Schools in Paris: British, bilingual and French state schools for British families

Paris gives British families an unusually good middle road: a British education taught inside French state schools, at a fraction of private school fees.

The short version

• School is compulsory in France from age 3 to 16, earlier than in the UK [1].
• French state schools are free. You register a primary-age child at the mairie of your arrondissement, then at the school [2].
• The British School of Paris in Croissy-sur-Seine teaches the English National Curriculum to GCSE and A level. Tuition runs from EUR 21,305 (about £17,750) for Nursery to EUR 35,087 (about £29,235) for Years 12 and 13 in 2026/27 [3][4].
• The British Section of the Lycée International teaches a British curriculum within French state schools, for EUR 2,027 to EUR 5,746 a year (about £1,690 to £4,790) when parents pay themselves [5]. Students sit the BFI, a French baccalaureate with A-level-standard English and history-geography [6].
• For UK university fees, Brits who were living in the EEA by 31 December 2020 can still get home fee status in England for courses starting before 1 January 2028 [7].

Pound conversions use the Bank of England spot rate of 5 November 2026 (£1 = EUR 1.20).

The three main routes

There are also other international and bilingual private schools across Paris and the western suburbs, several teaching the International Baccalaureate. Fees and entry rules vary a lot, so ask each school for its current fee sheet.

The British School of Paris

The British School of Paris is an international day school for ages 3 to 18, teaching the English National Curriculum [3]. Both campuses are in Croissy-sur-Seine, west of Paris: the Junior School on rue Hans List and the Senior School on quai de l'Écluse [3]. Lots of British families settle in the western suburbs (Croissy, Chatou, Le Vésinet, Saint-Germain-en-Laye) to be near it.

Its 2026/27 fee list, published in March 2026, sets these annual tuition fees [4]:

Tuition includes textbooks, day trips, exam fees and careers support [4]. On top come:

• a non-refundable registration fee of EUR 1,500 (about £1,250) per child
• a one-off development fund contribution of EUR 8,240 (about £6,865) per child
• the school bus, if you use it: EUR 3,819 (about £3,180) a year for a return trip in zone 1
• curriculum trip fees in some years, and some extra charges for learning support [4]

Pupils joining mid-year pay fees pro rata per half term [4]. The school says it has more than 60 fee-assisted places [3]. It's a big commitment if your employer isn't paying.

The British Section and the BFI

The British Section of the Lycée International is the option many long-term British families in Paris swear by. Its administrative base is at the Lycée International in Saint-Germain-en-Laye, but pupils are taught across a network of French state schools, from nursery to the final year of lycée [5]. Children follow the full French curriculum in French and spend extra hours each week on English and other subjects taught by British-trained teachers.

Because the schools themselves are French state schools, you pay only the British Section's own fees for its teaching [5]:

New families also pay a non-refundable registration fee of EUR 1,500 (Maternelle to Troisième) or EUR 1,750 (Seconde to Terminale), plus a EUR 500 advance on fees [5]. There's a means-tested scholarship fund [5]. Places are limited, so start early: the British Section runs information meetings for prospective parents through the year [5].

The BFI. Since 2024, students in British international sections take the Baccalauréat Français International (BFI), British version. It's the full French general baccalaureate plus English Language and Literature and History-Geography, examined in English and certified by OxfordAQA as equivalent to A-level standard [6]. ASIBA, the association of British international sections, says BFI students go on to the most selective UK universities across all subjects [6]. Other French state schools in and around Paris also run British international sections; ASIBA keeps a list.

French state schools

Going fully French is free and gets children fluent fast, especially under ten. In Paris, primary schooling works like this [2]:

1. Register at your mairie d'arrondissement. It tells you your catchment (secteur) school. Registration usually opens in March for September, and should be done by June at the latest.
2. Bring proof of identity for you and your child (passport, birth certificate) and a recent proof of address [2].
3. Take the mairie's certificate to the school, along with proof that your child has had the vaccinations required for their age [2].
4. Changing to a school outside your catchment needs a dérogation from the mairie, and it isn't automatic [2].

For collège (11 to 15) and lycée (15 to 18), places are handled through the education authority, the académie de Paris. Children who arrive without much French can get extra French-language support in many schools. Ask the school or the académie about it when you register.

A few differences from life back home: the school year runs from early September to early July, with two weeks off at All Saints, Christmas, February and Easter. Many Paris primaries have Wednesday afternoons off, with activities run by the city. The French system is also more formal and more exam-focused than most UK primaries, which suits some children better than others.

UK universities from Paris

Applying to UK universities from France is routine; UCAS takes applications from all over the world, and both the BFI and A levels are well known to admissions tutors. The bigger question is fees.

Home fee status in England for UK nationals living in the EEA depends on a Brexit-era transitional rule [7]. You can still qualify if:

• you were living in the EEA or Switzerland on 31 December 2020, and
• you've lived continuously in the EEA, Switzerland, the UK or Gibraltar since then, and
• you've lived in those places for at least the three years before your course starts, and
• your course starts before 1 January 2028 [7].

Children can qualify on the same terms as their parents [7]. Families who moved to France after 2020 generally won't meet this rule and may be charged international fees, although universities sometimes treat a short posting abroad as a temporary absence from the UK. Ask each university for its fee assessment early. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have their own rules [7]. Our guide to UK student loans while living abroad covers repaying them once you're back in France.

Other parents in our community group for Brits in France are a good source of first-hand views on British Section admissions and which suburbs work for which schools.

Sources

1. GOV.UK (FCDO): Living in France – education (last updated 2 October 2026)
2. Service-Public.fr: Inscrire son enfant à l'école primaire (élémentaire) (checked 10 January 2025)
3. The British School of Paris
4. The British School of Paris: Annual fees list 2026/2027 (published March 2026)
5. British Section, Lycée International: Tuition fees (current rates, no academic year stated; checked 11 November 2026)
6. ASIBA: Programmes and examinations, the Baccalauréat Français International
7. GOV.UK (DfE): UK nationals in the EEA and Switzerland – access to higher education

Keep reading

• Bilingual sections in French state schools
• Moving to Paris as a Brit: visa and residence routes
• Cost of living in Paris vs London and the UK average
• UK student loans while living abroad