Compulsory education

In 2020/21, almost 976 000 pupils were in compulsory education. 19% of them were at primary level 1-2 (Kindergarten, first learning cycle), 54% at primary level 3-8 and 27% at lower secondary level. Girls account for almost half of pupils at each level of compulsory education and pupils of foreign nationality for just over a quarter.

Pupils in compulsory education(1): change since 2000/01

	2000/01	2005/06	2010/11	2015/16	2020/21
Total	948 957	947 669	913 153	928 284	976 105
Female (%)	48.7	48.6	48.6	48.5	48.5
Foreign (%)	21.3	22.2	24.3	26.7	27.3
Primary level 1-22	148 167	146 474	148 879	170 576	181 082
Female (%)	48.4	48.4	48.7	48.7	48.5
Foreign (%)	23.4	24.0	25.8	27.4	28.4
Primary level 3-8	473 739	454 092	436 073	477 499	530 230
Female (%)	49.3	49.2	49.0	49.1	48.6
Foreign (%)	20.0	21.4	23.9	26.6	27.5
Lower secondary level	278 457	298 414	291 037	249 041	264 793
Female (%)	49.7	49.6	49.4	49,0	48.5
Foreign (%)	18.8	19.3	22,0	24.1	26,0
Separate education	48 594	48 689	37 164	31 168	.
Female (%)	37.9	37.7	36.5	35.1	.
Foreign (%)	40.9	41.5	41.2	46,0	.

1 Since the school year 2017/18, pupils in special needs school classes, classes for foreign language speaking pupils, introduction classes and other special classes are included in the different levels of compulsory education and no longer in the category "separate education".
2 Kindergarten, first learning cycle Source: FSO – Statistics on pupils and students (SDL)
Data as of: February 2022

According to the HarmoS Agreement, compulsory education lasts eleven years. It covers the primary and lower secondary levels. The primary level lasts eight years including Kindergarten or the first learning cycle, and the lower secondary level education lasts three years. Pupils requiring special needs education are either integrated into normal classes, where they receive specialised teaching support, or are enrolled in special schools or special classes (separate education).
After a stable period between 2000/01 and 2005/06, numbers of pupils in compulsory education decreased until 2012/13 when they rose again. These variations are largely driven by demographic changes in the corresponding age groups.

During the 2020/21 school year, foreigners accounted for an average of 27% of pupils in Switzerland. This figure varies greatly, however, depending on the canton. The canton of Geneva has the highest proportion of foreign pupils (43%) and the canton of Appenzell Innerrhoden the lowest (almost 8%).

Further information

Data

All data on the topic Pupils and Students