A world full of possibilities.
At Terra Nova, we guide your child on a path that fosters language, critical thinking, and personality development. Located in the heart of Küsnacht, and designed to fit your family’s daily life, we create a place where children feel comfortable, discover, and learn with joy.
Two languages, from the very beginning
From Pre-Kindergarten to the end of primary school, German and English naturally belong together here. Taught in a 50:50 model by German and English-speaking teachers, children experience both languages not as subjects, but as a natural part of their daily lives – through play, exploration, storytelling, and learning.
This allows them to grow into both languages with ease. The ability to express themselves effortlessly in German and English will accompany them throughout their lives. Because experience shows that by the end of primary school, children who grow up monolingually at home can express themselves in their second language at native speaker level.
Facts & figures
| Founded: | 1996 |
| School levels: | Pre-Kindergarten, Kindergarten, Primary |
| Curriculum: |
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| Recognition: | recognised private school by the canton of Zurich |
| Students: | 140 – 160 |
| Lehrpersonen: | 19 Klassenlehrpersonen, 8 Fachlehrpersonen |
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Two languages, from the very beginning
From Pre-Kindergarten to the end of primary school, German and English naturally belong together here. Taught in a 50:50 model by German and English-speaking teachers, children experience both languages not as subjects, but as a natural part of their daily lives – through play, exploration, storytelling, and learning.
This allows them to grow into both languages with ease. The ability to express themselves effortlessly in German and English will accompany them throughout their lives. Because experience shows that by the end of primary school, children who grow up monolingually at home can express themselves in their second language at native speaker level.
Future skills: Strengthening head, hand, and heart together
We want our pupils to approach the future with curiosity, confidence, and their own ideas. That’s why at Terra Nova, we deliberately combine two elements:
STEAM – Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics are an integral part of the curriculum from kindergarten level onwards: pupils research, construct, design, and try out new things.
Soft Skills – Teamwork, critical thinking, communication, and problem-solving are fostered just as much as language, mathematics, and natural sciences. We support, encourage, and empower your child on their journey to independence.
For us, these future skills are inextricably linked: children who explore and simultaneously learn to think as part of a team and confidently approach new challenges acquire abilities that are valuable far beyond their school years.
Care that considers your daily life
We understand how varied family life can be. That’s why we’ve designed our morning and afternoon care to adapt to you, rather than the other way around: we charge for after-school care in 15-minute increments, so you only pay for what you actually need. This keeps your family’s daily life flexible – whether an appointment comes up at short notice or your working day finishes later than planned.
Both family-oriented and open-minded
At Terra Nova, we know every child and every family. Community is highly valued here. At the same time, we are part of the Academia Group, a Swiss educational organisation that has grown over 20 years. This affiliation broadens our perspective beyond our own school grounds: exchange with other schools, pooled pedagogical knowledge, and the stability of a larger community – without losing our family-like character. In this way, we combine the best of both worlds: the security of a small, locally rooted school with the open-mindedness and reliability of a large educational group.
«What we have received these last 5 years goes beyond our highest expectations. Terra Nova provides the space and support for our son to flourish in his own way, whilst at the same time giving an education that fosters a higher level of connectivity and supports the richness of human capacity. This is, in our view, the best way to support our son in moving towards a very uncertain future.»
Terra Nova Elternstimme
