Cantonal School Systems
While compulsory schooling in Switzerland is 9 years long, many of the specifics of the system vary by canton. In most cases, the primary level lasts 6 years, and the lower secondary level 3 years. In only a few cantons, the primary level lasts 4 or 5 years and entrance to the lower secondary level thus occurs either in school year 5 (duration: 5 years) or school year 6 (duration: 4 years). In more than half of the cantons, it is compulsory to attend pre-school. In almost all cantons, the municipalities are obliged to provide pre-school classes.
This table shows the school system for 2009/2010 and how the lower secondary schools are organized:
| Canton | Years of Kindergarten |
Years of Kindergarten provided | Years of Kindergarten legally required | Length of Primary School | Length of mandatory Secondary School | Separate Secondary Schools? | Cooperative Secondary Schools? | Integrated Secondary Schools? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zurich | 2 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 3 | Yes | No | No |
| Bern | 1 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 3 | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Lucerne | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 3 | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Uri | 1 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 3 | No | No | Yes |
| Schwyz | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 3 | No | No | Yes |
| Obwalden | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 3 | No | No | Yes |
| Nidwalden | 2 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 3 | No | No | Yes |
| Glarus | 2 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 3 | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Zug | 2 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 3 | No | No | Yes |
| Fribourg | 2 | 1 or 2 | 0 or 2 | 6 | 3 | Yes | No | Yes |
| Solothurn | 2 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 3 | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Basel-Stadt | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 5 | Yes | No | No |
| Basel-Landschaft | 2 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 4 | Yes | No | No |
| Schaffhausen | 2 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 3 | No | No | Yes |
| Appenzell Ausserrhoden | 2 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 3 | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Appenzell Innerrhoden | 2 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 3 | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| St. Gallen | 2 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 3 | No | No | Yes |
| Graubünden | 1 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 3 | Yes | No | No |
| Aargau | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 4 | Yes | No | No |
| Thurgau | 2 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 3 | Yes | No | No |
| Ticino | 3 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 4 | Yes | No | No |
| Vaud | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 5 | Yes | No | No |
| Valais | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 3 | Yes | No | No |
| Neuchâtel | 2 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 4 | Yes | No | No |
| Geneva | 2 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 3 | Yes | No | No |
| Jura | 2 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 3 | Yes | No | No |
Read more about this topic: Education In Switzerland
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“No civilization ... would ever have been possible without a framework of stability, to provide the wherein for the flux of change. Foremost among the stabilizing factors, more enduring than customs, manners and traditions, are the legal systems that regulate our life in the world and our daily affairs with each other.”
—Hannah Arendt (1906–1975)