Secondary school or grammar school (Sek or Gymi): Which is better for the child?

Whether secondary school or grammar school (Sek or Gymi) is the right path for your child to be successful in education depends on various factors.

In the following article, you can find out which factors you should consider when choosing between grammar school or secondary school (Gymi or Sek) for your child.

If you want to go to grammar school, you should do a grammar school course!

Table of contents

• Educational pathways in Switzerland
   
• Long grammar school or short grammar school
   
  • Long-term grammar school or secondary school
     
  • Secondary school and short-term grammar school
     
• Alternatives to grammar school

Educational pathways in Switzerland

In the Swiss education system, there are various educational paths that students can take. The highest school-leaving qualification at upper secondary level is the baccalaureate at the Gymnasium.

There are also other baccalaureates, namely the specialised baccalaureate and the vocational baccalaureate, for which you do not have to attend a Gymnasium. The specialised baccalaureate is obtained at the specialised secondary school and the vocational baccalaureate is obtained at the vocational secondary school, the commercial secondary school and the IT secondary school.

However, students must first complete secondary school before attending a specialised secondary school, vocational secondary school, commercial secondary school, IT secondary school and short-term grammar school. Even those who want to do a vocational apprenticeship in Switzerland without a vocational baccalaureate must first complete secondary school.

Only those who go to a long-term grammar school do not have to attend secondary school, as the transfer to the long-term grammar school takes place directly after primary school following a successful grammar school examination. And this is where the question arises: secondary school or grammar school (Sek or Gymi), which is better for the child?

Long grammar school or short grammar school

The question of grammar school or secondary school is closely linked to the question of long-term grammar school or short-term grammar school. This is because - as explained above - the long grammar school starts directly after primary school, while the short grammar school starts after secondary school.

Long-term grammar school or secondary school

So if you want to send your child to grammar school straight after primary school, there are a few things to bear in mind, as the transition to the long grammar school is demanding for primary school pupils.

From one day to the next, a great deal of independence is required of children who transfer to the long grammar school. Another change is that the child now stays at school over lunchtime. This means that their classmates become their main social environment, which initially requires the children to be able to adapt socially and be assertive.

Children also need to get used to the fact that subject lessons are taught by different teachers, which means they have to be able to adapt to different characters and teaching styles. But there are also major challenges in terms of content. One major hurdle, for example, is the intensive Latin lessons. In addition to the intensive language lessons, the child also has to get used to history and German at a high level.

If the child does not pass the probationary period, they will be downgraded to secondary school. For some children, this can undermine their self-confidence, which is why you should consider whether the child is ready for the long grammar school or would be better off transferring from the secondary school to the short grammar school later. Other demoted children are glad that they have escaped the excessive demands of the long grammar school.

The transfer to the grammar school - and therefore also to the long grammar school - is only possible after passing the central entrance examination. This also raises the question of whether a young child should be expected to sacrifice a large part of their free time to prepare for the gymnasium exam. In addition, you need to keep a close eye on whether the child can withstand the pressure to pass the Gymi exam, as around half of all candidates fail this exam.

Please also read our article ‘Is my child suitable for grammar school?’.

Secondary school and short-term grammar school

If children only transfer to grammar school after secondary school, i.e. to a short grammar school, the situation is different to when they transfer to a long grammar school.

When transferring from secondary school to a short grammar school, the child ‘only’ has to familiarise themselves with the school material and develop an efficient learning strategy.

Alternatives to grammar school

As mentioned at the beginning, there are various alternatives to the Gymnasium. For many students, the question is not just long or short grammar school, but many students are faced with the more general question of grammar school or secondary school followed by a specialised middle school, vocational middle school, IT middle school, commercial middle school or vocational apprenticeship with a vocational college.

The specialised middle school is more suitable for students who are still undecided about what career they want to pursue later, who enjoy learning and do not want to go to grammar school. However, it is also possible to obtain a baccalaureate at the specialised middle school, the so-called Fachmaturität, which allows you to study at a university of applied sciences. Those who pass the passerelle examination after the specialised baccalaureate can even go on to study at university, ETH or a teacher training college.

The vocational secondary school, on the other hand, is a kind of hybrid programme. On the one hand, students receive practical vocational training and, on the other, an academic education with foreign languages and general education. The vocational secondary school can be completed with a vocational baccalaureate, which gives access to universities of applied sciences. However, it is also possible to study at a university, ETH or university of teacher education by completing the Passerelle.

Please also read our article ‘Vocational baccalaureate school (BMS) as an alternative to grammar school’.

Attend a preparatory course for the BMS entrance exam now!

In the case of the IT middle school and commercial middle school, both of which can also be completed with a vocational baccalaureate, a three-year school education is followed by a one-year practical component.

And finally, there is the vocational apprenticeship combined with a vocational college, which, however, does not lead to a baccalaureate, which is why it cannot be considered an alternative to the Gymnasium.

Book a preparatory course for the Gymi exam at Zurich's long-term grammar school now.

Pupils can also attend a preparatory course to prepare for the Gymi exam at a short-term grammar school.

Book a preparation course for the Gymi exam at Zurich's short-term grammar school now.

Sources:

• Specialised secondary school | Canton of Zurich (last accessed: 20.6.2025)

• Vocational baccalaureate school | Canton of Zurich (last accessed: 20.6.2025)

• Commercial secondary school | Canton of Zurich (last accessed: 20.6.2025)

• IT secondary school | Canton of Zurich (last accessed: 20.6.2025)

• Gymnasium | Canton of Zurich (last accessed: 20.6.2025)

• Is my child suitable for grammar school? (last accessed: 20.6.2025)

• Vocational baccalaureate school as an alternative to grammar school (last accessed: 20.6.2025)

• Gymnasium preparation Zurich: Registration for long grammar school (last accessed: 20.6.2025)

• Gymnasium preparation Zurich: Registration for the short Gymnasium (last accessed: 20.6.2025)