What Stiftsschule Engelberg does

Stiftsschule Engelberg is a small Benedictine boarding school (Internat) operated by Kloster Engelberg (Engelberg Monastery) in Engelberg, Obwalden, Switzerland. Founded as part of a monastic educational tradition dating to approximately 900 AD (with the firmographic record attributing a 1120 founding to the school), the institution has historically transitioned from a monks-only teaching model to one in which the approximately 20 current teaching staff are predominantly lay teachers, with only 7 of 20 being female. The school serves secondary-school-aged students through three academic tracks: Gymnasium (Kurzzeit- and Langzeitgymnasium), International Baccalaureate (IB), and Sekundarschule delivered via the integrated orientation school (IOS) of Gemeindeschule Engelberg. From the second upper-gymnasium year onward, some subjects are taught in English, and the curriculum is structured to satisfy both the bilingual Swiss Matura and the IB Diploma requirements simultaneously, giving graduates access to domestic and international universities.

The core service bundle — instruction, supervision (Betreuung), accommodation (Unterkunft), and meals (Verpflegung) — is priced at a flat 48,500 CHF per student per year, with add-on revenue from music lessons, exam fees, teaching materials, excursions, and optional weekend boarding stays. Cantonal subsidies from Obwalden (OW) and Nidwalden (NW) are available for recognized gymnasium students, and a small ecosystem of foundations (Gertrud von Speyr-Stiftung, Benedictus-Stiftung des Klosters Engelberg, Verein der Freunde und ehemaliger des Instituts La Salle Neuchâtel) provides relief and merit scholarships, including a 3,000 CHF performance scholarship and up to 8,000 CHF annual alumni-association scholarships. The go-to-market is sales-led and relationship-driven: there is no entrance examination (Gymiprüfung); admission rests on prior grades (Vornoten) and a personal interview, supplemented by campus tours, information events, a quarterly newsletter, and a WordPress-based website maintained by Digital Friends AG (Luzern). Class sizes are deliberately small (12 students in the lower gymnasium up to ~23 in the upper gymnasium), reinforcing a personal pedagogy rooted in Benedictine values of consensus, conflict resolution, and lifelong learning. Revenue concentration is driven by individual student tuition rather than enterprise contracts; total enrolled student count is not disclosed.

Name

Stiftsschule Engelberg

Legal name

Stiftsschule Engelberg (operated by Kloster Engelberg)

Website

https://stiftsschule-engelberg.ch

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Stiftsschule Engelberg is a Benedictine boarding school in Engelberg, Switzerland, operated by Kloster Engelberg, offering Gymnasium, IB, and Sekundarschule programs with integrated weekday boarding for small cohorts (12-23 students per class) at 48,500 CHF per year.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Private Boarding Secondary Education

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111), Educational Services (611)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

International/Global Curriculum Schools (IB, Cambridge, etc.) (EDAJABAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Classical Education K–12 Schools (EDAJABAF), Under-18 / High School-to-University Foundation Pathways (EDAIAJAI)

Keywords

• Boarding school education
• Secondary school programs
• International baccalaureate diploma
• Swiss gymnasium education
• Benedictine school

Headquarters

HQ city

Engelberg

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Tuition and Boarding Fees: Annual tuition and boarding fees of 48,500 CHF cover instruction, supervision, accommodation, and meals. Additional costs apply for music lessons, exam fees, teaching materials, and excursions. Weekend stays incur supplementary charges either as annual lump sum or per-weekend basis. Cantonal subsidies available for eligible students from OW and NW cantons.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Stiftsschule Engelberg is a small Benedictine boarding school that delivers university-preparatory secondary education through Gymnasium (short-term and long-term), Sekundarschule (IOS), and International Baccalaureate tracks, combined with weekday boarding accommodation, supervision, and meals. The combined Swiss bilingual Matura and IB Diploma curriculum, taught predominantly in German with some English instruction, prepares students for Swiss and international universities.

