International schools in Switzerland: a regional guide

Switzerland's international schools are clustered in a handful of regions: Geneva and the Vaud shore of Lake Geneva, Zurich, Zug, Basel, the Alps and Ticino. Most teach in English, many offer the International Baccalaureate, and several take boarders. Because the school so often decides where a family lives, it is worth looking at schools region by region before settling on a canton.

Key facts (as of September 2026)

How to use this guide

We list schools that families moving to Switzerland most often ask us about. It is not a complete list, and it is not a ranking: every family weighs different things, and a school that suits one child may not suit a sibling. All details come from the schools' own websites as of September 2026. Fees, availability and admissions dates change, so please check directly with each school.

A practical tip: contact schools as early as you can, ideally before you choose a home. Places for some year groups can be limited, and knowing where your children will study makes the rest of the move easier to plan.

Geneva

International School of Geneva (Ecolint). Ecolint describes itself as the world's first international school. It has three campuses:

• La Grande Boissière, in Geneva: primary, middle and secondary
• Campus des Nations, in Grand-Saconnex: primary and secondary
• La Châtaigneraie, in Founex (canton of Vaud): primary and secondary

According to its website, Ecolint offers the International Baccalaureate and a bilingual education.

Geneva suits families who want city life and short distances. Geneva or Vaud? compares the two lake cantons.

Lausanne and the Vaud shore

International School of Lausanne (ISL) is in Le Mont-sur-Lausanne, just above the city. It takes pupils from 3 to 18 and offers the IB Primary Years, Middle Years and Diploma Programmes, as well as a bilingual option in the primary years.

Institut Le Rosey has its main campus in Rolle, between Geneva and Lausanne, and a winter campus in Gstaad. It describes itself as a 100% boarding school for students aged 8 to 18, with bilingual teaching leading to the IB Diploma or the French Baccalaureate.

St. George's International School is in Montreux, at the eastern end of the lake. It takes children from 18 months to 18 years, with boarding from age 10. It follows the Cambridge International curriculum through to IGCSE and offers the IB Diploma.

Families often choose Vaud for more space and a choice between lakeside towns and the mountains.

The Alps

Aiglon College is in Chesières, in the Vaud Alps. According to its website it teaches ages 6 to 18, is mainly a boarding school, and offers IGCSE and the IB Diploma.

Le Rosey's winter campus in Gstaad (above) also places it in the Alps for part of the year.

Families drawn to mountain life often also look at Valais and Graubünden. If you are thinking about a chalet, our guide to holiday homes in the Alps explains the property rules.

Zurich

Zurich International School (ZIS) has two campuses south of the city:

• Wädenswil: early childhood and primary, ages 3 to 11, with English and bilingual English/German pathways
• Adliswil: middle and upper school, ages 11 to 18, with IB and Advanced Placement courses

Inter-Community School Zurich (ICS) is in Zumikon. It takes children from 24 months to 18 years and describes itself as the only school in Zurich offering all three IB programmes.

Zurich is German-speaking and no longer offers lump-sum taxation, so families moving there are taxed ordinarily. See the Zurich canton page.

Zug

International School of Zug and Luzern (ISZL) has two main campuses:

• Zug Campus, in Baar: early years, primary and middle school, ages 3 to 14
• Riverside Campus, in Hünenberg: high school, ages 14 to 18

It offers IB programmes and describes itself as a non-profit school. Zug is compact and close to Zurich, and families in neighbouring Schwyz and Lucerne are within reach too.

Basel

International School Basel (ISB) has three campuses in the canton of Basel-Landschaft:

• Aesch: junior school, ages 3 to 11, in English or English-German dual language
• Fiechten (in Reinach): middle school, ages 11 to 14
• Reinach: senior school, ages 14 to 18, with the IB Middle Years and Diploma Programmes

ISB describes itself as a not-for-profit, three-programme IB World School. Note that Basel-Stadt has abolished lump-sum taxation, and Basel-Landschaft allows it only for the arrival year, so families here are usually taxed ordinarily.

Ticino

TASIS The American School in Switzerland is in Montagnola, on the Collina d'Oro just above Lugano. It has elementary, middle and high school divisions, offers boarding, and teaches the IB and Advanced Placement programmes within a liberal arts framework.

Ticino is Italian-speaking, with a milder southern climate.

At a glance

A dash means boarding is not mentioned on the pages we reviewed, not necessarily that it is unavailable. School details are as published on each school's own website in September 2026; please confirm curricula, ages and boarding directly with the school.

Choosing a school: questions worth asking

• Curriculum and continuity. Will your child need the IB, a national baccalaureate, or a curriculum that eases a later move?
• Language. Do you want English-only teaching, or a bilingual path in French, German or Italian?
• Day or boarding. Some families combine a Swiss day school with boarding later, or the reverse.
• Travel. How far is the school from where you would like to live, and from the airport?
• Admissions timing. When are places decided for the year you need, and what documents are required?

Children and residence permits

Children's schooling depends on the family's residence. For non-EU nationals on a B permit, the spouse and unmarried children under 18 may be granted a permit if the family lives together and the other conditions are met, including suitable housing.

How we help

We help families shortlist schools alongside the canton, the tax route and the home, and we coordinate visits and timelines so that school places and the move line up. Our settling-in service covers this, or start with the eligibility check.

This guide is general information as of 30 September 2026, based on the schools' own websites; please confirm details, fees and admissions directly with each school.