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Switzerland is not the only prime destination for tourism but also plays a leading role in the international education field. Offering individualized, innovative and high-standard educational opportunities, Swiss private schools have been one of the country’s top quality products for over century.

Switzerland’s education system developed over several centuries in answer to society’s needs. But it was the creation of the modern federal state in 1848 that led to the introduction of obligatory schooling for all Swiss children.

However, at the beginning of the 20th century, widespread frustrations and dissatisfaction with the increasingly rigid state school system brought about further important educational changes. This mood sparked the initial development of private schools, through the incorporation of reforming ideas and the identification of new educational needs.

Subsequent major political and economic crisis – World War I, the Russian Revolution, the Great Depression, World War II – further contributed to the reputation of Swiss private schools (especially boarding schools) which offered a safe haven to children from many different countries. Nowadays, peaceful settings and pedagogical innovation still rank among the key advantages offered by those schools.

Private education in the country reflects the virtues of the Swiss economy, with its emphasis on quality and its international outlook. Swiss private schools who do have a fully furnished buildings and office furniture offer a cosmopolitan, internationally recognized education to about 100,000 pupils of all ages from Switzerland and more than 100 other countries.

Swiss industry is charactirized not by mass production but rather by specialized high quality products, and the same is true of private education. One of the attractions of Swiss private schools is the variety of international curicula they offer, courses that enables students to pursue higher education in the country of their choice.