World Schools reports that there are more than 20 boarding schools in Switzerland and these boarding schools are also one of the best in the world.
Most of them provide their students with a safe environment to study plus a low student-to-teacher ratio.
Regular schools have a set schedule for students to follow throughout the week, arriving at a certain hour and leaving after their classes are over.
In contrast, students who attend boarding institutions reside on campus, typically in dorms alongside their friends as housemates.
As students learn, have fun, and engage in extracurricular activities that develop their brains and ideas, boarding schools offer a 24-hour learning environment.
Because they want to prepare pupils for life after school, whether it be at university or in the workplace, boarding schools are typically more disciplined than regular day schools.
The List of Boarding Schools in Switzerland
So, we present to you, the best boarding schools in Switzerland.
Collège International Alpin Beau Soleil
Founded in 1910 in the stunning Swiss Alps, Collège International Alpin Beau Soleil is one of the oldest and most attractive boarding schools in Switzerland.
The school welcomes students aged 11 to 18 from more than 40 countries and encourages them to pursue the best in their education.
The academic program is available in French – students taking the Diplôme National du Brevet and the French Baccalaureate – or in English – students taking the International General Certificate of Secondary Education.
Students benefit from a low student-teacher ratio (4 students to 1 teacher) and support adapted to their progress, which helps them to develop their skills more effectively.
Whether on the career or the choice of higher education, the orientation advice offered allows many students to be admitted to prestigious universities in the United Kingdom and the United States.
Boarding fees: CHF108,000
Verbier International School
The Verbier International School is a bilingual boarding school in Switzerland that offers an exceptional educational system defined according to the highest standards of the Swiss educational sector.
The school offers a unique environment and an attractive atmosphere conducive to the educational development of students.
Every time, students and parents appreciate the safe and nurturing place offered by the natural environment of Verbier, a small village in the high Alps surrounded by the beauty of the mountains.
While academic excellence is highly valued, community service, sports, and the arts are all important pillars in the educational balance the school pursues.
The opportunities to get involved and learn outside of the classroom are endless.
An intensive ski program organized by the Swiss Ski School is offered to all students, in addition to a host of other activities such as ice skating, rock climbing, ice hockey, tennis, golf, soccer, and athletics.
The Verbier International School is open to mature students who wish to experience full-time and part-time boarding school.
Boarding fees: CHF22,430 – 34,690
Catholic Boarding and Day School – Stiftsschule Engelberg
The school is conveniently located in Engelberg, right in the heart of Switzerland and the canton of Obwalden, about 1 hour from Zurich airport.
Stiftsschule Engelberg is truly one of the best boarding schools in Switzerland, for girls and boys aged 11-19.
The school is a prestigious Catholic boarding and day school, very open and tolerant towards people from other cultures and beliefs.
As an abbey school, it teaches Christian values following the Benedictine tradition.
It offers students a short version and a long version of the Gymnase (the French equivalent of high school), which end in obtaining the International Baccalaureate (IB) or the Swiss German and English bilingual Maturité (the French equivalent of the Baccalaureate).
With a wide variety of educational programs, the school helps students develop academic skills, and personal and social skills they need to learn, live and work in this globalized society.
More than half of the students reside in the boarding school, an exceptional environment that perfectly complements what they learn at school.
Boarding school students have the opportunity to enjoy extra-curricular activities and spend their free days together.
Living together at Stiftsschule Engelberg encourages students to develop their side without neglecting the secure learning environment.
This school also makes it possible to better discern the strengths and weaknesses of each child.
There are times dedicated to relaxation, spiritual contemplation, theater, sports activities, and music. Weekends are free for students who can enjoy recreational and club activities, or enjoy their family life. A host family can accommodate a student who cannot go home on weekends.
There are plenty of opportunities for students who would like to play sports or engage in musical activities. There is a Stiftschor (monastery choir) or an orchestra for young people who wish to play an instrument.
Other extra-curricular activities include rowing, bodybuilding, excursions, hiking, golf, tennis, skiing, and travel.
Boarding fees: CHF39,500 – 43,000
Tasis American School
Founded in 1956 by Mrs. and Mr. Fleming Crist, Tasis American School is the oldest American boarding school in Europe.
This Swiss boarding school is located on a beautiful 9-acre campus near the village of Montagnola, overlooking Lake Lugano.
Facilities include beautifully restored historic courtyard villas and new modern facilities.
