The Four- and Six-Year Gymnasium and Secondary School Education
At Stiftsschule Engelberg, we offer an exceptional range of academic programmes: Our students receive a first-class education at both the Secondary School and Gymnasium levels. At Gymnasium level, students may follow either a four- or six-year academic pathway. Teaching at this level is bilingual, with selected subjects delivered in English.
Teaching in English not only enhances our students’ readiness for academic study at university level but also enables them to excel in the subjects of the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme – a highly valuable and enriching complement to the rigorous academic demands of the Swiss Matura.
Beyond the academic, students benefit from a vibrant programme in music, the arts, sport, and co-curricular activities.
Learning Support and Study Courses
We offer our students individual and small-group support to help them achieve their academic goals and to cultivate effective, independent learning skills. In addition, students can prepare for internationally recognized language qualifications, such as the Cambridge University Certificate.
Vocational, Careers, and University Guidance
We support our young people thoughtfully and individually as they discern their path beyond school – whether in choosing a field of study, or a vocational direction.
In Preparation for University
As part of the IB Diploma Programme, our students engage in academic research of a kind they will encounter at university. During one of our co-curricular study weeks, they explore and apply research methods drawn from both the sciences and the humanities — gaining early insight into scholarly inquiry and independent thinking.
Learning for Life
An integral part of the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme, CAS – Creativity, Activity, and Service – offers our students the opportunity to design and lead a project of their own. Through this, they gain valuable experience in initiative, responsibility, and collaborative work – all within a supportive environment that encourages personal growth over performance.
Enriching Extra Challenges
We take great pride in our wide range of extra-curricular opportunities: Whether it be mastering a musical instrument, singing in the school’s Abbey Choir, or participating in daily sporting activities, our students are encouraged to pursue excellence beyond the classroom. For further details on these and many other enriching challenges, please visit our Life at the Boarding School section.
Media Centre
Since the Monastery of Engelberg was founded, giving young people a sound education also included motivating them to read and to study books in a library. That is still the case today, though printed books have now been joined by new forms of media.
The Media Centre’s books, online resources and DVDs are intended to be used both in the academic Programs of our school and for the personal leisure activities of the school community.
The Media Centre is a place of learning and of coming-together that can help stimulate students’ natural curiosity and their joy of reading, as well as help them to develop their ability to learn and to think critically and to actively work for the good of the school community. Students are involved in a variety of ways: They recommend media for purchase, they organize and lead the Book Club which includes the Book Bond and the Movie Squad, they recommend specific reading and help with the setting up of the premises.
The Media Centre offers students and teaching staff of the Stiftsschule and the IOS Engelberg a reference library, a lending library and two media rooms. Media Center users can also read journals and magazines in the reference library or in the boarding section.
The lending library includes works of non-fiction and fiction, and these books may be borrowed on a monthly basis. The library also provides an atmosphere conducive to quiet reading. The reference collection offers both a working area and a group workspace. The books of the reference collection must be used on site.
Both media rooms hold a collection of DVDs. These may be borrowed for two weeks at a time, for both teaching and leisure purposes.
In order to ensure a qualitatively as well as quantitatively high supply of media, the Media Centre works together with the public library of Engelberg.
The Media Centre’s opening times are as follows:
Lending library and media rooms:
- Tuesday: 10 a.m. – 1 p.m.
- Thursday: 10 a.m. – 1 p.m.
- Thursday: 10 a.m. – 1 p.m.
The collection of media can be viewed via the Media Center’s online catalog.
Facilities
We find it important to offer our students a modern infrastructure that supports the learning process. Our teaching rooms possess state-of-the-art equipment: individual desks, ergonomically designed chairs, digital presenters, a smartboard and an audio system. WLAN is available throughout the school.
Both indoor and outdoor sports facilities are available to our students: two gyms, a tennis court, a fitness room, two outdoor soccer fields, volleyball courts, and disc golf.
Learning Support and Study Courses
Not everyone learns in the same way – that’s why we offer supplementary school services that cater to personal needs. Whether tutoring, language support or learning coaching: here, pupils can find targeted support to develop their full potential. Find out more here:
A Life Enriched through Culture and Sport at Stiftsschule Engelberg
With pristine Alpine air and an array of equipment at their disposal, our students quickly develop a natural affinity for sport. From scenic slopes and trails to exhilarating via ferrata routes, the surrounding mountains offer boundless opportunities for exploration and challenge.
Sport – Where Challenge Meets Joy
At Stiftsschule Engelberg, students enjoy excellent sports facilities, including a fully equipped fitness suite, multiple gyms, a tennis court, two football pitches, and volleyball and basketball areas. A recent addition to our campus is a disc golf course – an exciting blend of strategy, skill, and fun.
Our setting in the heart of the Alps provides ideal conditions for skiing, snowboarding, ice skating, and curling in winter, while the warmer seasons invite tennis, golf, hiking, jogging, swimming (indoors and in the wild), biking, and both outdoor and indoor climbing. The local cable car operators offer our students discounted season passes, ensuring the mountains are always within reach.
On special days throughout the year, the entire school community ventures out together – carving through fresh powder in winter or hiking the high trails and swimming in Lake Lucerne come summer – enriching our physical well-being, the spirit of camaraderie, and forging memories and friendships through shared adventure.
Embrace the Arts: Drama, Music, and More
At the heart of our Benedictine heritage lies a profound appreciation for the arts, held in equal esteem to the cultivation of lifelong physical endeavour.
Each Carnival season, our students present a theatrical production of exceptional calibre. These performances draw an eager audience not only of parents but also holiday visitors, local residents, and alumni.
Those fortunate enough to attend Easter Sunday Mass within the sublime Abbey Church will bear witness to the transcendent grace, power, and beauty that the Abbey Choir and Orchestra bring to this sacred occasion.
Music and song form an integral part of our communal life. Our students are invited to immerse themselves in a rich tapestry of
musical opportunities: from singing with the Abbey Choir and performing with the Abbey Orchestra, to solo recitals during Mass, or composing and showcasing their talents in school productions. Additionally, the nearby Music School provides superb instruction in a wide variety of instruments.
We warmly encourage all to join us in celebrating these vibrant artistic traditions.