Living School, Paris

Living School is a small bilingual école-collège in the 19th arrondissement, founded in 2007 by Caroline Sost. The pedagogy centres on savoir-être and eco-citizenship inside the French national curriculum, with English alongside French throughout the day.

Around a hundred-plus students from preschool through middle school at 93 bis rue Manin. English-speaking teachers are in class for roughly half the school day. The school is private and out-of-contract, secular, and trains its whole teaching team in its positive-pedagogy approach. Living School also runs parent workshops and expects active parent engagement with the philosophy.

Families who choose Living School are typically buying into the personal-development project, not just a French school with English added. Parents describe staff who genuinely care and fast confidence gains for children with prior learning difficulties. The catch is geographic and philosophical: north-east Paris is a long way from the western expat clusters, and the parent-engagement expectation rules out a hands-off approach. Best fit for families committed to socio-emotional learning and the French curriculum in a small bilingual setting.

Living School is a small, parent-led private bilingual école in Paris 19, with reviews concentrated on the school's pedagogy and atmosphere.
The dominant note is warmth. Parents describe a caring environment where children progress at their own pace, with a teaching team trained in the school's "savoir-etre" personal-development approach.
One parent said their child "regained confidence in himself and has made incredible progress, both academically and personally" despite earlier learning difficulties.
Bilingual delivery in French and English is repeatedly singled out, alongside mixed-age classes and project-based eco-citizenship work.
Parent involvement is heavy: regular evening workshops on parenting, screen time, sibling conflict, sexuality and child safeguarding are part of the offer.
Independent critical signal is light. The visible review pool is small and concentrated on parents who chose the school for its alternative ethos, so polarised commentary does not surface.