Secondary I is the second stage of compulsory education. Pupils are given a basic general education. There are several different types of Secondary I schools. Some provide a more practical education, preparing children for apprenticeships; others aim to broaden pupils' general culture, to enable them to continue with their studies at the next level. The structure of education at this level – and the names given to the different types of school - varies considerably from canton to canton.

State-run schools enjoy a good reputation. In the international PISA student assessment tests of 2000 and 2003 they obtained better results than did private schools.

Since the overwhelming majority of children - 95 % - attend a local, publicly-funded school, these schools play an important integrating role, bringing together children of different social, linguistic and cultural backgrounds.

As a country with four national languages, Switzerland attaches great importance to multilingualism. During their compulsory schooling Swiss children study not only their own mother tongue, but one of the other national languages and English.