← Back to the rankingScuola Svizzera Rahn Education Milano
Milan, Italy · est. 1860 · Private
Illustration · Milan
Scuola Svizzera Rahn Education Milano grew out of the International School of Milan, where the first students arrived in 1860: it was founded to offer German-language education in Milan and an alternative to the mainly Catholic school system, and in 1919 the Swiss Confederation recognised it as a Swiss school abroad. Since 1939 it has been in the building at via Appiani 21 in the city centre; more than 7000 students have studied here over its history. The school is recognised by the Swiss Federal Department of Home Affairs in Bern and by the Italian authorities. About 250 students of different nationalities attend. Teaching is bilingual, in German and Italian, from kindergarten to the bilingual Italian-Swiss maturità, recognised by both Switzerland and the Italian Ministry of Education. The curriculum follows the Swiss Lehrplan 21 and the guidelines of the canton of Graubünden, with stages organised on the Italian system: kindergarten, scuola primaria (grades 1-5), scuola secondaria (grades 6-8) and liceo (grades 9-12). Most primary teachers trained in Switzerland and teach in German, while Italian and history are taught by an Italian teacher. English is taught from grade 3, computing from grade 4, French and Latin from grade 7, and Spanish can be chosen in the liceo. In grade 5 students prepare for the esame di idoneità, and in grade 8 they take the esame di Stato (licenza media). In the liceo, besides core subjects, students choose a specific subject (biochemistry, Spanish or Greek and Latin) and a complementary one (philosophy, economics or visual arts); economics and law are compulsory and English has a major role.
Key facts
Tuition
≈ $8 021–10 619 a year
7 100–9 400 EUR
Programmes
Swiss programme · National programme
Admits from
3 years · Pre-School
Languages of instruction
German, Italian
Languages taught
English, French, Latin, Spanish
Class size
a small number of children per class; the school does not give an exact class size
Registration fee
≈ $1 243
1 100 EUR
About the fees Fees for 2026/2027 per year for non-Swiss students: kindergarten 7100 EUR, scuola primaria 7800 EUR, scuola secondaria di primo grado 8950 EUR, liceo 9400 EUR; for Swiss students 5150, 5600, 6450 and 6850 EUR. Teaching materials are included. Sibling discounts: 10% for the second child, 25% for the third, 40% from the fourth. Payment by SEPA direct debit: a 1000 EUR deposit by 27 February 2026 and four instalments on 15 September, 15 December, 15 March and 15 June.
Admissions The kindergarten admits children from age three at the latest; through a cooperation with a nearby nursery with a Swiss approach, younger children can also get to know the language and culture. Parents do not need to know German, and the school can organise introductory courses for those who wish. Enrolment is valid only with simultaneous payment of the one-off enrolment fee and deposit and after confirmation by the school; both parents sign the form. A birth certificate, family status certificate and vaccination record are required, plus a report or release from the previous school for transfers and proof of citizenship for Swiss students. Different fee scales apply to Swiss and non-Swiss students.
Stages and year groups A Swiss curriculum (Lehrplan 21 of the canton of Graubünden, and Lehrplan 21+ for German in Swiss schools abroad) organised in Italian-system stages. Kindergarten: Italian children are gradually introduced to German and German speakers to Italian; the KaPri programme joins the last kindergarten year and grade 1 in mixed groups for German, mathematics and music. Scuola primaria (grades 1-5): reading and writing in German and Italian, English from grade 3, computing from grade 4 for 2 hours a week; in grade 5 preparation for the esame di idoneità. Scuola secondaria (grades 6-8): French and Latin from grade 7, and from the second semester of grade 7 preparation for the esame di Stato (licenza media) at the end of grade 8. Liceo (grades 9-12): the bilingual Italian-Swiss maturità under the Swiss maturità recognition regulations (MAR), since 2004; the specific subject is biochemistry, Spanish or Greek and Latin, the complementary subject philosophy, economics or visual arts; a final thesis in the last year. Language certificates: Goethe C1, IELTS and Cambridge Advanced C1, DELF B2, DELE B2. The school does not run Cambridge International courses.
Address Via Andrea Appiani 21, 20121 Milano
Accreditations and programmes verified against official registries
educationsuisse · accreditationA Swiss curriculum in German and Italian leading to a bilingual maturità recognised by Italy, with the Italian state exam after grade 8. It is a Swiss school abroad recognised by the Swiss Confederation (educationsuisse).
school is in an official registryconfirmed by a school document, by membership or by taking part in a networkclaimed by the school, no confirmation, not counted in the scoreGuide to all organisations → What stands behind each entry
educationsuisseSwiss school abroad recognised by the Confederation
State recognition by Switzerland: the school follows the Swiss curriculum and takes pupils to the Swiss Matura, usually bilingual, alongside the certificate of the host country. Each school has a patron canton answerable for the content of the programme. Sixteen schools are recognised worldwide, so this is a narrow list rather than an industry association: far more schools call themselves Swiss.