Product overview

Stiftsschule Engelberg is a Benedictine-founded boarding school offering a unified educational program comprising three main academic tracks: Gymnasium (short-term and long-term), International Baccalaureate (IB), and Sekundarschule (IOS). The school provides boarding accommodations for students during the week with optional weekend stays. The institution is small and personal, with no entrance examination required—admission is based on prior grades and an admission interview. The curriculum satisfies both Swiss Matura requirements and IB Diploma standards, with some Gymnasium subjects taught in English. Additional programs include cultural activities, sports, and leisure offerings.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Gymnasium (Short-term and Long-term) Secondary school program offering both short-term (Kurzzeitgymnasium) and long-term (Langzeitgymnasium) tracks, with some subjects taught in English from the second upper-gymnasium year, preparing students for the Swiss bilingual Matura and IB diploma.
• International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma International Baccalaureate diploma programme that, combined with the bilingual Matura, fulfils requirements for both credentials and provides access to universities and higher-education institutions worldwide.
• Sekundarschule (IOS) Secondary school instruction delivered at the integrated orientation school (IOS) of the communal school of Engelberg, targeting transition to apprenticeship or further education, including direct entry into the short-term Gymnasium.
• Internat (Boarding School) Boarding accommodation for students during the week (Sunday evening to Friday afternoon) with optional weekend stays, including supervision, meals, separate wings for boys and girls, and double or single rooms depending on level.
• Kultur, Sport & Freizeit (Culture, Sport & Leisure Programme) Extracurricular activities including cultural events, sports programmes, and leisure activities that complement the academic curriculum and Benedictine community life.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Gemeindeschule Engelberg (IOS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSecondary school instruction (Sekundarschul-Unterricht) is provided at the integrated orientation school (IOS) of the communal school of Engelberg. This partnership enables the transition to vocational training or further education including direct entry to the short-term gymnasium.
• Kloster Engelberg (Engelberg Monastery)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Benedictine monastery (Kloster Engelberg) founded the Stiftsschule. The Abt (Abt Christian Meyer OSB) leads school pastoral care and teaches religion in the lower gymnasium. The school maintains Benedictine traditions and values in its educational mission.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Collège du Léman: Large international day/boarding school near Geneva offering Swiss Matura, IB and US pathway; broader portfolio than Stiftsschule Engelberg but directly comparable on bilingual secondary education and international credential offerings.
• Brillantmont International School: Small private boarding school in Lausanne offering secondary programmes with international options; similar profile to Stiftsschule Engelberg in combining boarding, Matura preparation and IB offerings at a compact scale.
• Lyceum Alpinum Zuoz: Swiss private boarding school in Graubünden offering bilingual Matura and IB programmes with ~300 students across secondary grades; directly comparable to Stiftsschule Engelberg in scope (boarding + Gymnasium + IB), scale, and Swiss-IB dual pathway positioning.
• Institut Montana Zugerberg: Swiss boarding school on Lake Zug offering secondary education with Swiss Matura and IB; comparable as a mid-size, Switzerland-based dual-credential boarding school targeting both Swiss and international students.
• Schola Alba Engadin (Schweizerische Alpine Mittelschule Davos) / similar Swiss alpine boarding schools: Swiss alpine-style boarding secondary school in Davos with similar regional profile to Stiftsschule Engelberg; comparable on Swiss-German mountain-resort boarding-school positioning, though it traditionally focuses on Swiss Matura rather than the Matura+IB dual pathway.

Broad incumbents

• Zurich International School: Large non-profit international day school in the Zurich area offering IB across PYP, MYP and DP; relevant for understanding bilingual/English instruction and IB delivery in Switzerland, though predominantly day rather than boarding.
• Institut auf dem Rosenberg: Premium St. Gallen boarding school offering IGCSE, IB and A-Level tracks to a global student body; comparable as a Switzerland-based premium international boarding school with multi-credential curriculum, though serving an older and more international student mix than Stiftsschule Engelberg.
• TASIS The American School in Switzerland: Long-established American-curriculum boarding school in Lugano with AP and IB programmes; relevant for benchmarking on Switzerland-based international boarding-school demand, IB delivery, and bilingual/English instruction, though anchored in US rather than Swiss pedagogy.
• Aiglon College: International boarding school in Vaud offering IGCSE and IB Diploma with a strong character-education ethos; comparable to Stiftsschule Engelberg on values-driven boarding-school positioning and IB focus, though at larger scale and global brand.
• Le Rosey: Switzerland's most established elite boarding school ('School of Kings') with Swiss and French baccalauréat offerings; comparable as a premium Swiss boarding institution but operating at materially larger scale, broader international brand, and higher price point than Stiftsschule Engelberg.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses3 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/school/stiftsschule-engelberg

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 Stiftsschule Engelberg