Cities / Dubai / Lycée Français International de Dubaï (LFI)
Lycée Français International de Dubaï (LFI)
Operating from Dubai Academic City with a feeder campus in Oud Metha, the school follows the complete French national curriculum from early years through Grade 12, teaching primarily in French with English as a core subject.
In brief
Operating from Dubai Academic City with a feeder campus in Oud Metha, the school follows the complete French national curriculum from early years through Grade 12, teaching primarily in French with English as a core subject. Under Proviseur Charles Pierru's leadership since 2023, the school serves a predominantly French-speaking community with students representing up to 50 nationalities. The institution maintains its not-for-profit status, which allows fees to remain at roughly half the cost of comparable IB or British curriculum schools in Dubai.
Parent feedback reveals contrasting experiences with the school's educational delivery. While some families appreciate the authentic French education and affordable fee structure, others have raised concerns about teaching quality, with one recent discussion describing teachers as 'social cases.' The school faces the typical challenge of French schools in Dubai competing against well-established British and IB institutions, though it maintains steady enrollment due to high demand from French expatriate families. Teacher turnover sits at 13%, which is reasonable for Dubai's education sector.
Strengths
- Authentic French curriculum from early years through baccalauréat
- Not-for-profit status keeps fees significantly lower than competitors
- Large, diverse community with 2,000 students from 50 nationalities
- Established institution with nearly 50 years of history in Dubai
- KHDA Very Good rating demonstrates solid educational standards
Considerations
- Mixed parent feedback regarding teaching quality and staff competence
- Limited visibility compared to Dubai's tier-one international schools
- Primarily serves French-speaking families rather than broader international community
- Academic outcomes and university placement data not readily available
- Competition from other French schools like Jean Mermoz that may offer fresher approaches
Fees
Annual fees
| Year level | Age | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| PS / Pre-KG3 (Oud Metha) | 3 | AED 29,488 |
| PS (Mudon) | 3 | AED 41,500 |
| MS / KG1 (Oud Metha) | 4 | AED 29,488 |
| MS (Mudon) | 4 | AED 42,500 |
| GS / KG2 (Oud Metha) | 5 | AED 29,488 |
| GS (Mudon) | 5 | AED 43,500 |
| CP / Grade 1 (Oud Metha) | 6 | AED 35,385 |
| CP-CM2 (Mudon) | 6 | AED 48,500 |
| CE1 / Grade 2 (Oud Metha) | 7 | AED 35,385 |
| CE2 / Grade 3 (Oud Metha) | 8 | AED 35,385 |
| CM1 / Grade 4 (Oud Metha) | 9 | AED 35,385 |
| CM2 / Grade 5 (Oud Metha) | 10 | AED 35,385 |
| 6e / Grade 6 (Oud Metha) | 11 | AED 41,806 |
| 5e / Grade 7 (Oud Metha) | 12 | AED 41,806 |
| 4e / Grade 8 (Oud Metha) | 13 | AED 41,806 |
| 3e / Grade 9 (Oud Metha) | 14 | AED 47,509 |
| 2nde / Grade 10 (Oud Metha) | 15 | AED 59,338 |
| 1ere / Grade 11 (Oud Metha) | 16 | AED 62,363 |
| Terminale / Grade 12 (Oud Metha) | 17 | AED 62,363 |
One-time fees
| Item | Age | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| File Deposit Fee | AED 500 | |
| New Students Fee (ICT, Lab, Library, Medical) | AED 5,000 |
Reviews
The flagship AFLEC school in Oud Metha, with satellite campuses at Al Wasl and Mirdif and a new primary campus in Mudon that opened in September 2025. KHDA moved the rating to Outstanding in 2023-24 after nine years at Good and a stint at Very Good under Sylvain Lunetta, who took over as proviseur in September 2022. Brevet and Baccalauréat pass rates sit at 100% with strong mention rates. The student body skews French and Lebanese across roughly fifty nationalities. The reputation in the French community is academically serious, sometimes intense, and the parent-survey picture is more mixed than the inspection grade suggests.
Positives
- Academic results. 100% Brevet and Baccalauréat pass rates in 2023, with 94% and 90% earning mentions respectively. French, English and maths rated Outstanding across most sections in the latest KHDA cycle.
- Leadership and trajectory. Sylvain Lunetta took over as proviseur in September 2022. The Outstanding KHDA rating landed in his second year, a step up after the school had sat at Good for nearly a decade.
- Languages and bilingual track. French, English and Arabic across the whole school, with Spanish, Chinese, German, Italian, Greek and Latin available higher up. The bilingual French/English primary section and the American International Section feed into the OIB.
- Inclusion. An inclusion team supports around 250 pupils with additional needs, sizeable for a French-curriculum school in the Gulf.
Considerations
- Capacity and the Mudon expansion. Pressure on places at the Oud Metha campus has been a running theme, and the new Mudon primary campus opened in September 2025 in temporary premises on the Meydan site, with the permanent build scheduled for 2026. Useful for families in the southern suburbs, but the first year is a transitional one.
- Parent-survey scores. Published parent-survey scores sit well below what the inspection grade would predict. The pool is small, but the gap between official rating and parent rating is wide enough to register.
- Islamic Education and Arabic. KHDA inspectors singled out Islamic Education and Arabic attainment as the area where outcomes lag the rest of the school. The recommendation to use assessment data more systematically in lesson planning also stood.
- Daily intensity. Among French families in Dubai the school carries a reputation as the academically demanding option. Suits children who thrive on pace and structure; less forgiving for those who need more room.
Leadership
Sylvain LUNETTA
Mr. Patrick Affley is a long-term UAE resident who served 11 years as Founding Principal of Dove Green Private School in Dubai.
Accreditations
- KHDA 01
Academic results
- DNB 2025 pass rate 100%
- BAC 2025 pass rate 100%
Location
Oud Metha Road, Al Nasr Club - Dubai - United Arab Emirates - P.O. Box 22626