Best schools in Zurich

There are only a few purely international schools in Zurich, in the sense that they only provide a choice of international qualifications, either the International Baccalaureate Diploma or A levels, while others offer a combination of qualifications. There are also a couple of junior schools teaching an adapted curriculum in English. You can feel certain you are doing the best for your child if you take this international route. 

It’s not, as we’ve outlined above, that Swiss state schools don’t provide a good education. But there are three concerns for international families. 

First, the teachers converse in German, regularly slipping into Swiss dialect, so it is virtually impossible for children who are not fluent in Swiss German to keep up. Second, Swiss schools train children to be good Swiss citizens who will live in Switzerland. And third, curriculum requirements are not set by the federal government, but rather by the individual cantons. There are 26 cantons in Switzerland which means there are 26 different curricula. If you plan on moving someday, or if both parents work - or if you need some flexibility to travel - think this through long and hard before you commit. 

If you are wondering just how big of a problem can this really be, just take a look at the map. There are four cities which define a reasonable commuting area for working in Zürich: Aarau, Winterthur, Rapperswil and Zug. Zürich and Winterthur are in Canton Zürich; Aarau is in Canton Aargau; Zug is the capital of Canton Zug; and Rapperswill is in Canton St Gallen. Now, if your child starts school in Canton Zürich, after 6th grade they will be streamed into one of three levels. However, in Canton Aargau, this streaming takes place in 5th grade. So, if you move from Zürich to Aarau when your child is starting 7th grade, they have to go back and repeat a year to make sure they are at the same level as the other kids in their class. That’s just a small domestic example. Imagine extrapolating this to an international level. 

There are a few other considerations. Whereas a school day in most countries has a set start time of, say, 8.30am and a finish time of, say, 3.30pm, in Switzerland your child may start school at 8am one day and 10am another day; ditto for the finish time. There is a 1.5 hour lunch break but because primary and secondary schools do not have facilities for children to eat lunch at school, it is up to you to make your own arrangements. Also note that state schools do not have sports teams and playing a musical instrument is up to the family’s own arrangement. Further, children may not be taken out of school except for illness or a family emergency. If you want to take your child out of school a day or two before the scheduled holiday break to attend your family Christmas in Australia, you will be handed a large fine (in most cantons children can only be taken out of school for 2 ‘joker days’ per year). The same applies to returning back late. If you do it twice your children may get kicked out of school entirely.

All students within the public Swiss system are entitled to learning support, and for visible and physical disabilities Swiss schools are mostly dependable and caring. However, there are reports that for some invisible learning disabilities, like dyslexia and dyscalculia, there is not enough consistent screening and testing in the early years, and not enough ongoing support in learning and for exams. 

Parents with children in the public system with suspected learning issues are generally advised to take the initiative and actively approach schools to have them checked, and once diagnosed, proactively work with the school to ensure their children are getting the support needed. 

While fees for private schools in Zurich are high, generally speaking this does include access to quality support for SEN. Some schools (like ICS and ZIS) offer comprehensive, fully funded in-house learning support on-campus with good early detection systems in place for children with mild to moderate special education needs eg dyslexia, dysplasia, delayed reading etc, and for children severely on the spectrum eg autism, ADHD etc there are additional fees. Other schools (like Hull’s School and ISZN) help co-ordinate any support at extra cost. Private schools generally provide a good organisational structure for parents to apply for funding from their local Swiss council to assist with covering extra costs.

Childcare in Switzerland is notoriously expensive in comparison to other countries. In fact, Switzerland ranks 38th out of 41 countries in terms of affordable childcare according to a recent study by UNICEF. This is mainly because childcare for under-fours in Switzerland is largely privatized (although some subsidies exist you will usually need to be a resident who has paid social security contributions to access this). 

Spaces at early years public centres are limited, with most only open between 08:30–12:00, with some also opening for a couple of hours in the afternoon, forcing many parents to make alternative arrangements to cover lunchtime or after-school hours. While there is plenty of choice for private daycare in Zurich and most offer extended hours, fees are high. Childcare is generally split into two phases: daycare centers (crèches or krippen) for children aged 0–4; and preschool nurseries (or kindergartens) for children aged 4–6. Enrolment for children under four is voluntary, whereas it’s compulsory in the canton of Zurich for children who have turned four from 31st July. 

Within the state system, kindergarten here is a two-year programme, starting in August each year. Kindergarten teachers are not licensed to teach reading, writing, or basic maths, so those two years are spent playing, painting, singing, and learning to socialize. If a child is not mother-tongue German, it is a great time for them to become fluent before adding academic stress. If a child is fluent, the second year is pretty boring. 

The many private daycare centers and preschool nurseries on offer in Zurich are often bilingual German/English, including at some of the all-through international schools in the area who also offer childcare, which is a great way for younger children to learn multiple languages. The good private childcare options are popular with locals and expats alike so best to start your research and get your little one signed up fast!