The academic program of this higher Swiss boarding school includes English as a second vehicular language, allowing students to obtain the American High School Diploma and the International Baccalaureate (IB), providing access to colleges and universities in the United States and around the world.
The institution aims to broaden the horizons of young students, encouraging intercultural respect and communication among them, surrounding them with beauty and courtesy, and teaching them to love learning and recognize moral responsibilities.
The boarding school takes advantage of its location in the heart of Europe, offering an exceptional education program with an international dimension.
TASIS offers a variety of on-campus summer programs in England, Spain, France, Italy, and Switzerland for students aged 6-18.
Boarding fees: CHF 80,000
La Garenne International School
The campus is located in the charming French-speaking ski resort of Villars.
The environment is secure and the education is extraordinary for interns as well as for externs from 5 years old.
This international school was founded in 1947. Its many years of experience, strong family values , and high academic standards make La Garenne one of the best boarding schools in Switzerland, and a recognized choice for parents looking for an excellent boarding school.
Each year, the campus welcomes 120 students from more than 35 different countries, which allows an individual approach and attention to each student.
In this private school located in Switzerland and rich in its great history, students immerse themselves in a world where both French and English are spoken.
Thanks to this, young people are all bilingual when they leave school. English is the main language of school subjects, but students are also encouraged to develop a perfect command of the French language.
Language programs can also be tailored to suit each student’s individual needs and mother tongue.
In Primary (ages 5-10), children follow the International Primary Curriculum, which prepares them well for the famous International Baccalaureate Junior Secondary Program (ages 11-16).
The philosophy of the school is to treat each child individually. Sports lessons are offered daily, including football, tennis, swimming, karate, athletics, rock climbing, and skating, to name but a few.
During the winter season, children can ski in the afternoon and finish their session right outside the school gates.
La Garenne offers many opportunities (languages, expeditions, challenges, school trips around the world but also charitable projects) both during the school year and during the summer camps.
Boarding fees: 71,000 – 96,000 CHF
Ecole d’Humanité
Surrounded by the grandiose peaks of the Swiss Alps, the École d’Humanité is proud to welcome students and teachers from 25 different countries.
The impressive natural landscape through which this pioneering Swiss boarding school is located undeniably offers the perfect educational environment.
In addition to offering exceptional opportunities for hiking, skiing, climbing, or any other outdoor activity.
The school’s approximately 130 students live in fifteen different “families”, each headed by two or three responsible teachers.
By limiting material and electronic consumption, the school allows direct and honest exchange between students and the natural environment that surrounds them.
The academic program aims to promote a deep understanding of subjects instead of a superficial knowledge of things.
Small class sizes (6-10 students per class) allow for personalized education and require active participation from each student.
The school is an official testing center for the College Board SAT exams and a leader for the Advanced Placement International Diploma exams.
Recent graduates have been accepted to Oxford, Brown, NYU, Oberlin, Smith, Reed, Exeter, King’s College London, The School of Oriental and African Studies, the University of London, and the University of Basel in Switzerland.
To balance the intensive academic program, the students dedicate their afternoons to the practice of art, sports, and manual work. Blacksmithing, skiing, snowboarding, woodworking, trying pottery, rock climbing, acting, music, gardening, and caring for animals are all activities students can explore.
Twice a year the school organizes small excursion groups for a 6-day hike in the Swiss and Italian mountains.
Boarding fees: CHF50,000
Collège du Léman International School
The Collège du Léman is located in a very pleasant green setting, on the shores of Lake Geneva.
The campus offers a full view of the Swiss Alps and is only minutes from the cosmopolitan city of Geneva.
With nearly 1,900 students from more than 110 different countries, Collège du Léman International School Geneva is the largest K-12 private boarding school in Switzerland.
Since its creation in 1960, this world-renowned school which accepts students in both day and boarding schools has been able to build and maintain an excellent reputation.
Thanks to its comprehensive and bilingual academic programs, valid for the cycles of kindergarten, primary and secondary education.
Classes are taught in both English and French. CDL students benefit from a wide range of language courses and a resolutely international environment with the daily practice of new languages.
In 2020, the school achieved a 99% graduation rate. This commitment to excellence opens the doors to the best universities in the world, whether in the United States, the United Kingdom, or Switzerland.
Students have access to high-tech equipment and can take advantage of world-class facilities.
This includes science labs, a most honorable library, CDI, a multifunction theater, and rooms dedicated to the performing arts.
