How do you enrol a child in public school in Switzerland in 2026?

Register every child at the real home address first: Register your address. Keep the residence file moving with the cantonal migration office in parallel: Apply for a residence permit. In Canton Zurich, official newcomer guidance says school-age children have both the right and the duty to attend from the start of residence, regardless of permit status, and parents must notify the local school board immediately.

ch.ch and federal education overviews describe compulsory schooling as about eleven years, usually starting with kindergarten around age four. Exact cut-off dates, holiday calendars, and class ages differ by canton, so read the page for Zurich, Geneva, Basel-Stadt, Bern, Vaud, Ticino, or your smaller canton before you assume a national timetable.

Ask the municipality which school office covers your street. Zurich city and many German-speaking communes use a Schulpflege or district school administration; Geneva and Vaud use French-language communal or cantonal contacts; Ticino uses Italian-language school offices. Bring passports or ID cards, birth certificates, vaccination or health forms if listed, previous school reports, and proof of address. The board assigns the school; parents do not freely shop public catchments inside the public system.

If the child does not yet speak the classroom language, ask about DaZ (German as a second language), French or Italian support classes, or reception classes for newcomers. Everyday English helps in some workplaces but does not replace the school language: English in Switzerland. Where you rent shapes which school language and commute you get: Best places for families.

Fee-paying international campuses in Zurich, Geneva, Basel, and other hubs sit outside the free public path and need their own admissions timeline and budget: International school costs. Public enrolment still matters if you later switch back, because compulsory education rules continue. Keep school on the same arrival sequence as insurance and banking in paperwork after moving.