This is how school works in Luzern

Kindergarten, primary school, secondary school and then apprenticeship or Gymnasium. Here you see the structure of the school.

The school in Luzern has 3 levels. The public school is free. The municipality is responsible for the school.

The 3 levels

  • Kindergarten: 1 to 2 years. 1 year is compulsory.
  • Primary school (Primarschule): 6 years. Here children learn reading, writing, arithmetic and more.
  • Secondary school (Sekundarschule): 3 years. There are 3 levels: A, B and C.

Some municipalities have a Basisstufe. It replaces kindergarten and the 1st and 2nd class. There, children of different ages learn together.

After secondary school

After the public school (Volksschule) there are 2 main paths:

  • Apprenticeship (Berufslehre): Your child learns a profession in a company and goes to vocational school (Berufsschule). Most young people choose this path.
  • Gymnasium: School up to the Matura. After that, studying at university is possible.

Both paths are well respected. After an apprenticeship you can also study later.

The change to secondary school or to the Gymnasium is called transition (Übertritt). The teacher discusses this with you.

Help and counselling

Your child speaks little German? It gets extra lessons (DaZ, German as a second language). The school also has school social work (Schulsozialarbeit) and a school psychology service (Schulpsychologischer Dienst). FABIA advises families with a migration background for free.

What you can do now

  1. Ask the teacher which level and class your child is in.
  2. Go to the parents' evening. There the school explains the transition.
  3. For the path after school: Go with your child to the BIZ Luzern.
  4. Read the information for parents from the canton in your language: volksschulbildung.lu.ch.

Kanton Luzern, Grüezi: Obligatorische Schule (2026-09-21)

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