International schools in France

Search for the best international schools in France; you can find a list of selected schools at the bottom of this page. Use the search filters to select only girls' or boys' schools, prep schools, senior schools or sixth forms; or you can search for schools that offer a particular curriculum, such as the International Baccalaureate, the UK national curriculum, a US-style model or the International Primary Curriculum.

A renowned centre of European art, literature and philosophy, France has a highly effective public education system that dates back to Napoleonic times. Today, the national school system is complemented by an innovative and diverse international school sector. 

There are English-medium international schools in Lyon, Nice, Toulouse, Grenoble and Paris, with the capital offering a large and varied menu of international options, including Iraqi, Japanese, Russian, Polish, German, Spanish, Italian and Swedish schools. Bilingual schooling in French and English is also widely available, especially at primary level. 

France has 21 IB World Schools, with 19 of these authorised to offer the International Baccalaureate Diploma, and three also teaching the Middle Years Programme and Primary Years Programme. All teach in English and 14 provide bilingual instruction in French and English.

The private sector also includes Catholic schools, such as the American-curriculum Marymount International School, Paris, and boarding schools, such as the British-curriculum Mougins School and the International Bilingual School of Provence, which offers IB, French, British and American programmes. 

Bilingual education in English and French is offered by École Jeannine Manuel’s campuses in Paris and Lille. The through-train, coeducational schools, which are associated with UNESCO, offer the IB Diploma alongside the option internationale du baccalauréat (OIB), a demanding programme that involves study of the humanities in a foreign language on top of the French curriculum. The Lille school takes boarders.

Education is compulsory for 11 years from age six to 16 and free at French-medium state schools. After five years at école primaire, children attend collège for four years, followed by three years of lycée. A broad-based curriculum is followed throughout, culminating in the French baccalauréat, a matriculation exam that combines breadth and specialisation. 

The option internationale du baccalauréat (OIB) is offered to academically able, bilingual students by some state schools. Such schools typically offer language support and foreign student fees are very low. France has more than 65 public universities. 

If you are looking specifically for International Baccalaureate World Schools in France, you can find selected schools on our sister website: www.ibyb.org.