Why does everyone want to go to grammar school?
Every year, approximately twice as many students take the grammar school exam as ultimately enter grammar school, because approximately half of the candidates fail the central entrance exam (ZAP). But why does everyone want to go to grammar school, or why do so many more children want to go to grammar school than are allowed to?
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What is grammar school in Switzerland?
Grammar schools (high schools) in Switzerland are secondary schools. Depending on the canton, a distinction is made between long-term and short-term grammar schools. In the canton of Zurich, for example, long-term grammar schools begin after the sixth year of primary school, while short-term grammar schools begin after the second or third year of secondary school.
The terms “cantonal school” and “grammar school” are sometimes used synonymously, which is not entirely correct. There can be a difference between a grammar school and a cantonal school if a cantonal school accommodates not only a grammar school but also other types of secondary schools, such as a commercial secondary school (HMS) and/or an IT secondary school.
And what can you do after grammar school? Once you have completed grammar school with a grammar school leaving certificate, you can use this qualification to study at university, the Swiss Federal Institutes of Technology (ETH, EPFL) or teacher training colleges. However, there are special admission restrictions for some subjects.
Read also our article ‘How to get into the gymnasium: Many paths lead to grammar school’.
Reasons: Why grammar school?
It is not only the high number of candidates taking the grammar school entrance exam that indicates that many pupils want to attend grammar school. There are approximately twice as many interested pupils as ultimately pass the grammar school entrance exam. The failure rate for the long-term grammar school exam has remained fairly constant for years, which is why it is referred to as an unofficial grammar school quota.
There are even primary school teachers who report that almost all of their pupils want to attend grammar school. But why does everyone want to attend grammar school? What is the reason for this? There are many reasons for attending grammar school; we list some of the main motivations for grammar school below.
Grammar school girls earn more later in life
One incentive to attend grammar school is that a grammar school education generally offers the prospect of higher wages.
Girls in particular have better chances of earning a higher wage if they attend grammar school and take an academic job after university than if they take an EFZ job after an apprenticeship, as a study by the University of Lausanne has found.
Peer pressure: Friends also go to grammar school
Another factor that makes pupils keen to transfer to grammar school is peer pressure. If a friend or even the whole group of friends wants to transfer to grammar school after primary or secondary school, pupils don't want to lose these close friends.
Even children or young people who are not actually suited to grammar school develop the desire to transfer to grammar school due to peer pressure.
School is better than work
Another reason why so many pupils want to go to grammar school today is the decline in the prestige of apprenticeships. Martin Opplinger from the Aprentas training association told the online news portal Watson that school is perceived as something better than work. Theory is considered more important than practice.
This preference for grammar school over apprenticeships is fuelled by the still widespread ideal of the merit principle, according to which anyone can achieve anything as long as they work hard, and a person's status and success are determined by their individual performance.
Academic parents push their children towards grammar school
When it comes to the question ‘Why does everyone want to go to grammar school?’, parents often play a decisive role.
It is often parents with academic backgrounds who want to see their own children go to university and therefore push them towards grammar school. These parents want their children to have a similar education to their own, probably because they believe that this is what has worked best for them, especially in terms of salary and job security.
Grammar schoolis still considered the ‘ideal path’ by academic parents in particular, says Daniel Gebauer, headmaster and member of the executive board of the Swiss Teachers' Association (LCH).
In addition to the security of a high income, parents also value the social prestige associated with attending grammar school, as a primary school teacher told SRF. Education economist Stefan C. Wolter even says that social status has become decoupled from economic performance. According to this, social prestige is more important to academic parents than economic success, while the opposite is true for non-academic parents.
Accordingly, academic parents in particular put pressure on their children to do everything they can to make the leap to grammar school, even if they are not actually suited to grammar school or are simply not yet ready.
We recommend reading the following articles in this context:
- ‘Does the pressure from parents to attend gymnasium make children sick?’
- ‘Is my child suitable for grammar school?’
It is important to remember that a grammar school qualification is no guarantee of a good income and/or social prestige, as not every grammar school pupil goes on to university, not all students complete their studies, and not every graduate ends up in a well-paid job.
Are really the wrong people at grammar school?
In the media, one repeatedly reads that scientists such as intelligence researcher Elsbeth Stern, educational scientist Margit Stamm and education economist Stefan C. Wolter criticise the fact that pupils who do not belong there are transferring to grammar schools.
Intelligence researcher Elsbeth Stern bases this criticism on the fact that many grammar school pupils have an IQ below the 112 points required for grammar school. Approximately one third of grammar school pupils do not belong in grammar school.
