Schools in Zuoz: Upper Engadine life, Romansh local schools and the Lyceum

Zuoz is a village in the Upper Engadine, in the canton of Graubünden, down the valley from Samedan and St. Moritz. It is a mountain community, not a suburb: its local schools are small, the everyday school language is Romansh, and the nearest large city is on the other side of the Alpine passes. Most families looking at Zuoz are considering a boarding place for a secondary-age child. A smaller group are moving to the Engadine for work and need to know how the local system works.

Getting there: rail, passes and travel days

Zuoz has its own station on the Rhaetian Railway (RhB) line through the Engadine. From Zurich, rail travel runs either via Chur and the Albula line to the Upper Engadine, or via Landquart and the Vereina tunnel to the Lower Engadine. Drivers can use the Vereina car-carrying train between Klosters and Sagliains, which avoids a pass road in winter.

For a boarder, this means a journey from an international airport involves a long rail or road leg after landing. Ask the school how travel days, escorted transfers and delays on the mountain lines are handled before you book flights. For a day pupil, the commute is local: a home in Zuoz or a neighbouring village on the same rail line is far easier than a home elsewhere in the valley.

Living here: Romansh village schools and the Gymnasium exam

Public primary schooling in Zuoz is provided by the Zuoz/Madulain school: two kindergarten years and primary classes 1 to 6. The school describes itself as a Romansh (Puter) school, with Romansh as the everyday language from kindergarten; official information goes out in Romansh and German. It has language-integration teachers and encourages parents to learn Romansh.

After primary school, Graubünden pupils can take the cantonal entrance examination for the Gymnasium: after 6th class for the six-year Gymnasium, or after the 2nd or 3rd year of lower secondary (Oberstufe) for the four-year route. The canton’s list of Matura schools includes two in the Upper Engadine: Academia Engiadina in Samedan and Lyceum Alpinum in Zuoz.

Choose the local route if you expect to stay in the Engadine and your child is young enough to learn Romansh and German through school. Be cautious if your child is a teenager with neither language: Gymnasium teaching and the entrance examination assume a school language of the canton, so a newcomer may need a transition period first.

The Lyceum in Zuoz

Lyceum Alpinum Zuoz is the village’s secondary day and boarding school. It offers the Swiss Matura in German or bilingual variants, and an English-medium international route through IGCSE to the IB Diploma. For local families, it is also one of the Upper Engadine’s routes to the Matura. For international boarders, it is an Alpine residential school with two academic tracks. Our profile covers entry grades, admission and 2026–27 fees.

Nearby alternatives

There is no other school we profile in the Engadine. The nearest comparisons are hours away:

• Schools around Zurich: day schools for a family who will actually live in the Zurich area.
• Schools in Zug, including Institut Montana Zugerberg: compare it if you want Swiss and international programmes with boarding from age ten in a less remote setting.
• Schools in Lugano: an Italian-speaking alternative south of the Alps, with day and boarding places at TASIS.

The Zuoz overview, Switzerland guide and boarding or day guide cover the wider decision.

Friendly orientation, not formal admissions advice. Always confirm dates with the school.