International School Zurich North

In Brief

ISZN is the standout choice for families who want the British curriculum - IGCSE and A-Levels - in Zurich, and the Wallisellen location makes it the most accessible school on public transport. Small class sizes and a genuinely personal feel; ask about sixth-form subject availability for your child's specific interests.

ISZN is four minutes' walk from Wallisellen S-Bahn station - two stops from Zurich Hauptbahnhof - which gives it a commute advantage that few international schools anywhere can match. For families in the city, Oerlikon, Schwamendingen, or the north generally, this is the school you can actually get to without a car. The British curriculum runs from Nursery through A-Levels; IGCSE in Grades 9-10 and A-Level specialisation in Grades 11-12 means children coming from UK or Commonwealth schools will hit the ground running.

Class sizes are small by design - averaging around 15 at IGCSE and as few as 7 or 8 in A-Level subject groups. That ratio means teachers know your child well, and the pastoral care is personal rather than systematised. The school serves around 400 students from 45+ nationalities and is CIS-accredited. Strong threads in drama, art, music, and competitive sport complement the academic offering. A dual-language English-German foundation in Early Years adds value for families who want early German exposure within an English-medium school.

A-Level subject availability depends on cohort numbers, so if your child has specific sixth-form subjects in mind, confirm these are running before you commit. As the smallest school in this list, the co-curricular range and peer diversity at the upper end is naturally more limited than at ZIS or ICS. Fees are among the most competitive in this group - CHF 35,136 for Grades 9-12 versus CHF 39,300-39,700 at ZIS - and the one-time registration is a modest CHF 750.