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Zürich / Zurich / Zuerich

The Canton of Zürich (German: Kanton Zürich) has a population of about 1.6 million. The canton is located in the northeast of Switzerland and the city of Zürich is its capital. The official language is German, but people speak the local Swiss German dialect called Züritüütsch.  In English, the name of the canton is often written without an umlaut. The canton of Zurich is situated north of the Alps. Its neighboring cantons are Schaffhausen to the north, Aargau to the west, the cantons of Zug and Schwyz to the south, and the cantons of Thurgau and St.Gallen to the east. Most of Lake Zurich is located within the canton. The canton can be roughly divided into the city and lake, the Unterland in the northwest, the Oberland in the southeast, the Weinland and Winterthur in the northeast, and the Knonaueramt southwest of the Albis. Greater Zurich Area extends beyond the cantonal borders.

About 

In the Canton of Zurich, compulsory education generally begins at the age of 4. Children who are 4 years old by July 31 (cut-off date) enter kindergarten at the beginning of the next school year. The compulsory education period is 11 years.

Compulsory public schools are free of charge and politically as well as denominationally neutral. All children domiciled in the Canton of Zurich have the right to attend compulsory public school, comprising kindergarten, primary and secondary school.

During the compulsory period of education, children and young people receive basic education qualifying them for access to vocational education and training (VET) or to continuative intermediate schools.

Vision & Values

  • Respect

  • Responsibility

  • Integrity

  • Compassion

  • Courage

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