However, it must be countered that it is possible to train for an intelligence test, which is why the significance of intelligence tests is limited. This is because some children may be better prepared for an intelligence test due to their hobbies or other prior knowledge, without having consciously practised for the IQ test.
It is true that some children have greater difficulties at grammar school than others. However, children are still developing, which means that it is impossible to predict from the outset who will develop sufficiently to pass grammar school and who, due to a lack of development, will either drop out during the grammar school trial period, fail the class or fail the grammar-school-leaving examination. Many pupils only develop the necessary interest in school subjects at grammar school. For children and young people aged between 12 and 16, many things are still open; it is not possible to make a blanket judgement about their ability to cope with grammar school.
Teachers sometimes influence the choice of school
In addition to parents, teachers also play a decisive role in determining who from the class goes on to grammar school. Many teachers base their decisions on social background, steering children of academics towards grammar school, while children of working-class parents are directed towards secondary school or middle school.
On the one hand, there are reports of cases in which teachers recommended that children of non-academic parents attend secondary school because these children had no one at home who could help them if they needed support in understanding the school material at grammar school.
On the other hand, studies have found that working-class children are graded more strictly by teachers than middle-class children.
It is best to start preparing for grammar school in the 4th grade
Which grammar school in Zurich?
In addition to the question of why, there is also the question of which grammar school to attend in the canton of Zurich. First of all, you need to ask yourself whether you want to transfer to a long-term grammar school after the 6th year of primary school or to a short-term grammar school after the 2nd or 3rd year of secondary school.
Read our articles on this topic:
- ‘Difference long-term and short-term grammar school Zurich - which is better?’
- ‘Secondary school or grammar school (Sek or Gymi): Which is better for the child?’
The next question is which grammar school profile to choose. There are a total of six different Matura profiles available at the various grammar schools in the canton of Zurich, although not every grammar school offers all profiles:
- Classical languages profile
- Modern languages profile
- Mathematics and natural sciences profile
- Economics and law profile
- Artistic profile
- Philosophy/education/psychology profile
Once you have decided on a profile, you need to find the long or short grammar school that offers the desired grammar school profile. But which grammar schools are there and what profiles do they offer? You can find the answers to these questions in our article ‘All grammar schools in the canton of Zurich and their grammar school profiles’.
When choosing the right grammar school, you can also be guided by other criteria. On the one hand, you can try to find a grammar school where the probationary period is not as strict as at other grammar schools. On the other hand, you can also look at a grammar school ranking to find the best possible grammar school.
Read our article ‘Gymnasium Zurich ranking: best grammar school in the canton of Zurich’ for more information.
Start now with a grammar school preparation course!
Sources
- Gymnasium Preparation Zurich - Preparatory courses for every need (last accessed: October 9, 2025)
- How to get into the gymnasium: Many paths lead to grammar school (last accessed: October 9, 2025)
- Grammar school student at any price (last accessed: October 9, 2025)
- Young people prefer to go to grammar school instead of an apprenticeship (last accessed: October 9, 2025)
- Finally send the right people to grammar school! (last accessed: October 9, 2025)
- The transition to grammar school heats up tempers (last accessed: October 9, 2025)
- Desired grammar school: Prestige comes first (last accessed: October 9, 2025)
- Does the pressure from parents to attend gymnasium make children sick? (last accessed: October 9, 2025)
- Is my child suitable for grammar school? (last accessed: October 9, 2025)
- Why Gymnasium? (last accessed: October 9, 2025)
- “There are many people in grammar school who don’t belong there” (last accessed: October 9, 2025)
- Margrit Stamm in an interview: “The wrong students often make it to grammar school” (last accessed: October 9, 2025)
- Gymnasium Preparation 4th Grade (last accessed: October 9, 2025)
- Difference long-term and short-term grammar school Zurich - which is better? (last accessed: October 9, 2025)
- Secondary school or grammar school (Sek or Gymi): Which is better for the child? (last accessed: October 9, 2025)
- All grammar schools in the canton of Zurich and their grammar school profiles (last accessed: October 9, 2025)
- Gymnasium Zurich ranking: best grammar school in the canton of Zurich (last accessed: October 9, 2025)
Why are new grammar schools built in Zurich and Aargau?
More and more cantonal schools and grammar schools (gymnasia) are being planned and, in some cases, already built in the canton Zurich and Aargau. But why?
Can social advancement through education be planned?
Many Swiss students hope that improving their education will lead to a better salary. Can social advancement through education be planned, and if so, how?
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