Photo © Eastwood Montreux

A shorter academic day makes room for learning through real-world experience: private equity simulations, AI and LLM projects, wealth transfer planning, climate initiatives and space exploration. All of it is guided by international leaders, including a former vice-president of the World Bank and the founder and CEO of Augustinus Bader.

MONTREUX, Switzerland, September 10, 2026. Eastwood Montreux, the world’s first hybrid boarding and day school on the shores of Lake Geneva, has welcomed its first intake. It is the first Eastwood Schools campus in Europe.

Housed in Château d’Arvel, now Eastwood Castle, the school is built on the academic model developed by Eastwood Global, the group’s online school and one of only seven schools worldwide selected by the International Baccalaureate to offer the full IB Diploma Programme online.

Founded in 1973 by Amine Khoury, Eastwood Schools Group is now led by Dr Michel A. Khoury, CEO. The group now supports more than 2,900 students across 38 countries.

Boarding schools have long been built around one idea: that the classroom is the centre of a student’s education. We challenged that from the outset. We spent years building and testing a rigorous online academic model across the IB Diploma Programme, A Levels, IGCSEs and the American programme (Middle and High School). That gave us the freedom to ask, here in Montreux: if knowledge can be delivered in a shorter, more concentrated school day, what should we do with the time that is freed up? Our answer is the IMPACT Programme. Students retain academic rigour, but they also gain the time, access to people and environment to create, build, experiment and lead. That is what makes Eastwood Montreux truly hybrid, and what we believe a boarding school for this generation should be.

Dr Michel A. Khoury, CEO of Eastwood Schools

A SHORTER ACADEMIC DAY. MORE SPACE FOR WHAT MATTERS

At Eastwood Montreux, “hybrid” does not refer only to how knowledge is delivered. It is a different way of designing the school day. A shorter, more concentrated academic timetable creates room for application,
exploration and hands-on experience beyond traditional lessons. That time is deliberately built into the school model, rather than added after class or treated as extracurricular.

That is where the IMPACT Programme comes in, structured around six pillars:

→ Imagination
→ Movement
→ Planet
→ Action
→ Character
→ Technologies

Students work across a wide range of fields: case studies in private equity and entrepreneurship, personal finance and wealth transfer planning, LLM and SLM applications, prompt engineering, robotics, sustainability, conservation and space exploration. They also take part in mentoring programmes, leadership challenges and boardroom codes of practice.

The emphasis is on application. Students are expected to design, test, present and defend their work, guided by teachers, coaches and practitioners active in the fields they explore.

In addition to their diploma, graduates leave Eastwood Montreux with a portfolio of achievements built throughout their schooling, and a multi-year Legacy project.

53 LEADERS FOR 53 YEARS

The IMPACT Programme is supported by the 53 Leaders, a network created to mark Eastwood’s 53 years.

The network brings together leading experts: entrepreneurs, scientists, academics, artists and executives. Their role goes beyond the conventional guest-speaker model. They support students across the IMPACT pillars and bring their experience and perspective directly into the work students are undertaking.

Active members of the programme include: Charles Rosier, founder of Augustinus Bader; Professor Ian Goldin, Professor of Globalisation and Development at the University of Oxford and former vice-president of the World Bank; Dr Patrick Meyer, National Geographic explorer; classical guitarist Miloš Karadaglić; BBC journalist Anca Badea; and Eli Khoury, chairman of Quantum Group and M+C Saatchi Middle East.

THE FIRST COHORT TAKES SHAPE

For the families of Eastwood Montreux’s first students, the opening days have already offered a glimpse of how the model works in practice.

“For the first time in a long time, I can leave without looking back or worrying, because I know Efe is in good hands. And that feeling is priceless to me.” Asli T., parent at Eastwood Montreux.

“The children have just come back. They are delighted. They say the whole group is amazing. The fact that they’ve already formed a team is incredible, in my view. They are very excited about the IMPACT project.” Roxana B., parent.

“My daughter felt so welcomed. She felt respected and empowered. She loved the atmosphere. She is happy to go back, and that is a huge step.” Agnès C., parent at Eastwood Montreux.

AN OFFICIAL JUVENTUS ACADEMY RESIDENCE

The same principle — linking learning to powerful experiences beyond the classroom — also extends to sport.

Eastwood Montreux has partnered with Juventus Academy to launch a residence led by coaches appointed directly by Juventus FC and following the methodology used across the Juventus global network.

The residence is open to girls and boys aged 14 to 19.

EASTWOOD CASTLE

Eastwood Montreux occupies Château d’Arvel, now Eastwood Castle: more than 3,000 square metres of renovated space, set by the lake at the foot of the Alps.

The bedrooms and learning spaces overlook Lake Geneva, alongside dedicated IMPACT studios, sports facilities and a full boarding residence.

“What struck me when I walked through the castle for the first time was not the lake view, although that certainly helps. It was realising how well the building suited what we wanted to do: proper rooms for real work, not just classrooms.” Christoph Ott, Director of Eastwood Montreux.

A 53-YEAR LEGACY

Eastwood’s story began in Beirut in 1973, when Amine Khoury founded the group’s first school, guided by academic rigour and care for each student.

Over the decades, Eastwood has expanded across Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Today, the group supports more than 2,900 students in 38 countries.

With Eastwood Montreux, those 53 years of history arrive in Europe for the first time, in one of the world’s most established boarding-school markets.

Its arrival brings a different proposition: a school that does not assume every part of a student’s education must take place in a conventional classroom. Knowledge, technology, place, mentoring and real-world experience each have a distinct role in the school day.

ABOUT EASTWOOD SCHOOLS GROUP
Founded in Beirut in 1973 by Amine Khoury, Eastwood Schools Group is an international education group supporting more than 2,900 students, both in person and online.

Across the group, Eastwood posts an average IB score of 36.9 out of 45, with a top individual score of 42 and a 100% pass rate, versus a global average of 30.88.

36.9/45	42	100%	30.88
Average IB score (group)	Top individual score	Pass rate	Global average

The group is accredited by the International Baccalaureate, Cognia, Cambridge International and the American High School Program.

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