The accommodation is just as remarkable since the students are divided into well-equipped villas designed for 8 people.
Boarding fees: CHF83,000 – CHF94,400
École Lémania
École Lémania is an international boarding school located in Lausanne, Switzerland.
The school welcomes students from more than 100 different countries, making it a hub rich in cultural and linguistic diversity.
Whether for boarding school or simply day classes, École Lémania is fully accredited to receive girls and boys in the center of Lausanne.
The school offers internationally recognized academic programs, taught in English and French, which allow students to enter the best universities around the world.
École Lémania welcomes pupils from primary school to secondary school and prepares students for the Swiss Matura, the French Baccalaureate, and the International Baccalaureate.
The excellence generated since 1908 and shared with more than 120,000 students allows each new student to benefit from superior quality education in an environment of choice.
The students live in boarding houses with young people of the same gender and age in a setting entirely controlled by the staff, thus recreating the family atmosphere.
Being boarders at the Lémania School in Lausanne allows easy access to; educational technological resources, sports, and social facilities.
As well, for full-time residents, including weekends, a wide range of leisure activities are offered.
Boarding fees: 37,700 – 101,000 CHF
Institut auf dem Rosenberg
Rosenberg is a relatively small elite Swiss boarding school, with 230 students from 45 different nations.
The Institut auf dem Rosenberg attaches great importance to quality education and strives to ensure that each student is well educated.
To fulfill this objective, it provides a wide choice of academic programs and each class has a good student-to-teacher ratio of 3:1.
Because of this, young people receive enough attention from their teachers and can concentrate on the subjects they are studying.
Not only does Institut auf dem Rosenberg place great importance on studies, but it also values on-the-job learning and skills developed with outside school activities.
The Institute is recognized for its Talent & Enrichment program which prepares students for their future life in society.
It has more than 40 different courses that are offered to students: arts, fashion design, hotel management, medical sciences, robotics, artificial intelligence, public speaking, international law, and much more.
And what would extracurricular activities be without sports? Of course, the Institut auf dem Rosenberg also offers more than 30 courses in a wide variety of sports.
Widely recognized as one of the best boarding schools in Switzerland, Institut auf dem Rosenberg offers a state-of-the-art education and a quality school experience.
Boarding fees: CHF 13,000
Montana Zugerberg Institute
With its 380 students of 56 different nationalities, Montana Zugerberg Institute offers students a truly international, warm, and family atmosphere.
The educational philosophy of this Institute is based on respecting and developing the unique personality of each student while guiding them toward a life full of responsibility and independence.
This has been the cornerstone of the school’s teaching methods for more than 90 years, resulting in small numbers of 15 students maximum in a class.
Plus qualified professionals and individualized tutoring allow students to reach their full potential.
Students can choose to participate in many activities to complement their academic program. This includes cultural or artistic outings through entrepreneurship programs, as well as a Model United Nations Simulation.
The school also has a health center, a gymnasium, fitness rooms, and various sports facilities such as a natural grass football pitch, 4 tennis courts, a basketball court, and a beach volleyball court, as well as a skating rink.
Boarding students stay in single or double rooms, in one of the three boarding buildings, depending on their age and gender.
For parents peace of mind, all students are supervised at all times by dedicated and competent staff.
Boarding fees: CHF53,800 – 67,500
Other Boarding Schools In Switzerland
Other top boarding schools in Switzerland offer one of the best education you can ever imagine. They include:
| 11 | St. George’s International SchoolMontreux, Switzerland. | Tuition Page |
| 12 | Surval MontreuxMontreux, Switzerland | Tuition Page |
| 13 | School French Rodolphe TöpfferGeneva, Switzerland | Tuition Page |
| 14 | Institut Monte RosaMontreux, Switzerland | Tuition Page |
| 15 | Collège ChampittetLyon, Switzerland | Tuition Page |
| 16 | ChantemerleBlonay, Switzerland | Tuition Page |
| 17 | The Collège & Lycée Saint-CharlesePorrentury, Switzerland | Tuition Page |
| 18 | ENSR International SchoolLausanne, Switzerland | Tuition Page |
| 19 | Brillantmont International SchoolLausanne, Switzerland | Tuition Page |
Conclusion
Boarding schools are a terrific way to guarantee students receive a better education, a safer environment, and overall growth as responsible adults.
You can’t go wrong choosing any Swiss boarding school because they provide all of these and more with their features, amenities, and services.
Check out our other article on free boarding schools.