State schools in the canton of Zurich

In Switzerland, the cantons and the municipalities are mainly responsible for state schools, not the Confederation. Compulsory school is called Volksschule. It is free of charge. The canton sets the rules and the curriculum. The municipalities organise and pay for the local schools, together with the canton.

In the canton of Zurich, compulsory schooling begins with kindergarten. Kindergarten lasts 2 years and is compulsory. Children who turn 4 by the end of July start kindergarten in August. After that come 6 years of primary school and 3 years of secondary school. So compulsory schooling lasts 11 years. Playgroup before kindergarten is voluntary.

Every school has a school management (Schulleitung). It runs the school day to day: it manages the teachers, organises lessons and is the contact for parents. The school board (Schulpflege) is the municipality's political authority that supervises the schools. The school secretariat helps with administration. At cantonal level, the Office for Compulsory Schooling (Volksschulamt) organises the schools and ensures the same rules.

Memory aid: 2 + 6 + 3 = 11: kindergarten, primary school, secondary school.