by Susan Vogel-Misicka, swissinfo.ch

Switzerland has a long tradition of hosting boarding schools. Today they attract mainly foreign students whose families appreciate this elite form of education.

There are some 100,000 students enrolled in private Swiss schools, according to the Swiss Federation of Private Schools (SFPS). They come from all over – in particular Russia, Germany, France, Britain and the United States, as well as Switzerland.

Within the boarding schools, about 80 per cent of the students are foreign and the rest Swiss, says Isabelle Montandon, a spokeswoman for the SFPS. She notes that to foster diversity, some schools have quotas to limit the number of students coming from any one country.

Certain schools have an even higher percentage of international students. read more