The Inter-Community School Zürich (ICS or ICSZ) is a private, independent, international, co-educational day school and offers a comprehensive educational programme in English for children from ages of 3 to 18. The school is international in character and welcomes students of all nationalities. Since 1971, the Inter-Community School has been located in Zumikon near Zurich, Switzerland. It has been an International Baccalaureate World School since 1993. ICS's Kindergarten and Primary education programmes (Primary School) are approved by the bureau for elementary school (Volksschulamt), administration for education (Bildungsdirektion), canton of Zurich. Also ICS's lower Secondary education programme (Secondary School, Grades 6 to 8, and Grade 9) is approved as Sekundarstufe by the bureau for elementary school (Volksschulamt), administration for education (Bildungsdirektion), canton of Zurich. However ICS's upper Secondary education programme (Secondary School, Grades 10 to 12) is neither approved as a Mittelschule by the bureau for secondary and vocational education (Mittelschul- und Berufsbildungsamt), administration of education (Bildungsdirektion), canton of Zurich, and nor approved by the Swiss Federal State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation SERI. History 1960-1969 The Inter-Community School Zurich was founded on March 18, 1960, at a meeting at the Hotel Carlton Elite between the American, Australian, British and Canadian communities of Zurich. The school enrolled 84 students aged 4–13 during its first semester at the Hotel Rigiblick. There were five staff members employed at the time as well as the founder Gerald Atkinson and his wife. In May 1961, ICS signed a lease with the city of Zurich for the rental of a lakeside villa (which in the 1930s had been renovated for use by Prince Paul of Yugoslavia) In September of that year, ICS began its second year of operation in the new villa with 160 students enrolled. By 1967, there were 200 students enrolled from kindergarten to seventh grade with two classes per grade. Rooms were in short supply, therefore facility was found in Regensdorf. Shortly thereafter, the upper primary classes were moved to Regensdorf, while the lower primary classes remained in the lakeside villa on Seefeldquai. The search for one facility to house the entire school was now underway. The founder of ICS Gerald Atkinson relinquished his ownership of the school in 1968, to facilitate the process of ICS gaining the legal non-profit foundation status. This non-profit foundation status would make it easier to raise funds for the purchasing of a new building. On August