Leysin American School

Leysin American School (also called LAS), founded in 1961 by Fred and Sigrid Ott., is a co-educational independent boarding school focusing on university preparation for grades 8–12 (as well as optional PG and 13th grades). Roughly 340 students attend the school and English is the language of instruction. It is located in the alpine resort village of Leysin, Vaud, Switzerland, two hours east of Geneva. The international school is home to students from sixty countries. Approximately 12% of students are American. Students pursue either the American high school diploma  or the International Baccalaureate, with additional options of individual IB classes to suit particular interests. LAS also offers an extensive summer school, a pre-high school program for grade 8, and an ESL program. In October 2010, the school celebrated its fiftieth anniversary and officially inaugurated the opening of the newly renovated Grand Hotel which was originally built in 1892 and houses IB students. LAS facilities include various classroom layouts (including open-plan classrooms in the IB facility), a media center, libraries, blackbox theater, performance hall, computer lab, a new art center, and access to horseback riding, ice skating, tennis, hockey, and swimming. The faculty to student ratio at LAS is 1:8 and the average class size is 14. LAS employs 72 full-time faculty, of which almost all live on campus; 95 re native English speakers, and 70% hold advanced degrees.