Notes / Paris
Top 5 International Schools in Paris
The five Paris international schools with the strongest published results, the cleanest curriculum continuity to 18, and the most established communities.
The brief
- Ecole Jeannine Manuel sits first in France for IB, with a 2025 Diploma average of 38.1 against a global mean of 30.5.
- All five are full 3-to-18 through-schools. The age-14 ceiling at Marymount and the age-11 ceiling at Lennen put both lower on the wider list; this one carries no secondary cliff.
- Top-year fees run EUR 32,560 to EUR 41,400 at the four anglophone anchors, with EABJM at the lower end on partial non-profit status.
- Four of the five sit on the western corridor, from the 15th and 16th out through Saint-Cloud, Croissy, and Maisons-Laffitte. Plan the lease around the school, not the school around the lease.
- The IB dominates the top end. Three of the five carry it as the flagship; one runs the British curriculum to A Level only; one offers AP alongside IB.
Five schools, cut from the wider Paris field to the ones whose published results are measurable and whose curriculum carries to 18 without a transfer. The longer cut sits in the top 10; the wider field sits in best international schools in Paris.
The selective French-bilingual anchor leads on IB results. The two through-schools with the deepest expat communities follow. The IB-plus-French bac school in the western park belt sits fourth. The dedicated British-curriculum school closes the five. The state-section school at near-zero fees is covered in the wider list; it is a different model on price and admissions.
The ranking
1. Ecole Jeannine Manuel Paris
15th Arrondissement. Ages 6 to 18. Fees EUR 10,260 to 32,560. Founded 1954. CIS and NEASC accredited. Around 1,600 pupils.
The most academically impressive international school in France. A 2025 IB Diploma average of 38.1 ranks first in the country and sits well inside the global top tier, against a worldwide average of 30.5. Bilingual French-English from Grade 1, with the IB Diploma and the French Baccalauréat International both running at senior level.
Founded in 1954 by Jeannine Manuel, first among French lycées for ten consecutive years. Around 80 nationalities. Selective admissions, long waitlists. Senior cohorts feed into French grandes écoles and into selective UK and US universities.
The bilingual culture is genuine, not decorative. English layers through specialist subjects from primary; the French national curriculum is the spine. Non-profit foundation status keeps lower-year fees of EUR 10,260 well below the anglophone anchors. The register is high-pressure: strong children flourish, children needing slow time can struggle. Head: Natalie Labalme.
2. International School of Paris
16th Arrondissement. Ages 3 to 18. Fees EUR 25,500 to 39,000. Founded 1964. CIS and NEASC accredited. Around 900 pupils.
The only three-programme IB World School in France. PYP, MYP, and DP run end-to-end from age 3 to 18, with IB accreditation in place since 1982. Three campuses sit close together near Trocadéro, separated by age band rather than scattered across the city.
2025 Diploma average 32 points; 2024 pass rate 92%; 2023 pass rate 90%. Results sit consistently above the global IB average. Around 60 nationalities. A EUR 10,000 one-time entry fee applies from Grade 1.
The location inside the Périphérique is unusual at this fee point. Most full 3-to-18 English-medium options in Paris sit out in the western suburbs; ISP is the clearest exception for families who want a Paris-proper school run.
Class sizes are small, pastoral care lands, and the IB philosophy carries through every year band. The recurring parent grumble is the gap between marketing polish and day-to-day reality. Head: Antoine Delaitre.
3. American School of Paris
Saint-Cloud. Ages 3 to 18. Fees EUR 25,000 to 41,400. Founded 1946. MSA-CESS and CIS accredited. Around 760 pupils.
The only school in France offering both AP and the IB Diploma, on a four-hectare campus in Saint-Cloud. Founded 1946 as the first American school in postwar Europe, around 760 students drawn from roughly 65 nationalities.
2025 IB Diploma average 34.6 at a 100% pass rate. AP pass rate (3 or above) 86%. US-format transcripts; college counselling primarily US-focused. A one-time capital assessment of EUR 12,200 applies on entry.
Sport, activities, and the parent association run at scale. The academic register sits warmer and more community-led than the most selective US prep schools.
The default English-medium choice for American families on assignment, and the natural home for families targeting US universities. Head: Misha Simmonds.
4. Ermitage International School
Maisons-Laffitte. Ages 3 to 18. Fees EUR 7,500 to 28,950. Founded 1941. NEASC accredited. Around 1,500 pupils.
Third in France for IB results, with a 2025 Diploma average of 34 and a 100% French bac pass rate. International English and French streams run side by side, exiting on the IB Diploma or the French baccalauréat. The full IB continuum runs through MYP.
Day and boarding from age 11, rare in Paris and useful for families whose work involves frequent travel. Four boarding houses across the Maisons-Laffitte park; the town is twenty minutes west of central Paris on the RER A. Around 80 nationalities.
Lower-end fees of EUR 7,500 are competitive by Paris private-school standards. Senior fees of EUR 28,950 sit several thousand euros below the four anglophone anchors. Head: Marta Essinki.
The primary section reads warmly across parent voices, particularly the international English stream. The signal at collège and IB MYP level is more mixed: parents flag inflexible structures and uneven support for children arriving without French.
5. British School of Paris
Croissy-sur-Seine. Ages 3 to 18. Fees EUR 20,684 to 34,065. Founded 1954. COBIS Patrons. Around 650 pupils.
