In Switzerland, cantons and municipalities determine school holiday dates. This means that the holiday start and finish dates – and even how long they go on for – can differ quite significantly, not only between cantons, but also from one municipality and region to another.
This year, the autumn term at state-run schools starts between August 12th and September 2nd.
We've broken down the summer holiday dates by canton below.
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The cantons of Basel-City, Basel-Country, Appenzell Innerrhoden, Geneva, Glarus, Graubünden, Jura, Neuchâtel and Vaud kicked off their school breaks on June 29th, but they don’t all go back on the same day.
Schoolchildren in Basel-City, Basel-Country, Appenzell Innerrhoden, Glarus, and Graubünden return to school on August 12th, giving them a six-week holiday.
Pupils in Geneva, Jura, Neuchâtel and Vaud enjoy a slightly longer break – they get seven weeks off. Summer school holidays for these four cantons end on August 18th, with students returning to their desks on August 19th.
The summer holidays for children in Appenzell Ausserrhoden, Bern, Lucerne, Nidwalden, Obwalden, Schaffhausen, Schwyz, St. Gallen, Solothurn, Thurgau, Uri and Zug started slightly later – on July 6th.
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But while those in Appenzell Ausserrhoden, Bern, St Gallen, Solothurn and Thurgau only get a five-week break as schools go back on August 12th, pupils in Lucerne, Nidwalden, Obwalden, Schwyz, Uri and Zug get a week more, returning to school on 19th August.
For pupils in Zurich, the dates are completely different: their long summer break started comparatively late on July 13th and they go back to the classroom on August 19th, giving them five weeks off.
But it's schoolchildren in the canton of Aargau who have really drawn the short straw when it comes to holiday days. They have the shortest summer holiday break among kids in Swiss schools at just three weeks. Their break started on July 20th and pupils go back on August 12th.
At the opposite end of the spectrum, pupils in Ticino have grounds for celebrations: they enjoy the longest summer break out of all state-run Swiss schools. School holidays in the southern canton began on June 15th and the holiday goes on (and on) until September 1st, giving them a whopping 11 weeks away from their desks.
In Fribourg, holiday dates vary across the area. Most municipalities' holidays run from July 6th to August 23rd while schools in Kerzels, Fräschels and Ried go back slightly earlier on August 21st.
This also true in Valais, which has a set summer holiday at a cantonal level, starting on June 22nd with children going back to school on August 19th. However, these dates can vary even within the canton, with some schools returning earlier.
Dates can also sometimes vary across municipalities in the cantons of Appenzell Innerrhoden, Appenzell Ausserrhoden, Bern and Nidwalden.
As far as private – and international – schools are concerned, they have their own holiday schedules. These tend to roughly follow cantonal dates, but they're often longer than those of publicly run schools.
After the long (for some, at least) summer break, the next holiday for children at school in Switzerland will be the autumn half-term holiday in October. Even those in Aargau get two weeks for that one!
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