Aiglon is an international school based on a British style of education. Here, education is based on the balanced development of mind, body, and spirit, following the vision of our founder, John Corlette, who believed in nurturing balanced personal growth. We want to realise each student’s full potential and many of our students go on to attend world-class universities.
Our founder and history. John Corlette founded our school with just six students in 1949. Born in London in 1911, he moved to Switzerland at 16 after a bout of ill health, attending Alpine College in Arveyes, just outside Villars, before following in his father’s footsteps and training as an architect.
Having discovered a flair for teaching, Mr Corlette read history at Exeter College, Oxford. He worked at Gordonstoun School, Scotland, and drew inspiration from its iconic founder, the German educator Kurt Hahn. Mr Corlette believed true education transcended academic study alone and had to address the development of the whole person. His approach developed the mind, body and spirit through practices such as regular moments of quiet reflection – “meditations” – and outdoor expeditions, which remain central to daily life at Aiglon.
Our founder died in 1977. His legacy lives on both in the school he created and its worldwide network of alumni. From modest beginnings, Aiglon College has evolved over the last seven decades into a truly international community, remaining loyal to Mr Corlette’s educational vision to this day.
Welcome to one of the world's most distinctive boarding schools. Our natural setting of outstanding beauty, our diverse and dynamic student body, our highly experienced and motivated staff team, our rigorous and broad curriculum, and our global reputation for setting challenge at the core of all learning – these lie at the heart of Aiglon College. Through the balanced development of mind, body and spirit, we foster an appetite for a responsible life, well-led, in the quest for self-fulfilment and the service of others.
At Aiglon, we believe in inquiry-based learning. Students are challenged to go beyond the accumulation of factual knowledge and to address the greater questions that frame our world. We celebrate creativity and originality as vital qualities that equip individuals to reach new horizons of knowledge, appreciation and understanding.
Aiglon's remarkable national and cultural diversity is an inspiring example of how, on a small scale, we are able to build a harmonious and fulfilled community.
Our alpine location provides exceptional opportunities for personal development outside the classroom. Our unique expedition programme develops self-reliance, team and leadership skills, determination, and a love of the natural environment.
Students who leave Aiglon are typically confident, gregarious, dynamic, entrepreneurial, and empathetic. They try new things; they ask probing questions; they dare. If you have an appetite for challenge and an ambition to make a positive impact on our world, Aiglon could well be the school for you. |