Cantonal School Zurich North

What Cantonal School Zurich North does

Kantonsschule Zürich Nord (KZN) is a public cantonal secondary school (Mittelschule) located in the northern part of Zurich, Switzerland, operated by the Canton of Zurich under Swiss cantonal education law. It self-describes as the largest Mittelschule in the canton, serving roughly 15-to-19-year-old students from across Canton Zurich on a single campus via three co-located programs: a six-year Langgymnasium, a four-year Kurzgymnasium, and a three-year Fachmittelschule (FMS). The school is the only institution on Zurich city territory to offer all recognized maturity profiles within the short gymnasium, and it delivers the full set of 11 Maturitätsprofile including rare languages (Russian, Greek, Latin), STEM, arts, philosophy/pedagogy/psychology, and economics/law, alongside bilingual German/English and German/French immersion tracks. Specialized offerings include MINT (STEM) promotion, the SOL (Selbst organisiertes Lernen / self-organized learning) spiral, the Young Enterprise Switzerland (YES) mini-company program, and a broad catalog of Ergänzungsfächer and Freifächer (elective courses).

The school's technology stack is built around a BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) model introduced in autumn semester 2022/23, under which every student uses a personal laptop integrated into teaching and homework, with the school provisioning Microsoft 365 and Teams (excluding the operating system) and enforcing a Digital Code of Conduct. No AI/ML capabilities, proprietary models, or AI-assisted pedagogy are described. The school is currently mid-renovation: a multi-year Gesamtinstandsetzung of its main Campus Oerlikon has forced a temporary relocation to Campus Irchel (Baumackerstrasse 19, 8050 Zurich) for school years 2024/25 through 2026/27.

As a public institution, KZN charges no tuition and is funded by the Canton of Zurich's education budget; revenue is not publicly disclosed. The only customer-facing costs are optional (e.g., a CHF 2,200 Ireland immersion, of which the school subsidizes CHF 700, with the rest covered by parents and a Hilfsfonds for hardship cases). Distribution is through the standardized Canton of Zurich entrance examination, with prospective families reached via orientation evenings, a biweekly email newsletter, the school website, and student-led WhatsApp and Instagram channels. Strategic partnerships with ETH Zürich, University of Zurich, ZHAW, Pädagogische Hochschule Zürich, Paul Scherrer Institut, and the Catholic/Reformed Landeskirche underpin university pipeline, talent development, pastoral care, and cultural enrichment. Note: the provided firmographic lists company_type as "for_profit" and year_founded as 2012, but first-party materials identify KZN as a public cantonal school with no specific founding date available; the for-profit classification and 2012 date are likely data errors and are not relied upon.

Name

Cantonal School Zurich North

Legal name

Kantonsschule Zürich Nord

Website

https://kzn.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Kantonsschule Zürich Nord is the largest public Mittelschule in the Canton of Zurich, Switzerland, offering Langgymnasium, Kurzgymnasium, and Fachmittelschule programs with all 11 Maturitätsprofiles on one campus. It serves secondary school students aged roughly 15–19 with university-preparatory and vocational tracks, funded by the Canton of Zurich.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Secondary Education

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Classical Education K–12 Schools (EDAJABAF)

Keywords

• Secondary education
• Gymnasium programs
• Maturity certificates
• STEM education
• Bilingual immersion

Headquarters

HQ city

Zürich

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Others

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Kantonsschule Zürich Nord is a public cantonal secondary school that delivers three core educational programs — a six-year Langgymnasium, a four-year Kurzgymnasium, and a three-year Fachmittelschule — leading to the Swiss gymnasium Maturität or the FMS certificate with optional Fachmaturität. Students choose from eleven Maturitätsprofile (specialization tracks) spanning ancient and modern languages, mathematics and natural sciences, arts, philosophy/pedagogy/psychology, and economics/law, with bilingual German/English and German/French immersion options, a STEM (MINT) promotion program, and self-organized learning (SOL) culminating in a Maturitätsarbeit graduation thesis. The school also provides a BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) digitalization environment built on Microsoft 365 and Teams.

