Swiss Public School Part 2: Secondary School & Beyond

After primary school (after 6th grade), the Swiss school system gets a little complex, with many different schooling options based on your child’s academic achievement and future career interests. If your child continues in the Swiss public secondary school (7th-9th grade), you and your child have a lot of decisions and preparations to make in the next 2-3 years.

In part 2 of our Swiss public school series, I talk about what to expect in secondary school (7th-9th grade) and what schooling options are available afterwards to your child. This is based on our experience with my oldest son, who has gone through this process and is finishing 9th grade this summer.

This post accompanies my video series on this same topic, embedded below. After that are important points and links that I mention in the video.

Your child’s performance in secondary school determines what apprenticeship opportunities they can pursue. For more information, see Swiss School – Applying for Apprenticeships (coming soon).

See also: Swiss Public School Part 1: Prepping for Long Gymnasium

Disclaimer: This is not a definite guide to the Swiss public school system. Information shared here is based on our research and experience in Zürich city public schools, but your experience may vary. Please consult your local school administrators for the most up-to-date information relevant to your school district. Also see the official School overview from Zürich canton (in German).

I also recommend Going Local: your guide to Swiss schooling by Margaret Oertig, which is particularly helpful if you don’t live in Zürich canton.

Overview of Swiss public school

In short, in the Swiss public school system in Zürich canton, kids go to 2 years of Kindergarten, then 6 years of primary school. After that they can optionally take an entrance exam for Lang Gymnasium, which is an elite academic program, which lasts 6 years. More about Gymi in part 1 of this series.

Only about 20% of students qualify for gymi. So the rest of the students go to secondary school, either public or private, which lasts 2-3 years. I will talk about public secondary school in more detail below.

At the end of secondary school, your child can pursue a variety of schooling options like short Gymmasium, public middle schools, or private high schools, which I discuss in more detail below.

Or they can apply for an apprenticeship, which lasts 3-4 years, after which they can continue to work or pursue higher education. I talk more about the apprenticeship program in part 3 of this series.

What is Secondary education?

After primary school, most kids go to public secondary school (aka “Sek”) for 3 years, 7th-9th grade. Most kids start Sek at about 12 years old and finish at about 15 years old.

They study German, Math, French, and English as core subjects along with other subjects like history, natural and social sciences, religion, chemistry, physics, etc. Most include gym, workshop, music, art, cooking, hand crafts, etc. They often offer additional elective courses in the 3rd year like typing, grammar, business, film, art, etc.

The goal of Sek is not necessarily to prepare kids for short Gymi or any of the other full-time schooling options. Instead, Sek does spend at lot of time preparing students for the apprenticeship route. As part of school, they visit career fairs, learn about different career paths, search for apprenticeships, practice writing application letters, etc. They do not take practice Gymi exams or offer free prep courses like in primary school. Like long Gymi, only a small percentage of Sek students take the entrance exams and of those, only a few pass.

Academic Tracks: Sek A vs Sek B

Most secondary schools have 2-3 different academic tracks, dividing students based on their grades in primary school and teacher recommendation. These categories vary widely between schools, but in general, here are the typical categories:

• Sek A is for higher achieving, motivated students with good grades (usually at least a 5 in German and Math).
• Sek B is for students with average grades that may be weaker in some areas and/or not very motivated.
• Sek C is for students with more fundamental problems, including learning disabilities or those who struggle to learn German. Often kids that are new to Switzerland and don’t know German start in Sek C. Most schools in Zürich city no longer have Sek C.

Again, this is specific to Zürich canton. Other cantons may have similar categories but call them something different.

In my son’s school, they had Sek A & B, but also 3 levels (aka “Stufe”) for core subjects Math and French, where Sek A and B students could be mixed. So a student could be in Sek A, but also be level 2 for Math along with Sek B students.

The important point is to make sure you learn exactly how students are divided in whatever secondary school your child is going to. In general, try to get your child into the highest level possible. Your child is placed in a specific level based on the teacher’s recommendation, which is based on grades and the teacher’s subjective opinion. Good luck with this!

Why Sek A is important

Sek A is critical for two reasons.

First, if your child wants to try for short Gymi, they need to be in Sek A. Sek B goes slower than Sek A, meaning they don’t cover the same material in the same amount of time, nor do the teachers push them to achieve at a high level. Sek B students simply won’t be prepared for the level of academic achievement required for the entrance exams.

Second, many apprenticeships only allow Sek A students to apply. If your child is in Sek B, they may not be able to apply for any apprenticeships in the career path in which they are interested. Even if they can apply, preference is always given in Sek A students.

