One of the topics I get the most questions about is school in France. How did we choose a school for Oliver? How did he adjust to speaking the language? What are the costs like? I remember asking all of these questions myself not so long ago. And while I’m not an expert, I’ve learned a lot about the education system here, and we’ve been happy with our experience so far.
Education is one of the biggest factors that drew us to France. The country is known for its strong education system, and even private schools are often shockingly affordable compared to the U.S. Here I’ll answer some of the most frequently asked questions about our school experience as American expats in France.
How did you choose a school in France?
One of the things that attracted us to Bordeaux was its wide variety of schools, something you may not find in smaller French towns. There are two international schools, a bilingual school, private Catholic schools of all sizes, and public schools.
We initially considered the two international schools, hoping for a softer landing for our family — none of us spoke French very well when we moved to France. Although tuition for these schools isn’t cheap — about $10k/year — it’s still less than some of the private schools in our hometown of Richmond (up to $35k/year). We interviewed with the more “elite” of the two and loved it, but they didn’t have a spot open in Oliver’s grade level and put him on the waitlist. The other school was fairly new, so we decided to look at other options.
Luckily, we also had a friend in Bordeaux who filled us in about the private Catholic schools in town, which his daughters attend. We are not Catholic, but he assured us that many students are not, and religion is a small, optional part of the curriculum. Many of these schools are ranked highly, with truly impressive facilities, so we were amazed to learn that the tuition at his daughter’s ecole elementaire was around $1200 per year. He described a cozy, village-like atmosphere at the school, so we decided to take a tour when we were visiting France last summer. We loved the small size of the school and the fact that they offered tutoring for French as a second language. The directrice, eager to add an American to her growing international roster, accepted us on the spot. She noted that Oliver would be moved up a grade level due to his age. We would figure out if he needed to move classes after he could be assessed by his teachers.
Why not public school? Several things held me back. One, the challenge of navigating the enrollment process with my limited knowledge of French. I’ve heard it can be quite confusing and difficult. Secondly, French public school teachers have a reputation for being quite harsh, and they’re less likely to have the time or resources to give any special attention to a student who needs extra help. I do know some transplants who have had good experiences with French public schools, but we decided to take a slightly easier route with private.
How did Oliver adjust to French school?
Besides a few tutoring sessions before our move, Oliver spoke very little French before he started school. I was extremely anxious about this, but I had received assurances from many transplants that he would adapt easily, and that this would be the best way for him to learn the language quickly. I was comforted by knowing that there would be three bilingual children in his class, one of whom had already become a good friend (our friend’s daughter).
Although there were days that he complained about going to school (just as he did in the U.S.), for the most part, he has truly enjoyed his school experience. He was immediately embraced by his classmates as the token American kid. His tutors worked one-on-one with him every day to improve his French, and they did an amazing job of making the language-learning fun. He admitted to being confused often in the first few months, but his instructors were patient, and soon he reported that he was understanding most of what was being said in class. At his end-of-year parent-teacher conference (in French, of course), we were thrilled to learn that he was excelling in the majority of his subjects.
What was the French school experience like for us as parents?
Putting Oliver in a French school has not been without its challenges. Although the directrice of the school speaks a bit of English, most of his teachers speak very little. This can make it difficult to talk to them about Oliver’s progress or class assignments. Email has turned out to be the best way to communicate with them, so we can use Google Translate. It’s also difficult to connect with other parents, most of whom don’t speak English. I had enjoyed volunteering and being involved in Oliver’s school in the States, but I’ve been too intimidated by the language barrier to do that in France. Todd is more outgoing, and has volunteered for a couple of field trips and often has coffee with a group of parents after drop-off.
What do we like about French school?
There are so many things that we love about Oliver’s school! We all love that he gets Wednesdays off and three or four recesses a day, plus multiple long breaks throughout the year. His lunch break is an hour and a half long and the food is excellent — including piles of baguettes from the boulangerie across the square. They often have outings to nearby parks and gymnasiums for activities. And yet despite the play-filled schedule, the students get an impressive amount of work done! The kids in his class are overall sweet and kind, and the teachers patient and supportive. I know he feels safe and secure at school, and that means the world to me. He didn’t always feel that way in the U.S.
What do we not like about French school?
We have been extremely happy with our experience at Oliver’s school, and we have no big complaints. The language barrier is a challenge but will fade as our French improves. My only concern is that I have heard that French school gets a lot more intense in the later years, with longer days, stricter teaching methods, and hours of homework. If we were to stay in France long-term, this might become a bigger problem down the road. Homeschooling, it’s worth noting, is strongly discouraged in France.
I do sometimes wonder how our overall experience would have differed if we had started out in international school. We’ve met families who went that route and it seems like they were able to settle into life here more quickly and easily thanks to the tight-knit international school community. Although their kids have picked up French more slowly, they all seem quite happy with the international schools. That said, our goal was to experience an authentic French life, and putting Oliver in a French school was a big part of that.
On returning to American schools after France
Ultimately, we have decided to return to the U.S. at the end of the year, for a number of reasons that I’ll address in another post. I have seriously mixed feelings about returning to American schools after this experience, and I know we all will miss Oli’s school here in France. It’s been one of the best parts of our life here.
Back in the U.S., we will have limited school options. As noted above, private schools can be prohibitively expensive, and most of them in Richmond have a strong religious focus. Our city public schools have numerous problems (lack of funding, overwhelmed teachers, aging facilities), and they’ve just implemented a clear backpack policy as a safety measure. It’s incredibly disheartening to have to explain this to my kid.
Still, I am choosing to be hopeful. Our neighborhood school in Richmond is months away from finishing an extensive renovation following a devastating fire, and we’re looking forward to Oliver attending school at a brand-new, state-of-the-art facility just a few blocks from our house. The school has a very tightly knit community at its heart, and I can’t wait to get involved again and do my part to help the school be the best that it can be. We're so happy that Oliver got to have a truly authentic French school experience, and it's something that I know none of us will ever forget.