What does this cost a family?

Nothing, at any stage. The schools pay us when a placement is made, and only then. There is no fee for the conversation, the shortlist or the visits.

Then how can the advice be independent?

Because a placement that does not last helps nobody, least of all us. No school pays to appear on this site, and we hold profiles for houses we have no commercial relationship with. When a house is the wrong fit, we say so.

What does a Swiss boarding school cost in 2026/27?

At the 10 houses on this site that publish their 2026/27 fees, a boarder in the highest year group pays between CHF 62,500 and CHF 183,390 a year, compulsory extras included. One-off costs on entry come on top. Every figure, with its source and the day we checked it, is on the fees page.

When should we start?

A year before entry is comfortable; six months is workable. Later than that, we tell you plainly which houses still have a place rather than guess, and we start with those.

Do we visit the schools?

Together, on an ordinary school day rather than an open day: a lesson, the boarding house, admissions with your questions written down, and the drive from Geneva, timed.

What happens after the placement?

We stay. A call after the first fortnight, a visit in the first term, and the second year decided together. One number that always answers.

Your child's Swiss school,chosen with care.

Eleven boarding houses between Lake Geneva and the high valleys. We know them from the inside, we tell you which one fits your child and why, and families pay us nothing.

Begin an enquiry See the schools

A shortlist, as we hand it over

Three houses, one per band. Every figure carries its source and the day we checked it.

Sources checked 23 Sept 2026

Beau SoleilVillars-sur-Ollon VD, in the Alps11-18IB MYP, IB Diploma, US High School Diploma1241 m
BrillantmontLausanne VD, on the terrace13-18IGCSE, A Levels, US High School Diploma549 m
St. George’s International SchoolClarens, Montreux VD, on Lake Geneva18 months-18IGCSE, IB Diploma, A Levels414 m

Eleven houses, read the same way.

From the shore of Lake Geneva to the high valleys, every house on this site answers the same questions in the same order.

A prospectus is written by the school.
A dossier is written for the child.

Four things every house on this site shows you, in the same place, every time.

The year, line by line

A prospectus quotes tuition. We total the year: tuition, boarding, learning support, the ski programme, uniform, deposit and insurance, and we say which of them are compulsory.

Collège Alpin Beau Soleil, 2026/27

Boarding and tuition, Grade 11: CHF 148,440
Other fees: CHF 26,460
Annual trip fees: CHF 8,490
Total for the year: CHF 183,390

A source under every figure

Where a figure comes from a school's own prospectus, we say so and we date it. Where it comes from us, we say that too, with the day we checked it, most recently 23 Sept 2026.

Source swisstopo height service, terrain height at the school's postal address, Avenue Centrale 61, 1885 Chesières, dated 23 Sept 2026, checked by us 23 Sept 2026.

Older figures carry their year

Where we hold only last year's figure, it stands with its year, never as if it were this year's. Where we hold nothing, the page says so. Then we ask admissions, and we date the answer.

As published for 2016/17. Kept as a guide; the current fees we get from admissions before you decide.

Height, in metres, from the address

Not a region and not a canton. 414, 679 and 1241 metres are three different winters, three different ski runs and three different drives from Geneva.

1227m

Aiglon, Chesières-Villars VD, in the Alps

We do not represent schools. We represent the child.

Families pay us nothing. The schools pay on placement, and a placement that does not last helps nobody.

Swiss Education, Zug. Founded in Montreux, 2004.

Ordered by height,
not by alphabet.

1025 metres separate the lowest house from the highest. That distance decides the climate, the ski access and the drive from Geneva airport, and it is the first thing we ask a family to think about.

410mVersoix GE, on Lake Geneva
below 480 m
On Lake Geneva
Mild, urban, and closest to Geneva airport. The choice for younger children and for day pupils.
- St. George’s International School414 m
- Collège du Léman410 m
679mBlonay VD, on the terrace
480 m and up
On the terrace
Above the lake and below the snowline. Town within reach, the mountains an outing rather than a commute.
1435mLeysin VD, in the Alps
1200 m and up
In the Alps
Snow from December, skiing from the door, an hour and a half of mountain road from the lake.
See the schools

How a placement happens

Four things, in this order, and none of them in a hurry.

We listen.
An hour on the child before a word about schools.
What that looks like
- Languages at home and at school
- Temperament, and what a good day looks like
- Sport, music, the thing they would not give up
- Siblings, and who else has a say
- The year, and how soon
We shortlist.
Three houses, never ten, each with its figures and the reason it is on the list.
What that looks like
- One page per house, the same questions in the same order
- The year's cost, line by line, with its source
- Height, climate and the drive from Geneva
- One line on why the others are not on the list
We visit together.
Campus, admissions and the boarding house on an ordinary school day, not on an open day.
What that looks like
- A lesson, not a presentation
- The boarding house at bedtime
- Admissions, with your questions written down
- The drive, timed
We stay.
Through the first term and the second. The placement is the beginning of the relationship, not the end of it.
What that looks like
- A call after the first fortnight
- A visit in the first term
- The second year, decided together
- One number that always answers

Twenty-two years, one question: which house, and why.

Founded in Montreux: 2004
Houses, universities and camps on file: 34
Between the lowest house and the highest: 1025m
To a first answer, in four languages: 24h

Beyond the boarding year

7Private universitiesHospitality, culinary arts and business, from bachelor to doctorate.

16Holiday campsTwo to eight weeks of language, sport and altitude, in the same houses.

Before you write to us

What does this cost a family?: Nothing, at any stage. The schools pay us when a placement is made, and only then. There is no fee for the conversation, the shortlist or the visits.
Then how can the advice be independent?: Because a placement that does not last helps nobody, least of all us. No school pays to appear on this site, and we hold profiles for houses we have no commercial relationship with. When a house is the wrong fit, we say so.
What does a Swiss boarding school cost in 2026/27?: At the 10 houses on this site that publish their 2026/27 fees, a boarder in the highest year group pays between CHF 62,500 and CHF 183,390 a year, compulsory extras included. One-off costs on entry come on top. Every figure, with its source and the day we checked it, is on the fees page. All fees, school by school
When should we start?: A year before entry is comfortable; six months is workable. Later than that, we tell you plainly which houses still have a place rather than guess, and we start with those.
Do we visit the schools?: Together, on an ordinary school day rather than an open day: a lesson, the boarding house, admissions with your questions written down, and the drive from Geneva, timed.
What happens after the placement?: We stay. A call after the first fortnight, a visit in the first term, and the second year decided together. One number that always answers.