Inter-Community School Zurich

Focus 

Cultural diversity

Day fees 2024/25 

$25,800–$43,700

Pupils 

800

Ages

1–18

Spear’s Review

The Inter-Community School Zurich (ICS) opened its doors in 1960 as the city’s first international school. It now has more than 800 students across 50-plus different nationalities. 

ICS is an IB World School – offering the primary years, middle years and diploma programmes – and students are provided with ‘a solid set of flexible skills essential in meeting the academic and social challenges they face as they prepare to enter university’. 

As part of the Round Square network of schools, ICS encourages the concept of global citizenship, and pupils can attend exchange programmes and conferences, or embark on service projects around the world. Recent projects include helping abandoned animals at a nearby rescue centre and volunteering at schools in Nepal and Tanzania. 

Academics

Average IB score is 35.0.

University and college destinations

In 2024, students were accepted at universities in the UK (including Oxbridge), the US (including Ivy League schools Harvard and Brown), Canada, Switzerland, the Netherlands, France, Spain and Italy.

Head teacher

Lucy M Gowdie is the seventh head of school at ICS, joining in 2022. She has a master’s degree in international education and policy from the University of Sydney and more than 20 years of experience in national and international education. Prior to her role at ICS, she was deputy head of Peninsula Grammar School in Melbourne, Victoria.

Admissions

ICS accepts applications throughout the year, but generally processes applications in the spring for places in the following school year, which begins in August. Via an online application, potential students are asked to submit school reports, a recent photograph, a copy of the child’s birth certificate or passport, test results and a teacher’s recommendation.

Accessibility

Zurich Airport: 30 minutes

Location

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