Product overview

Cantonal School Zurich North is a large secondary school (Mittelschule) in northern Zurich offering three main educational programs: a six-year Langgymnasium (long gymnasium), a four-year Kurzgymnasium (short gymnasium), and a three-year Fachmittelschule (FMS). The school provides comprehensive secondary education leading to recognized Swiss maturity certificates qualifying students for university admission. Students choose from eleven maturity profiles with specialization focus areas spanning ancient and modern languages, natural sciences, arts, philosophy/pedagogy/psychology, and economics/law. The school also offers bilingual immersion programs in German/English and German/French, a STEM promotion program (MINT), and self-organized learning methodologies. A comprehensive BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) digitalization program provides Microsoft 365 and Teams to all students.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Langgymnasium (Long Gymnasium) A six-year gymnasium program (Untergymnasium plus Oberstufe) offering comprehensive secondary education culminating in the gymnasium maturity certificate, with eleven different specialization focus areas. Targets students completing primary/secondary education who seek a thorough university-preparatory track.
• Kurzgymnasium (Short Gymnasium)
• Fachmittelschule (FMS) A three-year specialized secondary school offering profiles in Health and Natural Sciences, Pedagogy, and Communication and Information, leading to the FMS certificate with optional Fachmaturität. Targets students seeking career-oriented secondary education that prepares for specific vocational paths and higher-education entry at institutions such as ZHAW.
• Immersion Deutsch/Englisch (Bilingual Maturität German/English) Bilingual maturity program in which subjects including Mathematics, Biology, History, Physics, and Chemistry are taught in English, including a three-week stay in Ireland. Targets Langgymnasium students seeking bilingual university preparation.
• Immersion Deutsch/Französisch (Bilingual Maturität German/French) Bilingual maturity program with Geography and History taught in French, combined with a semester stay at a French-speaking gymnasium. Targets Langgymnasium students seeking French-language bilingual preparation.
• BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) program with Microsoft 365 and Teams School-wide digitalization program in which all students use a personal laptop integrated into teaching and learning, with Microsoft 365 and Teams provided by the school, governed by a Digital Code of Conduct. Targets all enrolled students across Langgymnasium, Kurzgymnasium, and Fachmittelschule.
• MINT-Förderung (STEM Promotion) Interdisciplinary science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (MINT) program offering free courses in Java programming and robotics, and collaborations with ETH Zürich and Universität Zürich for excursions and project weeks. Targets students seeking enhanced STEM preparation.
• Maturitätsprofile (Maturity Profiles specialization tracks) Eleven specialization tracks including Ancient Languages (Greek, Latin), Modern Languages (Italian, Russian, Spanish, English), Mathematics-Natural Sciences (Biology/Chemistry, Physics/Math Applications), Arts (Visual Arts, Music), Philosophy/Pedagogy/Psychology, and Economics/Law. Targets Langgymnasium and Kurzgymnasium students selecting their Maturität focus.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• ETH Zürich (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for MINT (STEM) promotion. Students participate in excursions and project weeks at ETH Zurich. School utilizes ETH offers and facilities for interdisciplinary learning and talent development in mathematics, informatics, natural sciences and technology.
• Universität Zürich (University of Zurich)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration for MINT promotion and educational programs. University offers are utilized for out-of-school learning locations and project weeks. Supports students in exploring scientific disciplines.
• Young Enterprise Switzerland (YES)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerAnnual program where 5th-year students (Schuljahr) found and run a real company for one business year. Students train practical interdisciplinary skills like organization, project management, creative implementation, assertiveness and public appearances. Compete with over 200 mini-companies. In 2010, the company Pnööö of Kantonsschule Zürich Nord became European winner.
• ZHAW (Zürcher Hochschule für Angewandte Wissenschaften)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFachmittelschule profiles prepare students for studies at ZHAW. Profile Gesundheit und Naturwissenschaften prepares for health studies at ZHAW Wädenswil/Winterthur. Profile Kommunikation und Information prepares for communication studies at ZHAW Winterthur.
• Pädagogische Hochschule Zürich (PH ZH)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFachmittelschule Profile Pädagogik prepares students for teaching careers at Pädagogische Hochschule Zürich. Practice placements (Praxiseinsatz) organized in collaboration with Volksschulamt.
• Jugend+Sport (J+S) and Sportamt des Kantons ZürichcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVoluntary school sports courses supported and promoted by J+S and Sportamt des Kantons Zürich. Sports courses taught by certified J+S instructors. School participates in Zurich Mittelschulsporttag (ZMS) annually.
• Catholic and Reformed Church of Zurich (Landeskirche)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFoyer Zürich Nord is a joint project between Kantonsschule Zürich Nord and the Catholic and Reformed Landeskirche. Creates non-denominational offerings for all school community members for encounter and exchange.
• Paul Scherrer Institut (PSI)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPhysics students visit PSI for excursions to learn about scientific research and modern physics applications.
• Various Cultural InstitutionsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnerships with Opernhaus Zürich, Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK), instrument makers, and other cultural institutions for music and theater education. Students visit for guided tours and cultural enrichment.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Market position

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/sovkzn
• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Cantonal School Zurich North