01
Children are not curricula.
We teach people, not content. The curriculum is a tool, not a goal. Each child receives an individual learning plan that grows with them.
Our School
A school built around one question.
What does a gifted child truly need in order to flourish? That question founded us — and shapes every decision we still make today.
01 — Vision
A home for children who think differently.
We believe giftedness is not an accolade but a way of being. It brings extraordinary possibilities — and extraordinary challenges. Both deserve a school that takes them seriously.
SOLA is not a programme bolted on to a mainstream school. No pull-out, no Wednesday afternoon enrichment. We are a complete primary and middle school whose entire concept was built, from the ground up, for gifted and twice-exceptional children.
Our vision is not to produce the “next generation of Nobel laureates”. Our vision is that every child leaves our school with an intact sense of self, a clear curiosity and a sense of what they might contribute to the world.
02 — Our story
How SOLA came to be.
SOLA was founded in 2026 by a group of parents, educators and psychologists — people who had spent years watching what happens to gifted children in Swiss mainstream schooling. And what does not happen.
The founding idea was simple: if there is no school in German-speaking Switzerland built exclusively for these children, we will build one. As a non-profit foundation. With scholarships. Without elitism. But with everything modern giftedness research demands.
The location was chosen with care: Pfäffikon SZ sits at the intersection of Zurich, Zug and Central Switzerland — fiscally and geographically close to the families we aim to serve. Our campus is being built on Sonnenhofstrasse, surrounded by greenery, with 4,500 m² of outdoor space.
«We did not want a school for our children. We wanted a school our children should not have needed — but one that exists anyway.»
03 — Principles
Five convictions that carry us.
Our guiding principles are brief. We have tested every line against real decisions — not at a whiteboard.
02
Curiosity before grades.
We assess progress, not position. Our feedback is long-form and qualitative. Grades only appear in middle school — and even then with context.
03
Silence is a subject.
We protect the ability to go deep. Screen time, interruptions and noise are kept minimal. Deep thinking needs protected space.
04
Difficulty is welcome.
We calibrate challenge so it becomes productive. Frustration is part of it. Adults who constantly shield children from effort hold them back.
05
The world is the library.
We teach outdoors, with real experts, in real places. You learn about a lake at the lake, not in a textbook.
04 — Place & Spaces
A house that teaches.
Spaces shape behaviour. Ours are chosen with intent, not inherited by accident.
01
Small learning islands
Instead of classic classrooms we work in learning islands of 6–8 children, designed like reading rooms.
02
A makerspace, not a computer room
Workbenches, 3D printers, soldering, sewing, wood — with supervision, without infantilisation.
03
A library at the heart
Over 4,000 curated books. At eye level, not behind glass. Including demanding literature for young readers.
04
Quiet rooms
Two dedicated retreat rooms for children who are overstimulated — particularly important for 2E children.
05
4,500 m² outdoor space
Garden, workshop courtyard, forest within 8 minutes. We are outside daily, in any weather.
06
No uniforms
But a clear culture: punctuality, consideration, clean language. External drill never replaces inner posture.
Come and visit.
You do not explain a school; you experience it. We warmly invite you to a visiting day or a personal conversation.