The dedicated British-curriculum school in Paris, established 1954 on the Seine at Croissy. English National Curriculum from Nursery through to A Level, with no IB pathway. The most direct option for families targeting UK universities and the only school in Paris at scale on the British senior route.
*2025 results: 28% A\ / A at A Level, 55% A\-B, 67% of GCSE entries at grades 9 to 7. A steady British academic spine with strong pastoral care, music, and drama. A EUR 8,000 non-refundable development fund* applies on registration. Two riverside campuses in Croissy and Bougival, around 650 pupils, co-educational and non-selective, on the RER A.
The recurring caveat is the bubble. Children leave with conversational rather than fluent French in most cases, which works for families on a three-to-five-year posting and is a real consideration for families planning to stay. Head: Nicholas Hammond.
At a glance
| School | Curriculum | Ages | Fees range | Top 2025 result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ecole Jeannine Manuel | IB, French Bac | 6-18 | EUR 10,260-32,560 | IB 38.1 |
| International School of Paris | IB (PYP/MYP/DP) | 3-18 | EUR 25,500-39,000 | IB 32 |
| American School of Paris | American, IB, AP | 3-18 | EUR 25,000-41,400 | IB 34.6, AP 86% |
| Ermitage International | IB, French Bac | 3-18 | EUR 7,500-28,950 | IB 34 |
| British School of Paris | British | 3-18 | EUR 20,684-34,065 | A Level 28% A\*/A |
Fees as published for 2025-26 and 2026-27 cycles. Verify current figures with each school.
How this list was built
Continuity to 18 first. Every school here carries a child from primary through to a recognised senior exit qualification on a single roll. Schools with hard age ceilings (Marymount at Grade 8, Lennen at Grade 5) sit in the longer list.
Published results second. IB Diploma average, A Level grade distribution, bac pass rate, AP pass rate. All five schools publish current senior outcomes; the figures above are the school-published 2025 numbers.
Recognised accreditation as a cross-check. CIS, NEASC, MSA-CESS, and COBIS at school level; IB World School status at the curriculum level. Every school here holds at least one school-level accreditation outside France.
Community and capacity third. Founded before 2010, student bodies of 600 or more, named heads with multi-year tenure, operational capacity to absorb mid-year arrivals.
The Lycée International British Section exception. The British section of the state lycée at Saint-Germain-en-Laye carries strong results at near-state fees (EUR 3,746 to 9,090). It sits in the wider top 10 rather than here because it is a different model: the French baccalauréat is the core qualification, with Cambridge English alongside.
Schools just below the cut
Three names that come up in the same conversations as the five above.
ICS Paris runs the full IB pathway (PYP, MYP, DP) alongside Edexcel IGCSE and A Level in the 15th. A 2025 IB Diploma average of 32.7 (top 41), 33.8 in 2024 (top 44). Smaller than ISP at around 600 pupils. With a deeper A Level track record it would push for the fifth slot.
EIB Paris operates eight bilingual French-English campuses across Paris and the western suburbs, the largest international-leaning operator in the city. Fees EUR 14,100 to 16,995. The spine is the French bac; best understood as a strong French-system option with English alongside, not as an English-medium school.
Lycée International British Section at Saint-Germain-en-Laye. EUR 3,746 to 9,090 per year inside the French state lycée, with the British section adding Cambridge English to the French baccalauréat. 80% Mention Très Bien or Bien in 2024. A separate product on price, model, and admissions timing.
Related reading
- Best international schools in Paris. The wider pillar.
- Top 10 international schools in Paris. The next five down from this list.
- Best British schools in Paris. The British-curriculum subset.
- Best IB schools in Paris. IB Diploma results ranked across the city.
- International school fees in Paris. Full fee schedules.
FAQs
Which Paris school has the best academic results? Ecole Jeannine Manuel, by some distance on the IB. A 2025 Diploma average of 38.1 ranks first in France and sits well above the global mean of 30.5. The American School of Paris (34.6) and Ermitage (34) follow. For A Level, the British School of Paris is the only school at scale, with 28% A\* / A in 2025.
Where do international families live? The 16th arrondissement and the western corridor that runs through Saint-Cloud, Croissy, Maisons-Laffitte, and Saint-Germain-en-Laye. Four of the five schools sit on that corridor; ISP in the 16th is the central exception. The 15th carries EABJM for families who prefer central Paris over the suburbs.
Which school suits American families? ASP in Saint-Cloud, on AP and IB Diploma with US-format transcripts. For younger children only, Marymount in Neuilly is the next stop down, with the Grade 8 ceiling as the planning constraint.
Which school suits British families? BSP in Croissy is the dedicated British-curriculum option, running the English National Curriculum from Nursery through to A Level. ICS Paris in the 15th carries Edexcel IGCSE and A Level alongside the IB.
How early should I apply? For ISP, ASP, BSP, and EABJM's selective entry years, four to six months ahead of the start is a working minimum. For BSP Reception and EABJM's selective years, earlier is materially better; waitlists operate at the top of the cycle.
Sources: school-published 2025-26 and 2026-27 fee schedules; school-published 2024 and 2025 examination results; IBO 2025 statistical bulletin (global Diploma average 30.5); CIS, NEASC, MSA-CESS, and COBIS accreditation directories. Fees correct as of January 2026. We work hard to make every figure, date and description on this page accurate. If you spot an error, please tell us.