Some teachers recommend kids for Sek B saying that it’s better to do well in Sek B than poorly in Sek A. In most cases, I think this is ill advised. Sek A is not ridiculously challenging like Gymi. It’s just regular school. So most average students will do fine. They will need to work hard and may start with lower grades than they are used to. But I think it is better to be challenged than have low expectations that are too easy to reach.

Moving levels from Sek B to Sek A

It is possible to move up from Sek B to Sek A, however some teachers and schools make it harder than it should be.

The first challenge is that Sek B moves slower, so the longer your child is in Sek B, the farther behind they will be and the harder it will be for them to catch up.

As an example, my son was in Sek A Math and German, but in Sek B French. After one year, my son was doing so well that the teacher recommended he move up to Sek A French. But his Sek B class was four chapters behind the Sek A class. Over 6 weeks, he tried to make up the four chapters on his own while continuing with the normal classwork. But there were so many gaps in grammar and vocabulary, he felt completely lost and decided to go back to the Sek B French. Although he gets good grades in that class, overall his French is very weak and way behind what he would have achieved in the Sek A French. I regret agreeing to put him in that class. We should have put him in the Sek A French and let him rise to the occasion.

The second challenge is that some teachers pigeon hole kids as “Sek B” kids and constantly resist any requests or efforts to move those kids up. The stories I have are too long to tell, but in short… If you want to move your kid up, meet with the teacher often (every 3 months minimum) and involve the school principal if necessary. Set goals with your child and teacher (for grades and/or tests) so there are objective results that you can point to when making the argument to move your child up a level.

Full-time school options after Sek

There are several full-time public school options for kids after secondary school, including short Gymi and other “Mittelschule” that specialize in subjects like business, IT, communications, art, music, etc.

These all require an entrance exam, but the Mittelschule require a lower score than for short Gymi. Private companies offer prep courses specific to the type of school you are applying for.

The below flowchart is available from Zürich canton, showing the full-time schooling options, which I’ll talk about more below. As you can see in the chart, short Gymi earns you direct entrance to university while the other middle schools allow you direct entrance to Fachhochschule, aka higher education specific to your focus like business, communications, or IT. You can still go to university with additional school to bridge the gap (e.g. a “Passerelle” or adult Matura), which also requires an entrance exam.

There are a few private short gymis that are officially recognized by Zürich canton, meaning a Matura or other certificates earned from these schools have the same value as one from a public school. These are listed on their website as Anerkennte nichtstaatliche Mittelschule.

Short Gymansium, aka Kurz Gymi

This is similar to long Gymnasium, but a 4 year program instead of 6, ending with a final exam that enables direct entrance to a Swiss university. To apply for short Gymi, you must take an entrance exam, which includes German, Math, and French (as of 2019).

When selecting a short Gymi, you need to pick a school that offers your preferred Matura “Profile”, i.e. a special focus in addition to your general education. The available profiles are Old Languages (Altsprachlich), New Languages (Neusprachlich), Math & Natural Sciences (Mathematischnaturwissenschaftlich), Business & Law (Wirtschaftlichrechtlich), and Music (Musisches Profil).

Short gymi is similar in many ways to long Gymi, in terms of the exam prep and selecting a school. So I’ll refer you to my post about long Gymi for more info about that.

Unlike long Gymi, you can take the short Gymi entrance exam multiple times if you don’t pass: in 8th, 9th and 10th grade (more about an optional 10th year below). If you pass in 8th, you can still go to 9th grade in secondary school and go to Gymi later when you are a bit older without retaking the exam.

Many people have told me that it’s better to enter short Gymi when you are older both because you’ll have had more school and will be better prepared for the academic rigor of gymi and also because most other students will be older and you’ll have to compete with them.

Handelsmittelschule, aka HMS

There are three HMS schools in Zürich canton, which offer general education with a focus on business. It’s 3 years of school with 1 year working in a practicum. This education gives you a Berufsmatura, which qualifies you for a Fachhochschule, basically higher education in business. You also earn an EFZ in business, a federally recognized certificate, required to apply for jobs in this career path. To apply, you must take an entrance exam similar to the short Gymi; in fact at some schools, you take the same exam, but you need a lower score for HMS. You can even apply to both kurz Gymi and HMS, take one exam, and then see what happens.

Fachmittelschule, aka FMS

There are two FMS schools in Zürich canton that offer general education along with a focus in a variety of specialized subjects, including communications, teaching, health & natural sciences, music, theater, etc. You need to look at the specific schools to see what they offer.  You need to take an entrance exam similar to the short Gymi exam.