What the badge means for this school. The school has been through this organisation's accreditation. It was judged as a whole: governance, safeguarding, staff, premises, teaching. The entry stands in the organisation's public register - anyone can check it.
Register to check for yourself, and the full guide →Swiss programme
The school programme of Switzerland. Schools abroad recognised by the Confederation take pupils through to the Swiss maturity certificate, the Matura, used for entry to Swiss universities. There are sixteen recognised schools in the whole world, and each has a sponsoring canton answering for the content of the programme.
What this means for this school. In a school abroad the Swiss maturity is usually bilingual and runs alongside the certificate of the host country, so a leaver ends up with two documents. Recognition is granted to the school as a whole rather than to separate stages, unlike French homologation, which covers now one set of year groups, now another.
National programme
The state school programme of the country the school stands in: it is set by that country's ministry of education, which also licenses the school and awards the leaving certificate. That certificate is used for entry to local universities, and abroad it is matched to the local one.
What this means for this school. This entry does not count towards the score, and that is deliberate. Every lawful school in a country works to the national programme, so on its own it tells one school apart from no other - unlike the French, German or Russian programmes, which are carried abroad and confirmed by the register of their organisation. We show it because a parent needs to know what programme their child is taught and what certificate the child will get. Counting it would lift the whole ranking at once and still tell nobody apart.
Exams and destinations from the school's official website
The school publishes nothing about where its leavers go: no share going on to university, no exam results, no list of universities.
Facilities from the school's official website
·Swimming poolnot stated on the website
·Sports hallnot stated on the website
✓Laboratories
·Theatre or assembly hallnot stated on the website
·Librarynot stated on the website
✓Catering
·School transportnot stated on the website
·Boardingnot stated on the website
Also on site: Playground
Campus: Since 1939 the school has occupied the building at via Appiani 21 in central Milan. The liceo has an experimental physics, chemistry and biology lab; the kindergarten has a courtyard with a sandpit, tricycles and scooters. The canteen cooks lunch in its own kitchen with produce from certified suppliers, with menus for intolerances and allergies on medical certificate and frequent Swiss dishes. Grades 1-7 have after-school care (doposcuola) with homework help, extra German, games and exercise; the kindergarten has an afternoon group until 15:30 or 16:30 with intensive German. Younger grades have a German language workshop (Sprachatelier) of up to 15 hours a week in small groups during school hours.
Teaching staff from the school's official website
·Teachers listed by namenot published
✓Teacher qualifications
·Number of teachersthe school does not say
✓Students per teacher or class sizein the key facts above
What the listings show: Language lessons are taught by native speakers to the standards of Swiss universities of teacher education; most primary teachers trained in Switzerland and teach in German, while Italian and history are taught by an Italian teacher. Teachers come from Switzerland, Italy and other countries, and the school mentions ongoing professional development.
The school names the head, two stage coordinators (kindergarten and primary; lower secondary and liceo) and the head of administration.
Safety and wellbeing from the school's official website
·CCTVnot stated on the website
·Security staffnot stated on the website
·Access controlnot stated on the website
·Nurse or medical roomnot stated on the website
·Counsellornot stated on the website
·Child protection policynot stated on the website
·Staff trainingnot stated on the website
✓Anti-bullying policy
The school has committed to the Charter of Swiss Schools Abroad, which sets out a clear position against discrimination, sexual harassment, bullying and any form of violence and the aim of creating a sense of safety in classes and the school.
Reviews
No reviews yet. The community rating counts towards the score once a school has five verified reviews - until then we do not show a zero, so as not to mislead.
Criteria breakdown criterion weight in brackets
Academics and programmes (16%)72 Community rating (16%)no dataparent reviews are needed: the criterion switches on at the fifth verified one Exams and destinations (12%) scored on disclosed data55 Safety and wellbeing (12%) scored on disclosed data60 Accreditation and verifiability (10%)85 Teaching staff (10%) scored on disclosed data55 Facilities (10%) scored on disclosed data70 Clubs and activities (8%) scored on disclosed data55 "Scored on disclosed data" stands where we count only what the school has written about itself on its own site: exams and destinations, safety and wellbeing, teaching staff, facilities, clubs and activities. A low score here means the school does not write about this, not that the school does not have it: a school with good security and a sparse site will score low. A school can fill in its profile, and the score will be counted again.
The score is counted from 8 of the 9 criteria.Only those with checkable data count: programmes and accreditations from official registers, the fee from a published price list. Where it says "scored on the median", the school has no data and the middle of the list is put in its place, so that a gap gives no advantage. Admissions, teaching staff and reviews come in as their data arrives.
The full methodology → Similar schools in the country