Cities / Nairobi / Lycee Francais International Denis Diderot
Lycee Francais International Denis Diderot
The French school of Nairobi, opened in 1962 and now a 2 hectare AEFE network campus in Kilimani serving around 600 to 650 students aged 2 to 18 across more than 50 nationalities.
In brief
The French school of Nairobi, opened in 1962 and now a 2-hectare AEFE-network campus in Kilimani serving around 600 to 650 students aged 2 to 18 across more than 50 nationalities.
LFIDD is the standard option for French-speaking diplomatic and NGO families, and increasingly for Kenyan families wanting a genuinely bilingual French and English education. The full French national curriculum runs from maternelle through baccalauréat, and the AEFE network status means transferable schooling for families who move within the French system worldwide.
The school is run by a parents' association as a non-profit, which keeps fees relatively reasonable for an embassy-circuit school. Families talk warmly about the small-school feel, the breadth of nationalities for a Lycée, and the quality of language acquisition for non-French children who join in the early years. For Anglophone families, serious commitment to the French system is required to get the most out of it, and switching out at upper-secondary is harder than at other Nairobi schools. The school suits families for whom French education is the goal rather than the fallback.
Fees
Annual fees
| Year level | Age | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Maternelle (French/Kenyan) | 3 | KES 700,000 |
| Maternelle (Other nationalities) | 3 | KES 800,000 |
| Maternelle (French/Kenyan) | 4 | KES 700,000 |
| Maternelle (French/Kenyan) | 5 | KES 700,000 |
| Élémentaire (French/Kenyan) | 6 | KES 1,027,456 |
| Élémentaire (Other nationalities) | 6 | KES 1,266,786 |
| Élémentaire (French/Kenyan) | 7 | KES 1,027,456 |
| Élémentaire (French/Kenyan) | 8 | KES 1,027,456 |
| Élémentaire (French/Kenyan) | 9 | KES 1,027,456 |
| Élémentaire (French/Kenyan) | 10 | KES 1,027,456 |
| Collège (French/Kenyan) | 11 | KES 1,167,531 |
| Collège (Other nationalities) | 11 | KES 1,437,134 |
| Collège (French/Kenyan) | 12 | KES 1,167,531 |
| Collège (French/Kenyan) | 13 | KES 1,167,531 |
| Collège (French/Kenyan) | 14 | KES 1,167,531 |
| Lycée (French/Kenyan) | 15 | KES 1,561,264 |
| Lycée (Other nationalities) | 15 | KES 1,925,029 |
| Lycée (French/Kenyan) | 16 | KES 1,561,264 |
| Lycée (French/Kenyan) | 17 | KES 1,561,264 |
| Lycée (French/Kenyan) | 18 | KES 1,561,264 |
One-time fees
| Item | Age | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Application Fee per child | KES 12,000 | |
| First Registration Fee per child | KES 120,000 |
Reviews
- The default option in Nairobi for families inside the French education system. Often suggested by other Nairobi expats alongside International School of Kenya, Rosslyn, Braeburn and the Deutsche Schule.
- Subsidised by the French government, fees roughly 25-30% below other Nairobi internationals.
- Around 680 students from 50 countries, ages two to eighteen, with French and OIB tracks.
- Parent-facing review volume online is thin. Most discussion is institutional or comparative rather than experiential.
Positives
- Affordability. Fees materially lower than the British and American Nairobi internationals because of French state subsidy.
- Student mix. Bilingual French-English programme and 50-nationality intake are recurrent talking points.
Considerations
- Position in the Nairobi market. Treated as the established French-track choice, recommended by Nairobi residents for families needing French curriculum continuity.
Leadership
Bruno Maris
Graduating with an Engineering and a Bachelor of Business degree, Claire Karadi exercised as Financial Analyst at HP and Avery Denison. Then, after teaching fifteen years in each of the Primary School grades, she progressed to become Headteacher; ultimately of the largest international school of the Grenoble Academy, before joining LFIDD in Sept 2021. Mother of three in a Franco/Canadian family she hails from the French Alps.
Accreditations
- Agence pour l'enseignement français à l'étranger 01
Academic results
- Cambridge English certifications 95% of candidates reached or exceeded the expected level, from A2 to C1.
- DELF Prim exams Successful completion of DELF PRIM exams for A1 and A2 certifications.
- PIX certification Successful passing of the national PIX certification by Terminale students.