclusive model of education, and many mainstream schools are currently under-resourced. Therefore, it is important to secure the support of your child's paediatrician, neurologist, psychiatrist, therapists, and/or any other treating professionals. Disability rights advocacy, such as Procap and Pro Infirmis can also provide valuable guidance and assistance to parents of children with special needs.