Lab School, Paris
Key Stats
Annual Fees: US$17K - US$26K
Curriculum: French · IB
Age Range: 5-18
Students: ~130
Location: 11th Arrondissement, Paris
Updated April 2026
In Brief
Lab School is worth considering if you want a small, pedagogically thoughtful French-IB school and your children are adaptable to mixed-age, project-based learning. It is not the right fit if your family needs a large school community, language support beyond French and English, or any kind of sports programme.
Lab School was founded in 2017 by a group of researchers and educators drawing on Montessori, Freinet and Dewey traditions - the name refers explicitly to the school as a laboratory for evidence-based practice. It operates as a private non-profit with no state subsidies, which means fees are set on income-based rate bands; the same place in the same class costs EUR 15,600 at the bottom band or EUR 23,500 at the top for lycee. Around 130 students, 10 nationalities, but the community skews heavily French with a roughly 3:1 French-to-international ratio. IB Diploma launched in Premiere and Terminale with the first cohort completing in 2025.
Classes are intentionally mixed-age and capped at 25, with two teachers working together - the school calls this co-teaching. The Paris primary campus at 46 Rue de Montreuil (11th arrondissement) houses ages 5-14; the high school operates from a separate site in Montreuil, across the Peripherique. There is no uniform, no school bus and no canteen - students bring packed lunches. Extracurriculars include theatre, music, photography, coding and an Arts and Sciences Lab, all run from the Montreuil campus. Admissions are by interview only, no entrance exam, but the school is explicit that parents must be committed to the pedagogical approach.
The school is genuinely small - 130 students across 13 years is a thin community, and some families find the social pool limiting as children reach secondary. There are no sports facilities and no PE beyond what trips and outdoor activities provide. Language support is available only for French and English speakers; families arriving with other dominant languages will not find a bridge programme. The Montreuil high school site means a cross-city journey for secondary students based in western or central Paris. The IB Diploma is very new - the 2025 cohort was the first - so there is no track record of results to examine yet.
What parents value
- –Income-based fees (EUR 15,600-23,500) make the sliding scale more accessible than most Paris private schools. Small co-taught mixed-age classes - average 15 students in practice - give children more individual attention than most schools of this size. Founded by researchers; the pedagogy is grounded in published evidence rather than brochure language.
- –No entrance exam - admissions by interview, so children are not filtered out by academic performance at age 5. IB Diploma from Premiere and Terminale for the university pathway. Scholarship system available for families who cannot reach even the lower fee bands.
Points of consideration
- –The community is small and predominantly French. International families may find the social environment less diverse than at ISP or ASP. No language support for children who arrive without French or English.
- –No sports facilities, no uniform, no canteen and no school bus. The secondary campus is in Montreuil - outside Paris proper - which adds daily travel time for families in central or western arrondissements. The IB Diploma programme has no published results history yet.
Annual Fees
| Year Group | Age | USDTotal Annual Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Primary Lower - CP to CE1 (ages 5-7) | 5 | 18,010 |
| Primary Upper - CE2 to CM2 (ages 7-10) | 7 | 19,626 |
| College - 6eme to 3eme (ages 11-14) | 11 | 21,358 |
| Lycee - Seconde to Terminale (ages 15-18) | 15 | 27,130 |
Fees converted from EUR. For the most up to date and accurate figures please double check with the school.
Additional Fees
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Application Fee (non-refundable) | 115 |
| Enrollment Fee (non-refundable) | 693 |
Academic Results
Academic results have not been made publicly available by this school.
Extra Curriculars
Contact the school for details on co-curricular activities and facilities. Ask what a normal week looks like outside lessons for your child's interests.
Inspections & Accreditations
Inspection
No published inspection details are currently available.
Accreditations
Accreditation details are not publicly listed.
Memberships
Membership details are not publicly listed.
Student Body
Paris's international schools draw students from across Europe, the Americas, the Middle East and Asia. Contact the school for current enrolment details.
Leadership
School leadership
Contact the school for details.