Cities / Paris / Lennen Bilingual School
Lennen Bilingual School
Franco-American bilingual school in the 7th arrondissement, founded in 1960, following both the French national curriculum and American standards in a 50/50 French-English split for children aged 2 to 11 only. 2026-27 fees run from EUR 10,700 (Toddlers mornings) to…
In brief
Lennen is Paris's oldest French-American bilingual school, founded in 1960 in the 7th arrondissement near Les Invalides. Around 200 students aged 2 to 11, with classes capped near 15 and a 50-50 split between French and English.
Head of school Michelle Lennen leads the institution, which has stayed deliberately small. Fees run roughly EUR 10,700 to EUR 20,700 a year, materially below the bigger international names. The bilingual programme runs end to end with native-speaker teachers in each language, and transition support is built into the school's everyday operations given how often Lennen families relocate.
Families value the genuinely small classes, the warmth of the staff, and the speed at which children settle and become comfortable in both languages. Parents who arrived from other systems describe shy children opening up within weeks. Lennen ends at 11, so secondary planning starts early. Best fit for international families with primary-age children who want a small, well-run bilingual primary in central Paris and find the larger international schools impersonal.
Fees
| Fee | Age | Type | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Toddlers Mornings Only (ages 2-3) | 2 | Annual | €10,700 |
| Toddlers All Day (ages 2-3) | 2 | Annual | €17,000 |
| Nursery / Petite Section (ages 3-4) | 3 | Annual | €17,000 |
| Pre-Kindergarten / Moyenne Section (ages 4-5) | 4 | Annual | €17,500 |
| Kindergarten / Grande Section (ages 5-6) | 5 | Annual | €18,500 |
| Grade 1 / CP (ages 6-7) | 6 | Annual | €19,300 |
| Grade 2 / CE1 (ages 7-8) | 7 | Annual | €19,300 |
| Grade 3 / CE2 (ages 8-9) | 8 | Annual | €20,700 |
| Grade 4 / CM1 (ages 9-10) | 9 | Annual | €20,700 |
| Grade 5 / CM2 (ages 10-11) | 10 | Annual | €20,700 |
| Application Fee (non-refundable) | One-time | €500 | |
| Entry Fee - first child only (non-refundable) | One-time | €2,500 |
Reviews
- Parents describe a small, family-feel bilingual school in the 15th, with a 50/50 English-French split and warm, attentive teachers as the recurring positives.
- Critics question value: one parent said they pulled their six-year-old after a year because it was "expensive for what it was," and a second moved a daughter after one year for similar reasons.
- One ex-parent said directly: "I would highly recommend you stay away from Lennen Bilingual School," pointing them to American School of Paris instead.
- Several Mumsnet/expat threads frame Lennen as a fallback for families who didn't get into more selective bilingual options like EAB, EABJI or Lycee International.
- Where families fit the model (younger children, parents who want a softer entry into the French system), reviews skew positive; the criticism clusters around price ceiling and academic stretch into older grades.
Head of school
Michelle Lennen
Michelle Lennen is the Head of School at Lennen Bilingual School, having taken over leadership from her mother, founder Patricia Lennen, in 1990. Raised in a family deeply rooted in both French and American cultures, she naturally carries forward the mission of creating a learning environment where cultural differences are celebrated daily. Under her leadership, the school expanded to include preschool, kindergarten, and elementary levels, maintaining balanced 50/50 immersion in both languages with two native-speaking teachers per class. She is dedicated to a humanistic vision of education where every child is known by name and encouraged to create their own path.