Haut-Lac International Bilingual School

Haut-Lac International Bilingual School
Location
Chemin de Pangires 26 1806 Saint-Légier-La Chiésaz , Vaud Switzerland
Information
Type	Independent school, Private school, International School, Bilingual school, Boarding school
Motto	Living, Learning, Achieving
Established	1993
Founder	Anne-Marie and Neil Harwood Grainne and Jean-Louis Dubler
Head of Secondary	Rossella Cosso
Head of Nursery, Infant & Primary	Renaud Milhoux
Faculty	160
Grades	Pre-kindergarten through to grade 12
Number of students	600+ day students 32 boarding students
Average class size	15 students
Language	English & French
Campus	Praz-Dagoud Campus Roches Grises Campus
Houses	Bern Bears Jura Jaguars Fribourg Falcons Valais Vipers
Colors	Green (infant & primary) Navy blue (secondary)
Sports	Leisure sports clubs School team sports clubs Inter-house class sports tournaments Sport & study pathway
Mascot	Bernie
Accreditation	International Baccalaureate Council of International Schools World Academy of Sport
Annual tuition	Day school fees: from CHF 21’800 to CHF 40’600 Boarding school fees: from CHF 86’000 to CHF 88’000
Graduates	600+
Website	haut-lac.ch

Haut-Lac International Bilingual School is a co-educational international school with uniform ^[1] for day students aged 3 to 18 and boarders aged 11 to 18.

It's two school campuses and boutique boarding house overlook Lake Geneva in the village of St-Légier-La Chiésaz, which sits just above Vevey on the Swiss Riviera.

The school also runs the Les Marronniers nursery in Vevey for toddlers aged 18 months to 4 years.

History

Haut-Lac International Bilingual School was founded in 1993 by two bilingual couples, Anne-Marie and Neil Harwood and Grainne and Jean-Louis Dubler.

The private school started off in Vevey with 13 students and grew rapidly. It moved to larger premises on Quai Maria-Belgia next to Lake Geneva in 1994. By 1999-2000, enrollment had reached 150 students, which led to the opening of a secondary section.

Major campus developments:

• 2001 – Infant students (E1-E3) moved to their own Les Marronniers campus in Vevey
• 2003 – Secondary students (MYP1-3) moved to Roches Grises campus in Saint-Légier-La Chiésaz
• 2014 – Infant, primary and MYP1&2 students moved into the Minergie-certified Praz-Dagoud campus ^[2]

IB programme authorisations

• 2001 - IB Middle Years Programme (IBMYP)
• 2003 - IB Diploma Programme (IBDP)
• 2020 - IB Career-related Programme (IBCP)

Other notable milestones

• 2011 - First accreditation by the Council of International Schools (CIS).
• 2018 - First Athlete-Friendly Education Centre in Switzerland recognised by the World Academy of Sport
• 2020 - First non-UK school to receive the Primary Science Quality Mark.
• 2022 - The first students are welcomed to the Haut-Lac Boarding House.
• 2023 - Haut-Lac International Bilingual School celebrated its 30th anniversary.
• 2024 - Haut-Lac now welcomes students of over 64 nationalities and has over 600 alumni in Switzerland and worldwide.

Academics

Haut-Lac International Bilingual School offers bilingual language instruction through two distinct pathways:

Infant & Primary (ages 3-11):

• Bilingual stream – Students study in English and French on alternate days, except on Wednesdays when the tuition language switches every nine weeks, to ensure equal curriculum access in both languages.
• English stream – Full instruction in English with one daily French lesson, plus swimming and music in French.

Secondary (ages 11-18):

• Fully bilingual – Standard academic subjects are taught in English and in French, by switching the tuition language every semester.
• Progressively bilingual – Students study everything in English with daily French lessons and gradually add more subjects in French as their knowledge and skills in the language progress.
• English stream – Instruction primarily in English with French language classes at appropriate phases

Academic Programmes

Age Group	Programme	Key Features
18 months – 3 years	Les Marronniers Nursery	Bilingual introduction to school for toddlers
3 – 11 years	Infant & Primary Programme	Theme-based "Learning Means the World" curriculum
11 – 16 years	IB Middle Years Programme (IBMYP)	E-assessment exams and coursework at the end of MYP5
11 – 14 years	Swiss Option	IBMYP with added exam preparation in French literature, German and mathematics for state school entrance exams in the Canton of Vaud at the end of MYP4
16 – 18 years	IB Diploma Programme (IBDP)	English, bilingual, advanced bilingual and French diploma options depending on student demand
16 – 18 years	IB Career-related Programme (IBCP)	Four career-related study options available Sustainable Management (partnership with SUMAS University) Art & Design (partnership with Savannah College of Art & Design) International Sports Management (partnership with WAoS) Hospitality Management (partnership with Les Roches Switzerland)
16 – 18 years	US High School Diploma	For students applying to North American, Canadian and other credit-based universities

