This section provides the most recent available data on the number of educational institutions at pre-primary, primary, secondary and post-secondary non-tertiary education level (ISCED levels 0-4). Statistics on numbers and characteristics of higher education institutions can be found in the European Tertiary Education Register. A general overview of the categories of institutions providing publicly-subsidised adult education and training can be found in the chapter on adult education. The notes below the tables provide methodological explanations necessary for a good interpretation of data.
Type of educational institution in English (and in national languages*) | ISCED levels provided | Main orientation of the programmes provided | Number of educational institutions | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Total | Public | Government-dependent private | Private independent | |||
| Pre-primary institutions | 0 | (-) | 5427 | 5071 | 16 | 340 |
| Primary school | 1 | (-) | 4620 | 4249 | 21 | 350 |
| Lower secondary school | 2 | G | 1647 | 1314 | 32 | 301 |
| Vocational Schools | 3 | V | 391 | 275 | 63 | 53 |
| Baccalaureate Schools | 3 | G | 189 | 128 | 17 | 44 |
| Upper Secondary Specialised Baccalaureate Schools | 3 | G | 70 | 63 | 5 | 2 |
| Transitional or complementary education | 4 | G,V | 157 | 79 | 45 | 33 |
Source: Federal Statistical Office (FSO): Educational institutions by educational level, status and canton, school year 2017/2018 (last accessed 07/05/2019) ISCED= International Standard Classification of Education | ||||||
| G= General | V= Vocational | |||||
| (:) Data not available | (-) Not applicable | |||||
Terminology The 2018 version of the Unesco/OECD/Eurostat Manual on concepts, definitions and classification can be consulted for the definitions of regular education (p.10); general and vocational programmes of education (p.19); as well as public institution, government-dependent private institution and private independent institution (pp. 24-26) | ||||||
Notes * Pre-primary institutions (Kindergarten oder Eingangsstufe / école enfantine ou cycle élémentaire / scuola dell'infanzia o ciclo di entrata) Primary school (Primarschule / école primaire / scuola elementare) Lower secondary school (Sekundarstufe I / secondaire I / secondario I) Vocational schools (Berufliche Grundbildung / formation professionnelle initiale / formazione professionale di base) Baccalaureate schools (Gymnasiale Maturitätschulen / écoles de maturité générale / scuole di maturità) Upper secondary specialised baccalaureate schools (Fachmittelschulen / écoles de culture générale / scuole spezializzate) Transitional or complementary education (Übergangs- oder Zusatzausbildungen / formations transitoires ou complémentaires / formazioni transitorie o supplementari) Due to the federal nature of the Swiss education system, educational institutions are not defined in a homogeneous way as legal units at the national level. Therefore, an educational institution is defined - for statistical purposes - by its administrative level (management) as well as by the educational site(s) under its authority. The counting unit presented in the table for the number of educational institutions are the different educational site(s) that can be part of a single administrative unit. An educational site consists in principle of one or several buildings. Schools offering teaching programmes on several educational levels on the same site are counted for each level (double counting principle). Mainly affected by double counting are pre-primary schools and primary schools (about 20%), and primary schools and lower secondary schools (about 9%). | ||||||
| Type of educational institution in English and (in national languages*) | ISCED levels provided | Main orientation of the programmes provided | Number of educational institutions | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Total | Public | Government-dependent institutions | Private independent | |||
| Special schools | 0, 1, 2 | G | 452 | 158 | 276 | 18 |
Source: Federal Statistical Office (FSO): Educational institutions by educational level, status and canton, school year 2017/2018 (last accessed 07/05/2019) ISCED= International Standard Classification of Education | ||||||
| G= General | V= Vocational | |||||
| (:) Data not available | (-) Not applicable | |||||
Terminology The 2018 version of the Unesco/OECD/Eurostat Manual on concepts, definitions and classification can be consulted for the definitions of regular education (p.10); general and vocational programmes of education (p.19); as well as public institution, government-dependent private institution and private independent institution (pp. 24-26). | ||||||
Notes * Special schools (Sonderschulen / écoles specialisées / scuole speciali) Due to the federal nature of the Swiss education system, educational institutions are not defined in a homogeneous way as legal units at the national level. Therefore, an educational institution is defined - for statistical purposes - by its administrative level (management) as well as by the educational site(s) under its authority. The counting unit presented in the table for the number of educational institutions are the different educational site(s) that can be part of a single administrative unit. An educational site consists in principle of one or several buildings. | ||||||