Our Secondary School team is dedicated to fostering academic excellence and personal growth through demanding, relevant and holistic secondary programmes. We collaborate closely with students and their parents to guide and support them on their personal academic journeys at our leading IB World School in Switzerland.
Our Swiss and international students are empowered to pursue their dreams through:
Our secondary school team is dedicated to fostering academic excellence and personal growth through modern, holistic programmes. We work closely with students and their parents to help them navigate their personal academic journeys at our leading IB World School in Switzerland.
Our Swiss and international students are empowered to pursue their dreams through:
At Haut-Lac, we believe no two students are the same so their academic paths shouldn’t be either.
Our secondary IB programmes cater to each student’s unique goals so that they achieve their highest potential in academia, sport and the arts, as well as gain enhanced leadership, communication and teamwork skills.
Our secondary students build the knowledge, skills and mindset they need to step forward with confidence and purpose into university studies, careers and life.
Students at Haut-Lac discover their strengths through experiences in and out of the classroom.
Independent projects build research expertise. Study trips open up new cultural perspectives. Creative performances boost confidence. Environmental initiatives put them in leadership roles. MUN conferences sharpen how they think, argue and present.
By the time they reach university, these students know what they’re capable of and it shows.
Community service enables students to both develop compassion and teamwork, and learn the true value of making a positive impact
As students get older, the questions get bigger: How does this actually work in society? Where will I use this?
Day trips to local museums, research institutions and Swiss landmarks give them answers by connecting classroom theory to the places and people shaping their future fields.
Then there’s the highlight many look forward to: residential trips. Think hiking on glaciers in Iceland, joining conservation teams in Ireland, or exploring World War II trenches in France.
As a recognised Child Safeguarding School, we cultivate a nurturing environment in which students aged 11-18 are encouraged to step out of their comfort zones and embrace learning challenges.
Our secondary school team ensures students feel confident and secure as they explore their passions, develop resilience and thrive academically.
Our current Swiss and international secondary school parents have come together to share their families’ experiences at Haut-Lac with you.
Haut-Lac’s secondary school has prepared me well for university and beyond. The diverse curriculum and extra-curricular opportunities have helped me grow academically and personally.
The school’s focus on both academics and extra-curricular activities has given me a well-rounded education. I feel ready for the challenges ahead.
It has been a great experience. Our children felt well integrated since the beginning. There is a real positive experience at the school and openness in relations with the teachers.
The bilingual, modern and caring environment at Haut-Lac has been fantastic for our child. The school atmosphere is wonderful, and the administration is very supportive.
I would like to thank the Haut Lac family, an amazing school, welcoming, caring, with incredible people. Truly, it is the best school our children have ever attended, and we are very proud to have had the opportunity to have them studying at Haut Lac.
Thank you to the whole team at Haut-Lac for the education you have provided. Whilst our girls have only been at Haut-Lac for 2 years, we have seen them develop from nervous children in a country where they didn’t speak the language into confident young ladies willing to embrace any challenge.
Need help choosing between our bilingual and English-only pathways?
Or deciding between the IBDP and IBCP?
Perhaps you want to hear about the IB Sport & Study programme from our Class of 2020 Olympian…
We recommend checking out the Haut-Lac School blog for academic programme comparisons, student event reports, interviews with our Head of Secondary, and more.
MYP1-3 students study all academic subjects in English and French, alternating the tuition language in January.
MYP4 students choose which academic subjects to study in French and which in English, and stick to their choice until the end of MYP5.
IB1 & 2 students select their subjects and tuition languages based on their strengths, needs, future goals and the combinations available to their particular year group at Haut-Lac.
The main tuition languages in secondary at Haut-Lac are English and French.
Students can also choose to study German and Spanish from MYP1 (Grade 6).
IBDP and IBCP students can study a Literature course in their mother tongue through the School-Supported Self-Taught (SSST) Language programme.
Secondary students all study the same academic content regardless of whether they follow a fully bilingual, progressively bilingual or English-only pathway. They therefore graduate with the same solid academic knowledge and personal skills.
Students who focus on developing their English and French language skills to finish with an excellent command of both and/or a bilingual diploma will, of course, be able to access more universities in Switzerland and other French-speaking countries.
Yes, the IB Diploma grants students entry to universities in Switzerland and worldwide.
As long as they achieve the minimum number of points required for their field of study at their chosen university, they will be accepted and able to follow the course.
Several Haut-Lac graduates have gone on to complete bachelors, masters and PhDs at universities such as the EPFL, the EPFZ, the University of Lausanne and the University of Geneva.
Secondary school teachers keep parents informed of their child’s progress via an academic communication platform called ManageBac. They use it to publish coursework assignments and grades, and a full school report in December and June.
The Haut-Lac Parent Portal (Engage) is used to run parent-teacher meetings twice a year, and communicate any pastoral issues.
No, secondary students must hand their phones over to their form tutor during registration every morning. The phones are kept safe at reception during the day and handed back to students by the form tutors at the end of the school day.
Yes, our Secondary cultural trips are designed to immerse students in the language, culture and traditions of other countries as well as give them hands-on experience of curriculum topics.
Our latest destinations include: Italy, Iceland, Ireland, Lyon and London.
Yes. Haut-Lac is an Athlete-Friendly Education Centre (AFEC) recognised by the World Academy of Sport (WAoS).
We are therefore able to provide high performing athletes who compete at regional, national or international level with flexible IBMYP timetables and IBDP or IBCP programmes extended over 3 years instead of the usual 2.
This enables them to simultaneously pursue rigorous IB studies and intensive sport training and competition schedules.
Upon arrival at school, Secondary students collect what they need from their lockers before attending homeroom from 8:10 to 8:25.
Middle school students then generally move from class to class as a year group, whilst High School students follow their own personal timetable based on their IBDP or IBCP options until 15:30 or 16:40.
Depending on whether they are in the bilingual or English-only stream, students will attend their subjects in French and/or English.
The International Baccalaureate programmes are regularly updated to ensure they remain relevant for modern-day students. They focus on providing solid academic knowledge in all traditional subjects, whilst also developing key life skills such as critical thinking, problem-solving, leadership, collaboration and communication.
The Swiss state school programmes are equally rigorous and provide students with a strong academic foundation.
However, whilst the Swiss system adopts a structured, subject-based approach, the IB promotes project- and inquiry-based learning to connect ideas across disciplines.
