Secondary School

Secondary school is divided into three levels, depending on the child’s ability (grades during the 6th year of primary school). About the same number of children from a given age group will attend each level.

For the selection process, Math, German and Environmental studies count triple, English and French count 1.5, Sports, Art and Music count for 1. Grades go from 1 to 6, 6 being the highest grade. Children with less than 67.5 points will attend the A-level; children with 67.5 or more, but less than 78.75 points will attend the E-level and children with 78.75 points or above will attend the P-level Students can also take a test if they wish to reach the higher level but did not achieve the points necessary.

All three levels are in the same school building. During secondary school, the system is rather flexible, or permeable: According to their school achievements, pupils can switch between these three levels. If a child consistently performs above the range expected for their level, they can move to E or P level. On the other hand, if they do not reach the expectations for their level, they can be moved to the lower-level E or A. This is possible each semester.

There is a legal maximum of 16 pupils per class in the A level, 23 pupils per class in the E level and 25 in the P level classes.

At the end of the 3rd year of secondary school (11th school year), all pupils will receive a certificate of completing secondary school.

Secondary School Paths

• Your child is a hands-on person. In the future, your child would like to do an apprenticeship in manual work like gardening, hairdresser.  > A (standard level)

• Your child wants to do professional training such as architecture, business administration, IT, teacher, electrician, chemist. Purely academic studies are not their thing.  > E (enhanced level)

• Your child is a well above average student, enjoys academic subjects and is an independent learner. In the future, your child would like to study an academic subject at university and do academic research, be a medical doctor, lawyer or archaeologist.  > P (high level)

Special needs?

If your child has special needs, there are a variety of options going from integrated support in the school, integration classes or separate classes. Teachers and school psychologists will accompany the family throughout the process.

Regular teachers and DAZ teachers work together to find the best support system for each individual child. Foreign language children can either enter a regular class straight away and receive additional intensive German classes. Or they can start in a German learning group, and attend a regular class for specific subjects, until the child can attend all regular classes in German.

https://www.bs.ch/ed/volksschulen/foerderung/foerderangebote-den-volksschulen#deutsch-als-zweitsprache-daz

The education department recommends you contact them to discuss the specific needs of your child.

All secondary school locations offer day programs. From 12 p.m. to 5 p.m., qualified professionals are present. They support your child and organize activities. No registration is required, and the service is generally free of charge.

There is no meal service in the secondary school day programs. However, each location has a cafeteria or a food kiosk. Students can independently purchase food and drinks there and pay on-site. They may also bring a packed lunch from home and eat it in the cafeteria.

The curriculum (Lehrplan 21) is in use in the 21 German-speaking Swiss cantons. It focuses greatly on competences instead of specific topical knowledge and often gives teachers the choice which particular topics they want to discuss in class. You can look it up here: 

https://bs.lehrplan.ch/index.php, 

or you can talk to your child’s teachers to find out more.

The grades in 9th grade are decisive when it comes to further educational options. As of 2025, The necessary average and sum must be reached in one of the two report cards in 9th grade. You can find a very clear schematic here:

https://www.bs.ch/themen/bildung-und-kinderbetreuung/schule/sekundarschule/volksschulabschluss-und-uebertritt

After A-level and E-level: Children graduating A- and E-level generally do vocational training. On nation-wide average, two thirds of children do this, it is the most common educational path in Switzerland. If they have not found a job in time or need more time for personal development, they can do a bridge year (Schule für Brückenangebote), still with the idea to do vocational training afterwards. If they qualify, they can attend a Specialised Maturity School: FMS, WMS or IMS (Fachmaturitätsschule, Wirtschaftsmittelschule, Informatikmittelschule). E-level graduates may qualify for gymnasium too, if they have excellent grades.

After P-level: Children graduating from P-level have the same options as the ones in A and E. However, most choose to go to gymnasium, which is the most direct way to university, or to FMS, the most direct way to the University of Applied Sciences.