On 4 September 2011, Vaud voters chose between two visions of schooling. They accepted, with about 52% in favour, the new Compulsory Education Act (LEO), the Grand Council's counter-proposal, and rejected the popular initiative « School 2010: Save the School » (about 41% in favour). Turnout was around 40%.
The LEO implements the HarmoS concordat in the canton: compulsory schooling from age 4, an eleven-year curriculum, and above all a lower-secondary level reorganised into two tracks — pre-gymnasium (VP) and general (VG) — with ability sets in French, mathematics and German. The « School 2010 » initiative, by contrast, wanted three clearly separated tracks, grades from the first year, and so-called « explicit » teaching.
More than ten years after the LEO took effect (August 2013), this briefing tests both camps' promises and fears against the effects observed on Vaud schooling.
Overall result LEO (counter-proposal) accepted: ~52% Yes. « School 2010 » initiative rejected (~41% Yes). In case of a double yes, the tie-break question favoured the LEO. Turnout ~40%. | Vote map Support for the LEO stronger in urban centres; the initiative held up better in some regions. A district-by-district breakdown is not reproduced here. |
Actors and figures
▲ Yes camp • Vaud Council of State (sponsor of the LEO counter-proposal) • Anne-Catherine Lyon (head of the education department (Socialist), face of the reform) • Socialists, Greens, The Centre/Christian Democrats (support for the LEO) • PLR Vaud (Liberal-Radicals) (for the LEO and against the initiative) | ▼ No camp • « School 2010 » committee (initiators, in favour of three tracks and explicit teaching) • SVP/UDC Vaud (opposed to the LEO counter-proposal) • Liberal Party, Centre patronal, Ligue vaudoise, EDU (backers of the initiative) |
Arguments and verdicts
▲ Arguments FOR (Yes camp) Two permeable tracks and ability sets: a less compartmentalised school « The LEO offers more flexible streaming than the old rigid-track system. » — Argument for the LEO, 2011 ✓~ Partly confirmed The two-track system (VP/VG) with ability sets replaced the earlier tracks. The share of pupils in the pre-gymnasium track rose from about 24% (1976) to 46% (2021), and access to the gymnasium grew markedly. But the debate over the fate of the weakest pupils remains open. Source: vd.ch, 2021 dashboard; Le Temps « weak pupils, victims of the Vaud school » Aligning with HarmoS and stabilising the school ✓ Argument confirmed The LEO took effect in August 2013, implementing HarmoS: schooling from age 4 and an eleven-year curriculum for some 87,000 pupils. The framework has remained stable since. Source: vd.ch; 20 minutes (entry into force August 2013) A broadly supported reform ✓ Argument confirmed Apart from the SVP, all governing parties backed the counter-proposal. This broad base allowed implementation without major political challenge. Source: RTS; vd.ch press releases | ▼ Arguments AGAINST (No camp) Three separate tracks and « explicit » teaching are needed « Saving the school means returning to clear tracks and structured teaching. » — « School 2010 » committee ✗ Argument refuted Voters rejected the initiative: neither the three separate tracks nor « explicit teaching » were introduced. It was the LEO's two-track model that prevailed and durably shaped Vaud schooling. Source: RTS « Vaud voters reject the School 2010 initiative » The LEO will level down and penalise good pupils ✗~ Partly refuted The fear of levelling down is not clearly borne out: access to the gymnasium rose markedly over the period and the pre-gymnasium share increased. The pedagogical debate over support for weaker pupils nonetheless remains lively. Source: 24 heures « in ten years, has the LEO transformed pupils? » |
Factual assessment
2 Confirmed | 1 Partly confirmed | 1 Partly refuted | 1 Refuted |
| ✓ | The LEO took effect and held Applied from the August 2013 school year to some 87,000 pupils, the law introduced schooling from age 4 and an eleven-year curriculum, unchallenged since. |
| ~ | Two tracks (VP/VG) instead of three The two-track model with ability sets replaced the old system. The pre-gymnasium share rose from about 24% (1976) to 46% (2021). |
| ~ | The fate of weaker pupils remains debated Ten years on, the pedagogical record is mixed: several analyses point to the difficulties faced by the most fragile pupils in the new system. |
| ✓ | A sharp rise in access to the gymnasium The number of gymnasium pupils rose sharply over the period, to the point that the canton must adapt its post-compulsory education infrastructure. |
More than ten years on, the LEO has won on the ground: it structures Vaud schooling without having been seriously challenged. Its promise of a less compartmentalised school is partly kept — access to the gymnasium has risen markedly and the pre-gymnasium track now takes in nearly half of all pupils — but the fate of the weakest pupils remains the subject of an unresolved pedagogical debate.
The « School 2010 » initiative's vision — three separate tracks and explicit teaching — was set aside at the ballot box and never implemented. Its fear of « levelling down » is not confirmed by access figures to demanding tracks, even if the question of class heterogeneity keeps fuelling controversy. At bottom, the canton opted for reforming continuity rather than a return to a selective model.