Informatikmittelschule, aka IMS

There are two IMS schools in Zürich canton, that offer general education with a focus on Information Technology. The program includes 3 years of full-time school with one year working in a practicum. At the end of the program, you earn a Berufsmatura, which qualifies you to attend higher education for information technology (like a Fachhochschule). You also earn an EFZ for IT, a federally recognized certificate required to apply for jobs in this career path. IMS gives you the same qualifications as working in an IT apprenticeship for 4 years along with the part-time BMS school (Berufsmatüritätschule). You must also take an entrance exam for IMS, but it happens in October of 9th grade, not March. So you need to prep and apply much earlier. Don’t miss the deadlines!

Exams were hard, but school is harder

Congratulations, you passed your entrance exams! Now on to the real hard work. Hopefully you will do well, complete the 3-4 years and pass the final Matura exam. However many students unfortunately either drop out or flunk out before the end. As one example, in my friend’s class, only 17 of the initial 26 students made it the whole four years.

First, every school has a probationary period, aka Probezeit, usually the first semester, in which you have to maintain a certain minimum grade average or you are kicked out. Even if you pass the probationary period, you still have to continually maintain a good grade average, which is usually evaluated every semester. If you drop below the minimum, in some cases, they will let you repeat a year. But if you cannot get your grades up, you must leave the school.

In long Gymi, if you flunk out, you simply go to the regular secondary school, which continues to 9th grade. But with short Gymi and Mittelschule, secondary school is over, you have nowhere to go. All the other kids are doing apprenticeships. So if you start short Gymi for your 10th year and flunk out, you have a big problem.

Typically, you need to apply to a private school or look for an apprenticeship. I’m still looking into this topic and will let you know what I find out.

Just as a sidenote, like long Gymi, in these schools you are responsible for some fees for school supplies, school trips and other incidentals. If your child does a practicum as part of school (usually the last year), they will get paid sames as with an apprenticeship.

Options if you don’t pass the entrance exams

Sad but true, very few pass the entrance exams. But don’t worry, you have a lot of options.

Apprenticeship

Most Swiss students will go the apprenticeship route, which includes part time school. This lasts 3-4 years, after which students can pursue high education or continue to work in that career. Lots more about this route in my post: Swiss School – Applying for Apprenticeships (coming soon!)

10th year of secondary school

As a last resort, students can do a 10th year of public secondary school which is exclusively focused on getting them an apprenticeship.

10th year private school

There are several private Swiss schools that offer a 10th year, primarily for students that would like to try again for the short Gymi or other Mittelschule. I’ve talked to a couple Swiss adults that did this route and highly recommend it, saying that some students just need a bit more time and maturity to perform well on the exams. The 10th year gives those types of students that opportunity if they are really more interested in an academic route instead of an apprenticeship.

Private Swiss or International Schools

There are a variety of private high schools in Zürich canton. Some use the Swiss system, meaning kids can come out of school with Swiss qualifications like a Matura or EFZ. Look carefully at what qualifications your child can earn and what they need for their next desired step, depending on if they want to study in Switzerland or internationally.

If your child eventually wants to attend university in your home country, check with the target university to see what steps your child will need to take in order to apply. In addition to entrance exams (some like the SAT are proctored occasionally in Switzerland, typically by international schools) You will likely need to get their certificates/diplomas translated and evaluated by a international credential evaluation company like IERF.

Home School

Many private companies and universities offer home school for international high school students. We know a couple families that chose this option for their children. It can be a good bridge option for teens that move to Switzerland at age 14-17 and would not be able to integrate into the Swiss system.

If you have one to recommend, please leave a comment.

Move away

Some families choose to end their expat adventure when their child doesn’t pass the exams. If your job will not pay for private school and you can’t afford it, your options are limited to an apprenticeship, which can be great but is not right for every child or every family situation. For example, if you and your children are not planning to live in Switzerland forever, an apprenticeship probably doesn’t make sense. Some families start looking for work back in their home countries as their children enter 9th grade, just in case.

Send kids away

We’ve known several families that have sent their teenagers to live with family in the US and go to public high school there. It’s sad to have the family separated during this tumultuous period of change and decision in your teen’s life . But in general, all the families I’ve know who have done this have had positive experiences. The kids thrive academically and socially, play school team sports, participate in social rituals like proms, and most go on to university. It’s not all positive but it has its advantages.

Well, that’s all for now. I hope you found this helpful. Let me know if you have anything to add or correct, particularly personal experiences going through this process.

See also our post about Prepping for Long Gymnasium