IB World Schools in Switzerland

Are you looking for an International Baccalaureate World School in Switzerland? Here you can find a list of Swiss schools that have a profile in the IB World Schools Yearbook.

The schools featured below offer at least one of the IB's four programmes: the Primary Years Programme (PYP), Middle Years Programme (MYP), Diploma Programme (DP) and Career-related Programme (CP). You can use the search filter below to look for schools that offer one programme in particular.

A small, independent nation at the heart of Europe, Switzerland offers a wide range of distinguished international schools in a stunning natural environment. Most are clustered around Zurich, Basle, Lausanne and Geneva, which is the home of the International Baccalaureate office.

There are 57 IB World Schools, of which 53 are authorised to teach the IB Diploma and nine offer all three stages of the IB curriculum.

Switzerland’s top private boarding schools have been offering international education since the early 20th century. Today, they draw around 80 per cent of students from abroad, while many day schools serve the country’s cosmopolitan city dwellers. Schools follow the curriculums of Britain, America, France, Germany and Switzerland, often in combination with the IB. 

Aiglon College offers the IB Diploma alongside a British curriculum, the Institut Montana teaches it in tandem with an American high school diploma, and students at the Stiftsschule Engelberg take both the IB Diploma and the Swiss Matura.  

Education is devolved to Switzerland’s cantons, with some regional variation. Generally, it is compulsory for nine years, from age six to 15. Public education is free up to first degree level and state schools teach in French, German, Italian or Romansh depending on the region, with all students taking a second Swiss language plus English.  

Primary school typically runs from age six to 12. Junior secondary education is selective and takes three years. Students are then allocated to academic Gymnasium, which prepares them for the Matura exam, or to vocational schools. Switzerland has 12 public universities, which take a high proportion of international students, and boasts territorial links with 116 Nobel Laureates.

IB World Schools are part of a thriving international school sector in the UK. For information on all UK international schools, you can visit: www.internationalschoolsearch.com