Since the health crisis, many expatriates have decided to return to France with their children to be closer to their family and friends. This raises the question of schooling and of choosing a school in your new town of residence. This is a starting point for looking for accommodation to rent or buy with the help of a mortgage broker for expatriates which will help you anticipate your financing requirements for your return to France.
State schools with an international section or international private schools offer real advantages for children used to living in a multicultural environment. If you are preparing to return to France, here is our ranking of the best international schools in France.
Top 5 international schools in Paris and Ile-de-France
EIB (Ecole Internationale Bilingue) Paris
Created in 1954, this group of bilingual private schools for children aged 3 to 18 has nearly 3,000 students from more than 70 nationalities. The schools are in several locations: Monceau and Etoile in the 8th district of Paris (middle school and high school respectively), Grenelle (7th district), Lamartine (16th district), La Jonchère (west of Paris, a door-to-door school bus service is available from Paris, Hauts-de-Seine and Yvelines).
EIB specialises in early English teaching with fully bilingual French-English programmes and the possibility of learning Mandarin or Spanish. Lessons follow the French National Education curriculum.
The school is a member of the Globaleducate excellence programme and has a 100% pass rate for the French baccalaureate, including 96% with honours.
Tuition fees are around €11,000.
ICS Paris is also part of the network (its former name was EIB – The Victor Hugo School).
Established in the 15th district, it has students from 60 different nationalities, most of whom are from France, India, Japan, South Korea, Great Britain, Italy, Pakistan, Brazil, the USA and Nigeria.
British School of Paris (BSP)
Focused on teaching children aged 3 to 18, BSP offers education based on the National Curriculum for England and Wales. The curriculum focuses on students’ physical and mental well-being.
The school is based in Croissy-sur-Seine in the Yvelines département. Many cultural outings are organised in Paris.
Tuition fees are between €17,753 and €29,635.
American School of Paris (ASP)
Since 1946, the American School of Paris has been providing American-style education in English to its students. French lessons are, however, compulsory.
Americans account for about half of all students and around fifty different nationalities are represented.
The campus has been recently renovated and is located on the edge of Paris, in Saint-Cloud (92).
Tuition fees vary from €19,000 to €35,000.
International School of Paris
The International School of Paris is also one of the best international schools in Paris.
Each of its three campuses are 15 minutes’ walk from the Eiffel Tower. Each school offers the three International Baccalaureate (IB) programmes from nursery to high school. It is the only school in France to offer these three courses.
Eurécole
This international nursery and primary school is located in the 16th district of Paris. The middle school is located on the Avenue des Champs-Elysées.
Places are limited to 300 students to ensure teaching excellence and focus attention on the students. A dedicated programme of lessons is set up for each newcomer to help them assimilate the National Education curriculum.
Pupils can take language tests offered by the British Council, the Goethe Institute and the Cervantes Institute, for example.
Tuition fees are around €9,000.
For a full list of all international schools in Paris and Ile-de-France, please visit https://www.international-schools-database.com/in/paris
Top 5 international schools in the PACA region
Centre International de Valbonne (CIV)
Located in the heart of Sophia-Antipolis, the CIV offers a middle school, a high school and preparatory classes for top universities.
EIPACA
Located in Manosque in the Alpes de Haute-Provence, EIPACA is a state school which mainly teaches the children of ITER staff, with classes in French and another language of their choice (English, German, Italian, Spanish, Chinese or Japanese).
EIB Pegomas
- https://www.eibpegomas.fr/ (Cannes, Grasse, Mouans Sartoux and Mougins)
Institut Fenelon
This school is located in the centre of Grasse and provides lessons in an international universe with a pastoral approach from nursery school to higher education.
ICS Cote d’Azur
Present in Valbonne and Nice, this is a bilingual primary school offering an international programme with lessons in French and English.
https://www.icscotedazur.com/contact-us
The region is also home to the following highly reputable schools:
https://mougins.britishinternationalschool.com/ in Mougins
https://www.abc-school-international.com/ in Nice
https://waldorf-kindergarten.org/ in Beausoleil / Monaco
https://www.ismonaco.org/ in Monaco
Non-exhaustive list of international schools in major cities of France
- Lyon – Cité Scolaire Internationale (CSI)
From primary school to high school, all students share the same campus in the 7th district of Lyon, near Gerland. Lessons are based on the National Education curriculum and a dedicated section is available to prepare for the OIB (International Baccalaureate Option).
- Lyon – Ombrosa
From nursery to high school, Ombrosa is a multilingual private school with four locations, two in Lyon and two in Savoie. Here too, the international baccalaureate option is also possible.
Tuition fees are specified on the website: https://www.ombrosa.com/
- Marseille – Collège and Lycée Marseille
This establishment located in the 8th district of Marseille is a state-run middle and high school offering high quality international sections (Spanish, Italian, Arabic and English).
https://www.clg-marseilleveyre.ac-aix-marseille.fr/spip/
https://www.lyc-marseilleveyre.ac-aix-marseille.fr/spip/
- Bordeaux International School
170 students of more than 25 nationalities follow lessons taught half the time in English and the other half in French, from nursery to high school.
