Cities / Paris / Lab School Paris
Lab School Paris
Evidence-based, project-led independent school in the 11th arrondissement, founded 2017 as a private non-profit by researchers and educators. Mixed-age classes of up to 25 with a co-teaching model, IB Diploma pathway from Premiere and Terminale (first cohort 2025), and a…
In brief
Lab School Paris is a small bilingual school founded in 2017 by psychologist Pascale Haag, designed as a research-linked pilot to test ideas from learning sciences in real classrooms. Around 130 students aged 5 to 18, IB Diploma at the senior end.
The school draws on Montessori, Freinet, Dewey and Steiner alongside contemporary research in psychology and neuroscience, and partners with researchers through the Lab School Network. Bilingual French-English instruction. Fees range roughly EUR 15,600 to EUR 23,500 a year. The school is secular, inclusive, and explicitly built around a research-to-classroom feedback loop, which sets it apart from most independent schools in Paris.
Families drawn to Lab School are typically already on board with the project rather than looking for a conventional academic track. Parents praise the science and music programmes and describe genuine engagement from the team. The cohort is tiny by Paris standards, so the social and extracurricular offer scales accordingly. Best fit for families who want progressive, research-informed pedagogy in a small bilingual setting and are comfortable with a school still building scale.
Fees
| Fee | Age | Type | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Primary - KG to Grade 5 (Band I) | 5 | Annual | €15,600 |
| Middle School - Grades 6-8 (Band I) | 11 | Annual | €17,000 |
| High School - Grades 9-10 (Band I) | 14 | Annual | €18,500 |
| IB Diploma - Grades 11-12 (Band I) | 16 | Annual | €23,500 |
| Application Fee (non-refundable) | One-time | €100 | |
| Enrollment Fee (non-refundable) | One-time | €600 |
Reviews
- Independent review pool is small and skews positive. Facebook shows 84% recommend; one parent on a directory site called it the best school they had seen, with strong science and music programmes and weaker sports.
- The school's neuroinclusive positioning is unusual for Paris. It openly targets 10 to 20% intake with special educational needs, defined in advance with families and where applicable the MDPH.
- Class structure is small and mixed-age: roughly 15 pupils per level grouped into double-level classes of around 30. Reviews frame this as the headline appeal alongside the research-led pedagogy.
- IB Diploma sits alongside the French national curriculum, so families get a French-system anchor with an English-medium IB exit. Independent forum chatter on this dual structure is light.
Head of school
Pascale Haag
Pascale Haag is the President of the Lab School Paris and has been instrumental in establishing the school as a hub for educational innovation and research. She is dedicated to integrating scientific research into teaching practices and fostering a collaborative environment for students and educators alike.