TASIS Switzerland: American education and boarding above Lugano

TASIS The American School in Switzerland is a co-educational day and boarding school in Montagnola, above Lugano in Italian-speaking Ticino. M. Crist Fleming founded it in 1956. The school describes itself as Europe’s oldest American boarding school and names Christopher Nikoloff as Head. TASIS Portugal, in Quinta da Beloura, is a separate school in a different country.

Day provision runs from Pre-Kindergarten at age 3 to Grade 12 and an additional year after secondary school, before university, called the postgraduate year (PG). Boarding begins in Grade 6. These are American grade names, not direct equivalents of local school years.

Curriculum and language

Choose TASIS if you want an American college-preparatory education with a broad liberal-arts curriculum, community service and academic travel. Grades 1–9 include English and Italian teaching under cantonal requirements; English is the primary teaching language in Grades 10–12. Ask about the balance in the intended grade and support for a child arriving without Italian.

The 2025–26 academic profile specifies at least 19 credits for high-school completion and at least five full-credit courses per semester. Credits here measure completed school coursework, not European university credits. Advanced Placement (AP) consists of advanced American subject courses and examinations; it is not a separate high-school diploma. The school has advertised more than 15 AP courses. The International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IB) is another option. Confirm which subjects run and which graduation requirements apply to the proposed programme.

The school lists accreditation by the Council of International Schools (CIS) and the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC).

Campus and admission

The address is Via Collina d’Oro 15, 6926 Montagnola. The school lists 25 buildings and nine dormitories. Elementary pupils have dedicated classrooms, science laboratories, dining areas and playgrounds, while sharing gyms and a theatre with the wider school.

School-published travel estimates are ten minutes from Lugano airport and railway station, one hour north of Milan and two hours south of Zurich. Check the actual journey at the times you would travel; these estimates do not establish a convenient daily commute.

Applications are considered throughout the year. That does not guarantee a place in a particular grade or boarding house. Ask admissions about availability, language placement and any learning-support needs before committing.

Annual fees, 2026–27

Provision	2026–27
Boarding, Middle and High School — all-inclusive	CHF 106,500
Day, Grades 9–12 and PG	CHF 55,000
Day, Grades 7–8	CHF 49,000
Day, Grade 6	CHF 44,200
Day, Kindergarten–Grade 5	CHF 34,000
Day, Pre-Kindergarten, ages 3–4	CHF 29,000

The 2026–27 fee schedule includes academic travel and English as an Additional Language (EAL), where applicable, within the Middle and High School package. Boarding also includes accommodation, meals, ordinary laundry and basic health and accident insurance. Day fees include lunch. Elementary fees include school materials, snacks, hot lunches and calendar activities.

“All-inclusive” does not mean every individual expense. Additional activities can cost extra. Learning Resource Center support is listed separately: CHF 980 in Elementary, CHF 1,500 in Middle and CHF 2,000 in High School. Confirm the support offered and its cost for the child. There is no reduction for unused included services.

Boarding insurance applies only while the child is in TASIS care; it does not replace the family’s policy. Day pupils need their own health and accident insurance.

Additional charges and deposit

The application fee is CHF 1,250, non-refundable. The CHF 3,000 enrolment deposit is due immediately after acceptance to confirm the place. It is held until September after graduation, or three months after the last attendance date, and returned less outstanding expenses. It earns no interest; the school may request a top-up if less than half remains. It is not refunded if the child does not enter, withdraws during the year or is dismissed.

The Campus Enhancement Fund is a one-time CHF 5,000 charge from Grade 1. Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten are exempt initially, but payment becomes due on entering Grade 1. VAT applies to this charge for families domiciled in Switzerland at enrolment. Grade 12 graduation costs CHF 350.

The schedule provides no refunds of tuition, the campus charge or applicable graduation fees for absence, withdrawal or dismissal. Read the enrolment terms before paying. No sibling discount is established by the cited information; ask rather than budget for one.

Payment and our verdict

Payment options are:

• 100% by 1 July.
• For a full year, 70% by 1 July and 30% by 15 November.
• For a full year, 25% each on 1 July, 1 September, 15 November and 1 February.

These arrangements cover tuition, the campus charge and extras. Cash is accepted up to CHF 300; use the school’s official payment page for current card instructions.

TASIS is a strong option for an American diploma with AP or IB study in Ticino, either as a Lugano-area day pupil or a boarder from Grade 6. Compare Lyceum Alpinum Zuoz if a Swiss Matura in the Engadine is the priority. Compare Ecolint if the requirement is one of its three Geneva-area day campuses. The differences are qualification, location and boarding provision, not a general ranking.

See the Lugano guide, boarding guide and Switzerland overview.

Friendly orientation, not an application. Dates, fees, and programme details move. Confirm everything with the school.