A Warm Welcome to Stiftsschule Engelberg
We are a Swiss boarding and day school for girls and boys, offering a comprehensive academic pathway including Secondary School education, as well as both four-year and six-year Gymnasium (middle and high school) programmes. Boarding students reside with us during the week and are most welcome to remain on campus over the weekend.
Secondary school education takes place at the so-called Integrative Orientation School (IOS), which is run by the Municipality of Engelberg. It prepares students for an apprenticeship, for vocational school or for the four-year Gymnasium. We are deeply committed to providing our boarders with the individual support and guidance they need to thrive both academically and personally.
In the final three years of the Gymnasium (high school), students benefit from a bilingual curriculum in which selected subjects are taught in English. This approach nurtures fluency in academic English and equips our young people with the confidence to thrive in international academic settings. Carefully designed to meet the rigorous standards of both the Swiss Matura and the International Baccalaureate (IB), our programme leads to the award of both the bilingual Swiss Matura certificate and the IB Diploma, empowering our students to pursue their aspirations wherever they may lead.
Our holistic approach to education is deeply rooted in the Benedictine tradition: We encourage our students to grow in character, to navigate both conflict and consensus with maturity, to embrace new experiences, and to become lifelong learners. We place particular emphasis on a meaningful boarding experience – one that fosters a strong sense of community and inspires a lasting commitment to the service of others.
Our school and boarding school communities are intentionally small, allowing us to give each student the individual attention they need to flourish. There is no formal entrance examination; admission is based on prior academic performance and the outcome of a personal interview. We would be delighted to hear from you.
Yours sincerely,
Tobias Barmettler
Head of School
Together with the teaching staff
For a more intimate glimpse into daily life at our school, we warmly invite you to hear directly from our students and parents as they share their experiences within our community.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here you will find answers to the questions we are most often asked. Should you require further details, we warmly invite you to telephone us – we are always delighted to assist.
Whether you wish to learn about admission requirements, our boarding experience, daily life at school, or our tailored programmes and provisions, you will find the essential information about Stiftsschule Engelberg here.
The annual fee for the Lower Form of the Gymnasium or the Secondary School (the Integrative Orientation School) is CHF 43,700. This includes tuition, day-to-day student care, and full board. A supplement of CHF 3,150 applies for a single room. In the Upper Form of the Gymnasium, the annual fee is CHF 47,200, which includes tuition, day-to-day student care, and full board in a single room.
Additional costs apply for music tuition and supplementary lessons, as well as for examination fees, learning materials, and excursions.
Recognized students from the Cantons of Obwalden and Nidwalden at Gymnasium level may, under certain conditions, be eligible for a reduction in fees.
Indeed, they are. The distinguished Gertrud von Speyr Foundation generously provides financial assistance to support parents or guardians for whom boarding fees exceed their means.
Additionally, the Foundation awards merit-based scholarships to students who achieve a minimum average grade of 5.2 in their report relevant to promotion, contributing CHF 3,000 towards the following year’s fees.
(NB: In Switzerland grades are awarded on a scale of 1 to 6, with 6 being the highest mark).
In celebration of the 900th anniversary of the Benedictine Monastery of Engelberg, the Gertrud von Speyr Foundation awarded five full scholarships to Gymnasium students in 2020.
The Benedictus Foundation of the Monastery of Engelberg provides scholarships in recognition of exceptional achievement.
Each year, the “Association of Friends and Alumni of the Institut La Salle Neuchâtel” offers a scholarship of up to CHF 8,000, with preference given to a non-German-speaking student from another region of Switzerland.
Cantonal authorities also provide scholarships and educational loans to support students’ studies.
Students reside in the boarding house from Sunday evening until Friday afternoon. However, they are most welcome to remain at Stiftsschule Engelberg over the weekend. Many take advantage of this option, whether to enjoy skiing, other outdoor activities, receive learning support, or to dedicate time to independent study.
For weekend stays, a supplementary fee applies, covering accommodation, meals, and supervision. This may be settled as an annual arrangement or on a per-weekend basis.
Dormitories have not been in use since 2014. Students are accommodated in double rooms, with single rooms reserved for those in the Upper Form of the Gymnasium. Subject to availability, single rooms may also be booked in the Lower Form, though we recommend beginning in a double room, as sharing provides a smoother transition, supports learning, and fosters social skills.
Boys and girls are housed in separate wings.
Our boarding rooms are designed with modern comfort in mind, each furnished with a wardrobe, a spacious desk, shelving, and a large window with inspiring views of the surrounding mountains. Each room is equipped with its own washbasin, while showers and WCs are conveniently located on each floor.
Students are entrusted with the care and tidiness of their rooms, fostering independence and pride in their surroundings. At the end of each week, a brief review offers encouragement and support as students continue to grow in responsibility and pride in their spaces.
Should a student feel unwell, they are kindly attended to by our experienced nurse, who ensures their comfort and care. Engelberg has three local general practices, and for anything requiring further attention, the nearest hospital is the Cantonal Hospital in Stans, just half an hour away, with the Cantonal Hospital in Lucerne accessible within the hour.
Teaching at Stiftsschule Engelberg is entrusted almost entirely to lay staff. Of our twenty teachers, seven are women. Pastoral Care is guided by a dedicated team which includes the Abbot of the Monastery of Engelberg, Abbot Christian Meyer OSB, who also teaches Religious Education in the Lower Form of the Gymnasium. Our teaching staff collaborate closely across disciplines, forming a well-established team in which changes of staff are exceedingly rare.
Stiftsschule Engelberg was, in fact, founded by the Benedictine Monastery of Engelberg, and in its early days, the teaching was carried out exclusively by monks. From the 1970s onwards, an increasing number of lay teachers joined the staff. Today, they bring their expertise to the modern whiteboard.
Class sizes are small, fostering both individual attention and a close-knit learning community. In the Lower Form of the Gymnasium, there may be as few as twelve students, while in the Upper Form they typically number up to around twenty-three. This intimate setting allows our teachers to gain a nuanced understanding of each student’s abilities and provide guidance tailored to their strengths. The spirit of camaraderie within each class is further nurtured through extra-curricular activities, study trips, excursions, and special days outdoors.