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Private schools in Switzerland: Is there really a private school boom?

There are private schools in many municipalities and cantons in Switzerland, including Zurich, Aargau, Winterthur, Bern and St. Gallen. But is there - as is often claimed - a private school boom in Switzerland? 

In the following article, we provide an insight into the figures on Swiss private schools and private school pupils, give important reasons why parents send their children to private schools and explain private school costs.

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Table of contents

 

Proportion of private school pupils in Switzerland

According to the statistics portal Statista, the proportion of pupils in private schools across Switzerland at all levels of education (compulsory school to tertiary level) has remained constant at around 6 per cent in recent years.

Looking only at compulsory schooling, the proportion of private school pupils in Switzerland is lower, at 4.6 per cent in the 2019/2020 school year, as can be read in the Swiss Education Report 2023 published by the Swiss Coordination Centre for Education Research.

In terms of private school pupils throughout Switzerland and all levels of education or compulsory schooling combined, it is therefore not possible to recognise a private school boom. And yet there are figures that speak in favour of a boom. The number of private schools - not private school pupils - hasincreased by more than halfin ten years. In 2022/2023, the proportion of private schools in Switzerland was 16.7 per cent, according to the Federal Statistical Office, in terms of special schools, primary level, lower secondary level, upper secondary level and tertiary level.

It is also important to bear in mind that there are strong regional differences in private school ratios and in the comparison of domestic and foreign pupils; among the latter, the proportion of private school pupils is almost twice as high as that of domestic pupils, as can be seen from the Swiss Education Report 2023 by the Swiss Coordination Centre for Research in Education, whereby this applies in particular to pupils whose parents have a high level of education. Both factors - regional and international origin - are partly linked because foreign pupils are sometimes concentrated in certain regions in Switzerland, such as the children of well-educated expats in certain areas of the city and canton of Zurich.

Regionally, a particularly large number of private pupils come from wealthy communities, such as Küsnacht, Kilchberg or Zürichberg. In the municipality of Zumikon, one in five primary school pupils attends a private school.

However, the proportion of private school pupils in Switzerland would be much higher if everyone could afford to go to a public school. This is because the popularity of private schools has increased significantly, according toeducation researcher Professor Margrit Stamm.

Margrit Stamm has observed a boom in the number of private schools, particularly in the area of vocational education, i.e. private schools that focus on vocational apprenticeships such as business administration, IT or medical practice assistant.

Others are observing a major boom in private baccalaureate schools. For example, a private grammar school is an alternative for children who have not passed the entrance exam for a public grammar school. One reason why an increase can be observed in this area in particular is that only private schools that offer lessons for the compulsory school period require a state licence. No licence is required for a public school at baccalaureate level.

An enormous boom in private schools can be observed at secondary school level. In an interview with the Tagesanzeiger newspaper, school president Jacqueline Peter of the Uto school district in Zurich explained the almost 27 per cent rate of private school pupils among secondary school pupils there by saying that many parents apparently assumed that their children would be better prepared for the Gymi exam for the short Gymnasium at a private secondary school.

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Why private school?

There are many reasons to attend a private school. Some parents and/or pupils opt for a private school for ideological reasons, for example because they favour an anti-authoritarian education with a freer learning atmosphere or a certain alternative lifestyle. Some also choose to attend a private school with a particular religious orientation. The choice of private schools can therefore be diverse. To attend a special private school, however, pupils may have to accept a longer route to school.

In a study, parents were askedwhy they wanted to send their children to a private school. One of the answers given by the respondents was that they expect less pressure to perform and more individualised support from a private school, as well as better supervision. In private schools, for example, it is common for homework to be done at school.

There are also frequent reports of parents sending their child to a private school because they are being bullied at public school. One reason why bullying is less common at private schools may be that bullying children are dealt with more vigorously and are warned early on and excluded from school if they do not improve.

It can also sometimes be observed that children from poorer communities or neighbourhoods are recommended by teachers to find a good apprenticeship, for example as a businessman or computer scientist, despite good school grades. In richer communities, pupils with equivalent grades are recommended to attend grammar school. Children from poorer backgrounds are therefore sometimes accused of having too high ambitions if they want to go to grammar school. Parents have then still the option of sending their children to a private school.

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How much does a private school cost in Switzerland?

The costs of attending a private school are generally high - for example, for attending a private primary school or a private school at secondary level. You can expect to pay around CHF 30,000 per school year, which is why private schools are usually only attended by children whose parents have very good incomes and/or a corresponding level of wealth. The costs for a private grammar school are sometimes cheaper.

Although school fees of CHF 30,000 per year may seem expensive, these private school costs are easy to explain. After all, you have to bear in mind that the private school has to pay the teachers, cover the costs of the classrooms and has administrative costs for organising the school.

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