Haut-Lac International Bilingual School

At Haut-Lac, children from 18 months to 18 years “live, learn and achieve” in a multicultural environment with a family atmosphere. Bilingualism, new technologies, sport and art, are indeed at the heart of Haut-Lac’s personalised education system, which encourages students to speak both French and English daily.

Haut-Lac constantly encourages its IB students to think critically, challenge themselves, do extensive research and develop internationally-minded perspectives on a broad range of issues so that they become confident and driven global citizens, ready to join the most reputed universities and colleges of their choice.

Haut–Lac creates inspiring learning environments in and outside the classroom, as it strives to redefine the ideal every day.

Infant and Primary students may follow a truly bilingual French-English pathway taught by native French and English speakers on a one day-one day schedule or a predominantly English pathway. In both cases, the programme is the same as teachers plan together by year group. They are also the only ones in Switzerland to be able to benefit from a science programme worthy of the UK Primary Science Quality Mark.

Subjects are also taught in both English and French in the Secondary section, but according to different academic programmes. Lower Secondary students follow the IB Middle Years Programme with or without specific Swiss Bilingual Cycle subjects depending on whether they wish to obtain an IB Diploma or a Swiss High School qualification. Upper Secondary students follow the IB Diploma Programme. They may obtain not only the IB Diploma but also the US High School Diploma if thinking of studying in the US or Canada. Students who are interested in keeping their options open, undecided between going straight into work or onto university also have a third option: the IB Career-Related Programme (IBCP). At Haut-Lac gives them the chance to undertake the IBCP with one of three different focuses: Hospitality Management, Sustainable Business Management (in collaboration with SUMAS University), Art & Design (in collaboration with the Savannah College of Art and Design), or International Sports Management (in collaboration with Federation University.)

What’s more, as the first Athlete-Friendly Education Centre (AFEC) accredited by the World Academy of Sport (WAoS) in Switzerland, Haut-Lac offers student-athletes aged 11-18 a more flexible schedule to help them pursue both their academic studies and intense training programmes.

And as of September 2021, Haut-Lac will run a Ski Racing Academy in collaboration with Ski Zenit, a cutting-edge ski racing centre in Saas-Fee and Zinal, to get young ski racers to the highest level in their sport and at school.