A plain-English guide to the most common international school curricula, what they are, how they work, and which might suit your family best.
Curriculum guide
By Giulia Ceccon · Chief Marketing Officer
Swiss curricula vary by canton but most international Swiss schools follow the Swiss Matura — the federal university-entrance qualification. It's known for academic depth, multilingualism (German, French, Italian and often English are all required to varying degrees), and a strong emphasis on the sciences and humanities equally.
Canton-specific primary curriculum. Multilingual from early years; strong grounding in maths, science and languages.
Lower secondary streamed by academic strength. Foundations across the humanities, sciences and languages.
Academic upper secondary culminating in the cantonal Matura with federal recognition. Broad subject set including two foreign languages, mathematics, science, humanities and a specialisation.
Swiss
Most Matura students leave fluent in two foreign languages plus their mother tongue — a distinctive feature of the Swiss system that even IB or A-Levels don't guarantee.
Is Swiss right for your child?
It tends to suit families who…
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