Schools

Swiss system

Primary education	4 to 6 years	Infant school 2 years (1E-2E)
Primary education	6 to 12 years	Primary school 6 years (1P, 2P, 3P, 4P, 5P, 6P)
Secondary education I Secondary II	12 to 15 years	Middle school 3 years (7, 8, 9èmes)
Secondary education I Secondary II	15 to 19 years	College Upper-secondary level education Professional training courses
Maturité (equivalent to the Baccalaureate / A-levels UK/High-school diploma USA)
Higher Education (Tertiary )	after 19 years	University Universities of Applied Sciences (HES) Vocational Education Institutions

You may also consult the following detailed charts:

French education system

As in Switzerland, French public schools have a high quality of education and are free. Children from 3 to 6 years may optionally go to infant school. Thereafter, a compulsory elementary education is given to children from 6 to 11 years at the primary school of their commune of residence. A first part of secondary education, intended for pupils from 11 to 15 years, is compulsory and takes place in ‘Colleges of General Education’ or in ‘Colleges of Technical Education’.

The remainder of secondary education is taught in secondary schools and leads to obtaining the Baccalaureate certificate (A-levels UK / High-school diploma USA), allowing conditional access to French and Swiss universities.

Children may also attend the ‘Collège Lycée International Ferney-Voltaire’ – a public school – whose schooling is free but where a contribution is requested for schooling given to foreign nationals. The school caters for pupils from the 6^th school year (11-12 years) to the Final Year (17-18 years) and can prepare them for the French Baccalaureate, the International Baccalaureate and other diplomas in different sections. (source: www.cern.ch)

De la maternelle au baccalauréat:(from infant school to the Baccalaureate certificate) source "Education.gouv.fr"

Canton of Vaud education system

The Canton of Vaud has around a hundred schools. Public schools in the Canton of Vaud provide high quality schooling, when compared internationally, with priority given to language learning (notably English and the Swiss national languages – German, French and Italian). For further information...source: www.vaud.ch

Public school in Switzerland

In Switzerland, education falls within the jurisdiction of the cantons. School education in Geneva is compulsory until the age of 15 and is free and non-religious. Geneva schools teach four days a week, with Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays being days off. Compulsory public education is free for everyone.

Upon arrival in Geneva, the Département de l'Instruction publique (DIP) (Department of Public Education) of Geneva will inform you regarding the steps you need to take to enrol your childs. The primary or secondary school the child will attend is designated according to the home address of the parents.

Ecole primaire = Primary school education is provided over a period of 6 school years for children from 6 to 12 years; it is preceded by 2 years of optional schooling offered to children from 4 to 6 years. More information is available on the website of the Département de l'instruction publique (Department of Public Education). We also encourage you to consult the primary education study plan.

Cycle d'orientation = Middle school eduction is provided by a group of secondary schools open to pupils from 12 to 15 years. This is the last phase of compulsory schooling in Geneva. Middle school education provides an upper-secondary level education and paves the way for the various post-compulsory training courses. For information, please consult the list of compulsory classes.

For non-French speaking pupils primary and secondary schools provide welcome classes where, with the support of specialised teachers, pupils learn the basics of the French language in small groups and are gradually familiarised with the socio-cultural surroundings of Geneva. After a few months, they are able to join French-speaking classes. Free French lessons are available to the parents of pupils who ask for them.

Post-compulsory secondary education

The 23 schools and centres of professional training in the ‘post-compulsory secondary education II’ scheme aim to offer training courses from 2 to 4 years to pupils and students aged between 15 and 19 years. For further information ...Post-compulsory secondary education & the guide "Après la scolarité obligatoire" (After compulsory schooling).

Specialised education

The specialised education (ES) structure offers specialised schooling to all children and teenagers between 4 and 18/20 years who are unable to attend ordinary schools.

Department of private education

The Department of public education exercises overall control over private education in Geneva within the areas of compulsory and post-compulsory schooling, and professional training. The Department’s role is to monitor those areas. To this end, it issues licences for opening and running private schools, and processes teaching authorisation requests.

It also aims to inform the public, as well as the schools, and to publish the list of authorised private schools on the Internet.

Private schools in the Canton of Geneva: Geneva Association of private schools - AGEP

Private schools in the Canton of Vaud: Canton of Vaud Association of private schools- AVEP

International schools

List of the International Schools: EasyExpat.com.