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 – whether public or private – has its own methods of conveying learning material. However, the social environment, personality development, and outlook on the world are at least as important. School years are an intensive phase during which focus should also be placed on family values, your daily routine, and very practical questions like the daily commute to school.

Private schools deliberately develop offerings where criteria such as learning culture and the personal development of students are at the forefront. However, parents must also accept higher costs for this. Many families in the decision-making phase therefore ask themselves: 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.

The range is very wide, from traditional, denominational schools to alternative pedagogical institutions and international schools with English-language instruction and international degrees. If you choose a private school, you don’t need to worry about whether the school is actually fulfilling its educational mandate. Every private school is subject to the respective cantonal supervisory authorities, which check whether the schools can fulfill their professional and pedagogical tasks. What unites all these school forms and concepts is the aim not only to support children in an academic sense but to offer them an environment in which they can develop personally.

In public schools, usually more than 20, sometimes even 25 or more children learn in one class. There is hardly any time left for the individual teacher to address individual learning needs. Children who cannot follow the lesson material well or have learning problems easily fall through the cracks of this school system. They lose motivation, develop school anxiety, or withdraw internally – with long-term consequences for their self-confidence, their joy 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 higher learning goals that often go far beyond state-mandated curricula. This is not about pushing children to peak performance and overwhelming them – rather, they create a learning environment where learning is enjoyable and high learning goals are to be achieved through intrinsic motivation.

Often, students engage very intensively and sustainably with the material through a practical curriculum. It’s not just about passing exams, but about developing a deep understanding of the topics, promoting one’s own thinking skills, and above all, developing independent perspectives. The smaller learning groups also provide the right framework for fully developing one’s 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 networked 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 the children’s horizons but also strengthens their openness to other cultures, their communication skills, and the 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.