Gymnasium

Gymnasiums are for highly academic students who want to study at university. On national average, only 20% of children attend Gymnasium. In Switzerland, university means mainly academic subjects such as ethnology, philosophy, maths, languages but also medicine and law. If you are planning on studying architecture, economy, engineering, psychology or other applied subjects, you will need a Matura to go to ETH or university, but if you wish to go to a University of Applied Sciences (Fachhochschule), then you may want to check out the other post-secondary options.

Children are selected for entry to the Gymnasium at the end of the 3rd year of Secondary School, at the age of about 15.

To be promoted to the Gymnasium pupils in the P (Progymnasium) and E (Erweitertes Niveau) streams must attain the following marks:

• P – 34 points and a grade point average of 4.

• E – 40 points and a grade point average of 5.

Gymnasium lasts 4 years. However, repeating a year is common and a number of students leave to take up an apprenticeship or attend other types of schools.

The school operates 5 days a week.

There are a maximum of 25 students in a class.

Students choose a specialisation (Schwerpunkt) before entering Gymnasium. Your choice of Gymnasium will depend on your specialisation (see list below). All students have the same basic education, but will go in more depth in their specialisation subjects. The choice will not limit your university choice. You can take Spanish as your specialisation and still study Law or medicine later at university.

Except for Bäumlihof, all Gymnasiums offer a bilingual Matura which means students study certain subjects in English. The subjects and their number depend on the school, but students must have at least 600 lessons in English.

The Gymnasium am Münsterplatz also offers an IB (International Baccalaureate) program in German and English. See for the Münster programme https://www.gmbasel.ch/gm-profil/ib-international-baccalaureate

A brief list of what each of the five Basel-Stadt Gymnasiums has to offer:

GYMNASIUM BÄUMLIHOF – Zu den drei Linden 80, 4058 Basel.

• Tel. 061 606 33 11 https://www.gbbasel.ch/

• Italian, Spanish, Physics and Applied Maths, Biology and Chemistry, Visual Art, Music.

• Preparation for International Language Certificates.

• Partnered up with Swiss Olympic, sports classes offer a more flexible environment for high level athletes.

• They also offer GBplus, a pilot program, where students study independently a limited number of subjects over a few weeks, with a final exam at the end of the period. The subjects then change for the following period. The structure is close to that at university.

GYMNASIUM KIRSCHGARTEN – Hermann Kinkelin Strasse 10, 4051 Basel.

• Tel. 061 205 75 00 https://www.gkgbs.ch/

• Physics and Applied Maths, Biology and Chemistry, Visual Art

• Preparation for International Language Certificates.

• Regional Life Sciences Centre.

• English Immersion / Bilingual Matura.

GYMNASIUM LEONHARD – Kohlenberg 17, 4051 Basel.

• Tel. 061 267 55 33 https://www.gymnasium-leonhard.ch/

• Italian, Spanish, Visual Art, Music.

• LeO2 (a special teaching model in which subjects are taught in phases of 6 weeks with a test week at the end)

• Preparation for International Language Certificates.

• English Immersion / Bilingual Matura.

GYMNASIUM AM MÜNSTERPLATZ – Münsterplatz 15, Postfach, 4001 Basel.

• Tel. 061 267 88 70. https://www.gmbasel.ch/

• Latin, Ancient Greek, Spanish, English, PPP (Philosophy, Psychology, Pedagogy.).

• Preparation for International Language Certificates.

• English Immersion / Bilingual Matura

• IB (International Baccalaureate)

WIRTSCHAFTSGYMNASIUM –Andreas Heusler Strasse 41, 4052 Basel,

• Tel. 061 375 92 00. https://wg.edubs.ch/

• Business and Law, PPP (Philosophy, Psychology, Pedagogy).

• Preparation for International Language Certificates.

• YES program (Young Enterprise Switzerland): create your own mini-enterprise.

• Exchange program with Natick High School in Boston.

• English Immersion / Bilingual Matura

Exact lesson times vary in the different Gymnasiums. Generally, the students start at 8:00 a.m., have roughly an hour for lunch break, then lessons in the afternoon (until about 6 p.m. is possible). They used to have at least one afternoon off per week, but that is not necessarily the case anymore. All Gymnasiums follow the BYOD policy: students must bring their own laptop to school.

The gymnasiums offer various extracurricular activities at school (choir, theatre, Latin, French conversation, Chinese, Japanese, model building, etc.) that expats would consider “clubs”. Sports, however, you will find in local clubs (Vereine) in the evenings. And generally, there is a wealth of activities on offer in the region: all sports are you can imagine, music, theatre, creative activities, etc. The best is to ask your neighbours or at the local community centre.

Studying at Gymnasium is highly academic and thus requires strong language skills. Entering Gymnasium with no prior knowledge of German (AND French, since it is a matura subject required by federal law) is not advisable. However, the school will support students with non-native levels of German if they have the intellectual ability to follow the highly academic path. The level of support differs from school to school: while Gymnasium am Münsterplatz has built an extensive DaZ program, others schools give the students more responsibility in building their language skills.

All Gymnasiums have a cafeteria, or students often go into town to buy lunch. Time outside class time is not supervised, and students are free to come and go.

As often as possible, special needs are taken care of in the school. School psychologists, support in maths or languages, etc. are available. Learning disabilities must be catered for (dyslexia or dyscalculia, for example), students with certified AD(H)D often receive more time during tests. An evaluation by cantonal institutions (e.g. Kantonsärztlicher Dienst) is mandatory. It is important to discuss requirements with the main teacher. You may also want to talk to other teachers whose subjects require particular adaptations as information isn’t always properly communicated amongst teachers. However, all students must be able to meet the high academic requirements of the Gymnasium.

Do not hesitate to ask the school about your child’s needs, it is always best to do this as early as possible.

Another reform is currently taking place with the new curriculum starting in 2027. All learning objectives and content are being reviewed. The process is not yet finished so only a general outline is given here.

There will be 13 basic subjects, a specialisation (Schwerpunktfach, see General Information), an additional supplementary subject (Ergänzungsfach, different from the specialisation) and an extended essay (Maturaarbeit).

At Gymnasium the basic subjects will be German, French, English, Geography, History, Mathematics, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Music or Art, Economics and Law, Computer Programming, Sports. The number of weekly lessons depends on the year and you will not always have all subjects. For instance, the overall number of physics lessons is the same at all schools, but some may start physics in first grade and finish in third, while others may start in second grade and finish in fourth grade.

You will have special project weeks during which you work in a team on a specific topic and present your work at the end. This is a preparation for the final Maturaarbeit (extended essay).

Students with a grade point average of 4*, leave with a Matura/bilingual Matura. You pass the whole Matura or nothing, unlike A-levels where you can get an A-level in Maths, but fail in French.

The Matura guarantees entry to any Swiss University without any further selection, except for medicine and related subjects, or subjects that require an entrance examination (such as sports). With your Matura certificate you can just go and enrol at the university of your choice, including ETH.

Foreign universities increasingly recognize this qualification. If the university you wish to attend does not have experience with the Swiss Matura, ask for help from your Gymnasium to have the curriculum explained and give examples of what other foreign universities have required in the way of grades to be admitted. In England, As for A-level are more and more common, in Switzerland, 6s are very rare.

* As always in the Basel system, grades below 4 need to be ‘doubly’ compensated. For example, if you have an average of 3.5 in German, it means you are missing 0.5 points to a 4. You will need to double compensate this, meaning you need an extra 1 point in another subject to make up, a 5 in biology, for example or 4.5 in English and history.