Enrolling your child in school in Switzerland: procedure, documents, timing

Enrolment happens neither federally nor cantonally, but through your municipality or directly with your local school. The procedure differs from canton to canton — here are the three main ones.

The school year starts in August

This is one of the few rules set federally. For 2026-2027, term began on Monday 17 August 2026 in both Geneva and the canton of Vaud. In Zurich it falls on the Monday of calendar week 34, binding across the canton.

The practical consequence for a family planning a move: decisions are taken in the preceding spring, not over the summer.

Geneva

For ordinary entry into the first year, enrolment takes place in early March at primary schools — the week of 2 to 7 March for the 2026 intake. Every child who turns four by 31 July and lives in the canton must be enrolled.

If you arrive mid-year, enrolment remains possible at any time from mid-August to the end of June. You telephone the head of your local primary school to arrange an appointment, and attend it with your child. The school's management decides the placement, based on proximity to your home; another school may be assigned if there is no capacity.

Geneva sets out the required documents precisely:

• identity documents for the child and both parents;
• proof of the child's health insurance;
• residence certificates for the child and one parent, issued by the cantonal population and migration office;
• lease, deed or proof of ownership;
• a recent utility bill or proof of the date you moved in;
• school reports for the past two years.

One warning worth taking seriously: your address is verified, and a false declaration of domicile ends the child's enrolment immediately.

At lower secondary level, pupils who do not speak French attend reception classes, with admissions open throughout the school year.

Canton of Vaud

The logic is the reverse of Geneva's: for ordinary entry into the first year, parents take no step at all. The assigned school contacts the parents during the year before entry. The age rule is the same — four by 31 July.

For a mid-year arrival, you enrol at the school serving your address. The management board decides the placement on the basis of age, previous school records and observed competences. So bring every report and assessment from the previous school, translated if possible.

One reassuring point: if the placement proves unsuitable, the child can move class after three months, with the parents consulted.

Zurich

Enrolment goes through your municipality — the school administration or the school management — and must be done without delay on arrival. The school then invites parents and child to a first meeting within days, with an interpreter where possible.

There is no single canton-wide enrolment window: procedure and timing are set by each municipality. Ask yours as soon as you have an address.

If no enrolment is made, it is not the child who stays out of school: the school administration is required to order their enrolment.

And for a private school

Private schools set their own admissions calendars, and places at sought-after institutions go early — often a year ahead at well-known boarding schools. Two pieces of advice apply to all of them.

Ask in writing for the school's status: cantonal authorisation, and federal recognition of its Matura programme if it offers one. Ask too for the full annual cost — registration, meals, transport and activities included. Few Swiss schools publish their fees online, and the gap between the headline tuition and the actual invoice can be considerable.