International School of Geneva (Ecolint)

In Brief

The default choice for UN and NGO families - and for good reason. Three campuses, strong IB results, and a genuinely diverse community of 140+ nationalities. If you are moving with a corporate or diplomatic package, start here.

Ecolint is where Geneva's international circuit begins. As the world's oldest international school (founded 1924 and the birthplace of the IB), it carries institutional weight that matters in the city's diplomatic and NGO ecosystem. La Grande Boissiere is the flagship secondary campus in Champel; Campus des Nations sits near the UN district in Grand-Saconnex; La Chataigneraie is in Founex for families who prefer a more rural setting. All three campuses run the same bilingual English-French model and full IB continuum, so your child's records transfer cleanly if you move campus.

IB Diploma averages across all three campuses hit 35 in 2025 - well above the global average of 27 - with pass rates between 94% and 99%. The school conducts classes in English and French, and French engagement is expected rather than optional; families arriving without French should enrol children in language support from day one. The community skews heavily towards diplomatic and international organisation families, which keeps the student body genuinely transient and multilingual and means the school has refined processes for settling new arrivals quickly.

The consistent concern among families who have been through it is scale and pastoral attention. At 4,500 students across three campuses, the experience varies by campus and by section. Students who need a quieter, more personal environment sometimes find the system less responsive than a smaller school would be. Fees plus the CHF 4,000 capital fund make this a premium commitment; most families on corporate packages consider it justified, but self-funding families should compare carefully with IIL before committing.