10 reasons why you should choose a private school

Choosing the right school is one of the most defining decisions parents make for their child. Every school-public or private-has its own approach to teaching and learning. But the social environment, personal development, and a child’s worldview are just as important. The school years are an intensive phase, so it’s also worth considering family values, your daily routine, and practical questions such as the commute.

Private schools are consciously developing programs that focus on criteria such as learning culture and the personal development of students. However, parents also have to accept higher costs. Many families are therefore faced with the question during the decision-making phase: is it worth sending my child to a private school?

There are around 1’355 private schools in Switzerland (as of 2020/21), about a third of which (around 35%) are state-subsidized. Interestingly, the number of private schools has increased by over 50% in the last ten years – this shows the great need of families who want support for their children beyond the traditional education system.

There is a wide range of options, from traditional, denominational schools to alternative educational institutions and international schools with English-language lessons and international qualifications. If you choose a private school, you don’t need to worry about whether the school is actually fulfilling its educational mission. Each private school is subject to the respective cantonal supervisory authorities, which check whether the schools can fulfill their professional and educational tasks. What unites all these school types and concepts is the aim of not only supporting children in a scholastic sense, but also offering them an environment in which they can develop personally.

In public schools, there are usually over 20, sometimes even 25 children or more in a class. There is hardly any time for the individual teacher to respond to individual learning needs. Children who cannot follow the subject matter well or have learning problems easily fall through the cracks of this school system. They lose motivation, develop anxiety about school or withdraw internally – with long-term consequences for their self-confidence, their enjoyment of learning and, ultimately, their entire educational path.

Private schools deliberately set a counterpoint here. They work with significantly smaller classes, usually between 8 and 16 children. In such an atmosphere, every child is noticed and, above all, personal relationship work between teachers and students is possible. Learning progress can also be monitored more consciously.

Advantages of small classes at a glance:

Private schools deliberately pursue a higher learning goal, which often goes far beyond the state-prescribed curriculum. The aim is not to drive children to peak performance and overtax them – rather, they create a learning environment in which learning is fun and the high learning goals are to be achieved through intrinsic motivation.

Students often engage with the subject matter in a very intensive and lasting way thanks to a practical curriculum. The aim is not just to pass exams, but to develop a deep understanding of the topics, to develop their own thinking skills and, above all, to develop their own perspectives independently. The smaller learning groups also provide the right framework for students to develop their full potential through targeted feedback from teachers.

Not every child learns the same way, so not every school can fit every learning profile. A major advantage of many private schools is the pedagogical diversity parents can choose from. Due to the different approaches, it is possible for you to find a private school for your child that takes individual needs, talents, and developmental phases into account and is also compatible with family values.

A brief overview of common concepts in private schools in Switzerland:

What unites all these models: They promote not only the transfer of knowledge but also curiosity about the world, self-responsibility, and the development of creative solutions.

In an increasingly connected world, language skills and intercultural understanding are becoming more and more important. Private schools take this into account and promote foreign languages such as English, French, or Spanish from the early school years. Many of these schools are also part of international networks. They maintain corresponding exchange programs or accept students from different cultures to promote personal encounters between different countries.
This not only broadens children’s horizons but also strengthens their openness to other cultures, their communication skills, and their ability to move confidently in different contexts. All of these are important prerequisites for later studies and professional life.

The environment in which children learn has a major influence on how they learn. It determines whether children can concentrate, feel comfortable, and are open to new things. Anyone who spends so many hours a day in one place needs more than just functional classroom equipment with tables and chairs; they need an authentic environment that invites thinking, researching, and experimenting.

Many private schools therefore attach great importance to modern and well-thought-out learning spaces. They create a digital infrastructure, equip their specialist rooms for computer science, biology, and chemistry with modern equipment, and set up libraries and retreats for concentrated work. Flexible room concepts are also often found in private schools, supporting different forms of learning such as individual and group work.

Education goes far beyond the acquisition of specialist knowledge. It is precisely during the school years that fundamental values are shaped in young people: How do I treat others? How do I take responsibility? How do I find my place in the community? Many private schools see their educational mandate in exactly that.

In everyday school life, this is shown, for example, by:

A holistic education includes exactly these aspects. It supports young people in going through life with self-confidence, reflection, and empathy.