Authorisations & Accreditations

Swiss

Haut-Lac International Bilingual School is official member of the local and Swiss associations below:

• Association Vaudoise des Écoles Privées (AVDEP)
• Federation Suisse des Écoles Privées (FSEP)
• Swiss Group of International Schools (SGIS)
• Association des Directeurs d'Instituts de Suisse Romande (ADISR)
• Eco-Schools

International

Haut-Lac International Bilingual School is authorised or accredited by the organisations and associations below:

• International Baccalaureate (IB)
• Council of International School (CIS)
• World Academy of Sport (WAoS)

Campus and Facilities

Haut-Lac operates across three campuses in the canton of Vaud, serving students from 18 months to 18 years. The main school campuses, Praz-Dagoud and Roches Grises, and the boarding house are within walking distance of each other in Saint-Légier-La Chiésaz. The Les Marronniers nursery is located near the train station in Vevey.

Haut-Lac Secondary School Roches Grises Campus

Haut-Lac Primary School Praz Dagoud Campus

Campus locations and facilities:

Campus	Location	Age Group	Year Opened	Key Features
Les Marronniers	Vevey	18 months – 3 years	2014	nursery with bright, spacious rooms designed for early childhood exploration
Praz-Dagoud	Saint-Légier-La Chiésaz	3 – 12 years	2014	modern classrooms, specialist music and art rooms, science and design technology labs, triple sports hall, dining hall with fully-equipped stage, multilingual library, biotope, Discovery Garden, Minergie certification
Roches Grises	Saint-Légier-La Chiésaz	13 – 18 years	2003	modern classrooms, science labs with professional data-logging equipement, specialist music and art rooms, design technology lab with CAD equipment, research library
Boarding House	Saint-Légier-La Chiésaz	11 – 18 years	2022	32 places, double rooms with private bathrooms and enclosed balconies, supervised study room, common room, student kitchen, spaces for private music practice and personal fitness sessions, indoor and outdoor terrace overlooking Lake Geneva and the Alps

Haut-Lac Boarding Options

Haut-Lac introduced international boarding in 2022. The programme accepts a maximum of 32 secondary students (ages 11–18) enrolled in the school's IB Middle Years Programme, IB Diploma Programme, IB Career-Related Programme or High School Diploma.

Haut-Lac boarding house

Facilities

Accommodation:

• Twin bedrooms with en-suite bathrooms
• Single rooms available for IB1 and IB2 students (subject to availability)

Shared spaces:

• Dedicated study rooms
• Lounge with recreational equipment
• Dining area
• Terrace overlooking Lake Geneva

Programme Structure

Boarding options:

• Full boarding (seven days per week)
• Weekly boarding (five days, weekends at home)
• Termly boarding (single-term experiences)

Daily schedule: Boarders follow the same academic programmes as day students. The boarding day also includes supervised study periods, shared meals with staff, and structured evening activities.

Weekends and holidays: Weekend activities include skiing, paddle-boarding on Lake Geneva, and cultural excursions to Swiss cities and museums. Optional holiday programmes offer supervised trips to Annecy, Milan and Germany.

Staffing

The programme is led by senior house parents and boarding supervisors, who provide 24-hour supervision. Students have access to child safeguarding leaders, a school & university counsellor, and school nurse.

Costs

• Included: Accommodation, meals, supervised study support, weekend activities, laundry service, airport transfers
• Additional costs: Single room supplements, holiday trips abroad, school uniforms, personal expenses

References

1. "Haut-Lac International Bilingual School – Swiss Style Magazine". www.swissstyle.com. Archived from the original on 2019-03-27. Retrieved 2025-11-19.
2. Jeffreys, Jenny (2014-10-01). "Haut-Lac International Bilingual School opens new eco-friendly primary campus at St. Légier-La Chiésaz in Vaud". knowitall.ch. Retrieved 2025-11-19.

External links

• Haut-Lac International Bilingual School official site

46°28′27″N6°52′35″E / 46.4742°N 6.8763°E / 46.4742; 6.8763