Paris at a Glance

Childcare and Education in Paris

Sorbonne University is renowned around the globe, but Paris also has many international schools!

An estimated 2.2 million people are currently living in Paris, the “most romantic place on Earth”. Want to join them in your new expat life in Paris? The InterNations article on living in Paris provides you with all the info you need on climate, leisure, transportation, and international schools.

Childcare

Although compulsory education starts at the age of 6, most French children attend the école maternelle (kindergarten) from the age of 3. There are several state-sponsored daycare options for younger children, e.g. the crèche collective or the crèche familial, catering for children aged from 3 months to 3 years. The former is a form of kindergarten with up to 30 children being looked after by 8 to 10 professional childcare employees between the hours of 7.30 am to 6.30 pm.

A crèche familial usually refers to an arrangement where 1 to 4 children are minded by a nanny in her home, thus offering more flexible hours. Means-tested financial support is available for all forms of public childcare. For more information on childcare facilities in and around Paris, please consult the website of Allocations Familiales.

Education

French state schools don't charge tuition fees and are open to every child legally residing in France. Typical French schoolchildren start their academic career in école élémentaire, then proceed to the local collège and, in most cases, to a lycée. The first two schools have a catchment area, meaning that they only have to accept pupils living in their “community”. Parents who wish to send their children to a school outside of their community need to contact their local mayor´s office. The mayor’s office also provides information on which communities are served by certain schools.

The staff will issue a certificate of inscription, which subsequently needs to be presented at the school, together with proofs of identity and residence and an up-to-date vaccination certificate. Parents can find their local mairie on the Internet if they know the number of their arrondissement. For example, the website of the arrondissement du Louvre (#1) can be found under www.mairie1.paris.fr.

For detailed information on the French schools system, please consult the website of the Ministère de l’Éducation nationale, de la Jeunesse et de la Vie associative. A list of some Parisian state schools can be found the website of the Mairie de Paris.

International Education

Most international schools in France are centered around Paris and Strasbourg. There are two types of private schools in France, sous contrat and hors contrat. As the name suggests, the former have signed a “contract” with the French government, committing them to the national curriculum and to French civic values such as personal liberty and equality. In return, they receive financial support from the state.

Schools hors contrat have greater liberty in their admissions and teaching policies, and they also charge higher tuition fees due to the lack of state funding. International schools can be either sous or hors contrat, and sometimes even a mixture of both. The most famous international school just outside Paris is the Sections Internationales de Sèvres. A good English website on International schools in and around Paris is the France International Schools Directory.