Lyon and the surrounding area are home to a significant number of schools – from nursery (crèche) to upper secondary school (lycée) – that offer an international syllabus. They dispense a wide variety of programmes and qualifications to foreign-national, dual-national and bilingual children.

 

Education tailored to polyglots in each age group

In Greater Lyon, 7,000 pupils are enrolled on international learning programmes. Once able to walk, they can receive education with a European or international focus in schools across the metropolitan area.

  • 8 bilingual crèches;
  • 8 bilingual nursery schools, 1 trilingual and 1 quadrilingual;
  • 10 bilingual primary schools;
  • 5 international lower secondary schools (collège);
  • 48 lower and upper secondary schools (collège, lycée) with a European section;
  • 10 languages taught.
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International schools guide

Our international schools guide lists these establishments and presents their education programmes. It’s a precious aid to help parents choose – depending on their children’s prior pathway, tastes and career intentions.

The foreign qualifications and certificates prepared for in Lyon

French pupils with a good level in the chosen language, or foreign pupils who want to enter the French system even if they are not fluent in French: there is definitely an international syllabus to suit them in the Lyon metropolitan area.

 

  • French baccalaureate with international option (OIB):
    • Arabic, Chinese, English, German, Italian, Japanese, Polish, Polish, Portuguese and Spanish speaking sections
    • Schools: Cité Scolaire Internationale de Lyon, Ombrosa
  • International General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE):
    • Generalist syllabus for pupils aged 14-16, allowing them to prepare the UK’s A and AS Level exams
    • Schools: Cité Scolaire Internationale de Lyon, Ombrosa, International School of Lyon
  • Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) and Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test (PSAT):
    • Tests giving access to US universities
    • Schools: Cité Scolaire Internationale de Lyon, International School of Lyon
  • Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL):
    • Assessment of non-native speakers’ English skills, often required by US and Canadian universities
    • Schools: Cité Scolaire Internationale de Lyon, Assomption Bellevue
  • English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL Cambridge):
    • Language proficiency qualifications recognised by universities, employers and education authorities worldwide
  • Abitur (German school-leaving certificate, equivalent to the French baccalaureate):
    • A passport to higher education in German universities
    • School: Cité Scolaire Internationale de Lyon

Planning to set up in the Lyon area or transfer a business activity here?

Our team will tell you about the international schools in the Lyon area and ease school-enrolment formalities.

Check out our professional-mobility support services for you and your colleagues.