Mission and vision
Our Vision
The Hochalpines Institut Ftan provides inspirational learning opportunities and student experiences beyond the ordinary. Through our interconnected and progressive curriculum, we equip our students with the wisdom, spirit, knowledge, and skills required to become healthy, responsible, and enabled global citizens, impassioned to make a positive contribution to society and the planet.
Experience HIF
Our Mission
Hochalpines Institut Ftan (HIF) offers more than education – young people aged 12-18 embark on a purpose-driven and academically rigorous transformational journey.
Through excellent academic instruction, unbeatable outdoor experiences and top-quality sports provision, our students grow into capable and engaged global citizens, ready to thrive in a rapidly changing world.
Set in the breathtaking Swiss Alps, our environment is both our classroom and our playground, offering students daily access to nature, adventure, and self-discovery.
Rooted in over 230 years of educational tradition and embedded in the rich culture of the Lower Engadine, HIF blends regional heritage with a global future. Our diverse boarding community brings lifelong friendships, intercultural belonging and a profound sense of belonging.
Our international community connects students to a global ecosystem of schools and learning opportunities. Partnerships with organisations like CERN, WWF and the Villars Institute expand learning into real-world contexts and networks.
Academic pathways at HIF are flexible and personalised. Whether pursuing the Swiss Matura or the International Advanced Diploma with A Levels, students benefit from small classes, individual support, and room to grow. Our teaching fosters independence, critical thinking, and a strong sense of agency in every learner.
Beyond academic excellence, we equip students with the skills to succeed in life: systems thinking, financial literacy, environmental leadership and more – all gained through experiential learning and real credentials.
At HIF, wellbeing is woven into daily life. Strong student-teacher relationships, time in nature, and a safe, stable Swiss environment enable students to develop self-awareness, confidence and emotional strength.
Through our elite Sports Academy, students train with expert coaches in disciplines such as skiing, snowboarding, sailing, and more. Whether aspiring to Olympic-level competition or simply passionate about sport, they learn resilience, discipline, and the joy of performance.
At HIF, students gain more than a qualification. They graduate with the mindset, skills, and global fluency to shape their future and contribute meaningfully to the world beyond.
School history timeline
School founded as Institute à Porta by teacher and pastor Andrea Rosius à Porta.
Porta’s sons take over the running of the school, which now has over 550 students
Hochalpines Töchterinstitut Fetan girl’s school, opened on the current HIF site
The school welcomes boys as day students
The school is renamed Hochalpines Institut Ftan and becomes co-educational for both day students and boarders
The Sports Academy is inaugurated, one of the first dedicated winter sports academies in Switzerland
HIF becomes part of Dulwich College International and the EiM family of schools