Frequently Asked Questions

We welcome about 200 new students in August at the beginning of each school year and more throughout the year. ISB has developed a welcoming culture to help new families transition into our international school community.

At the start of the academic year, each campus holds new student orientation days to help them become acquainted with the school buildings and their teachers in Pre-School and Junior School. Our student body also naturally reach out to make new students feel welcome.

Our Welcome Committee has a buddy family system in place where every family is paired with an existing family to help new families settle in more quickly. The Parents’ Association also organises many coffee mornings and trips for all parents.

We have students representing nearly 60 different nationalities. In excess of 40% of our students originate from the UK or USA.

We have approximately 1,200 students in our 2 campuses. The Aesch campus is home to Pre-School and Kindergarten to Grade 5 students. The Reinach campus is home to Grades 6 to 12 students.

This varies greatly but the average span is about 3 to 5 years. We have a growing number of families who are making Basel their home. This offers a great deal of stability to the student population.

Pre-School hours: *8.15 to 15.00.

Junior School hours: 8.15 to 15.10.

Senior School hours: 8.25 to 15.45.

*Flexible start time from 8.15 - 8.45

Many students take tram 11 which stops directly in front of both school campuses. Some parents drive their children to School. The School does not have a bus system.

Your child may choose to purchase a hot lunch at School or bring his/her own lunch from home. Click here to visit the Culinarium page to read more.

No, although we have a student dress code where students are expected to dress appropriately. We also have an ISB gym kit which students are required to wear during PE lessons.

ISB offers an Extra Curricular Programme (ECP) and an Instrumental Programme after school. ECP is built around specific interests ranging from sports to art. Through ECP we also offer an After School Care Programme for Junior School students which runs from 3.15 to 5.15pm. This programme is designed to meet the needs of Junior School parents who require after school child minding.

Both Junior School and Senior School have organised choir and ensemble activities through the ISB music departments too.

Sports is a key component of the ISB student experience. We offer a comprehensive after school sports programme for Senior School students including badminton, basketball, cross country, tennis, soccer, softball, swimming, track & field, unihockey and volleyball.

ISB is a member of SGIS which organises tournaments for international schools within Switzerland and SCIS which supports tournaments with international schools from Austria, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Poland and Switzerland.

The 2 campuses have state-of-the-art sports facilities which include gym halls, a playing field, an artificial field, basketball courts, a fitness room, a 10m high climbing wall, 100m running track and long jump pit.

Please click here for more information about the sports facilities on our 2 campuses.

The key ones are:

Junior and Middle School Student Voice and High School Grade Representatives: these student organisations provide a way for students to express concerns, opinions and suggestions about issues affecting aspects of student life.

Model United Nations: MUN is a unique opportunity for students from Grade 8 and up to experience the inner workings of the United Nations. Student delegates focus on various topics of interest from children’s rights to climate change mirroring the real United Nations Assembly sessions.

Student Council: a student group which devotes its time and energy to improving the social environment of the School.

Click here to read more about the student led groups.

We have an active Parents’ Association which organises many activities for parents.

Parent volunteers are greatly appreciated and are a wonderful resource for students and staff. The many possibilities for volunteering at ISB range from being a class parent, assisting on field trips, helping with reading and typing in Junior School, introducing Middle School students to different cultures, to mentoring High School students as they take their first steps towards their chosen profession.

We do not have fund raising for the School’s needs but for charity organisations. There are several childrens’ charities that the ISB community supports and we encourage the students to do volunteer work. Click here to read more about the children’s charities supported by the School.

Yes, we have a school nurse on each campus during the hours the School is open.

Reinach: 8.15am to 6pm
Aesch: 8am to 5.30pm