The Lycée is well known in San Francisco for its French program (preschool thru 12th grade). What’s newsworthy, they recently opened an international track based on the International Baccalaureate in middle and high school for non-French speakers.
The Lycée has three campuses. The Ashbury (Cole Valley) campus runs from preschool thru 5th grade, Sausalito also from preschool thru 5th grade, and Sunset District from 6th thru 12th grade.
The Ashbury campus (preschool thru 5th grade) has two playgrounds, an indoor climbing wall for preK-2nd, fussball, a full sized basketball court, and several play structures. The site has two libraries, a younger student library in a former chapel with lots of nooks filled with books, and an older student library upstairs. The site staffs a librarian and allows students to take home books starting in kindergarten. The lower school also rents gymnasium time from a local church. Enrollment at this site is 40 to 69 kids across two to three classes per grade in the French program.
The Sausalito campus (preschool thru 5th grade) has 15 to 20 students per grade, and students from both lower school campuses feed into the Ortega campus for middle and high school. (I didn’t tour this site.)
The Ortega campus (6th thru 12th grade) has a large basketball court, outdoor climbing wall, outdoor tables, and patio. The site has a large library, a dojo space for judo class, a small music room, wellness space, and tables for eating indoors as well. The classrooms are large and airy, and include a lab for science, art room, and music room. Indoor entertainment includes ping pong, fussball, and billiards. Drama is hosted in a black box theater. Enrollment at this site is approximately between 30 and 60 students per grade, with a maximum of 24 students per class most in the French program, and the new IB program will have 20 students per grade in 6th-12th grade once fully enrolled.
Academics
Lycée has long been known for their French program, which provides a well-rounded education including typical academic subjects, music, art, and movement. Preschoolers learn through play with pre-reading and pre-writing activities, with systematic learning starting in 1st grade, similar to progressive schools. Math follows the French system, plus adds USA math as an additional class. The school has a learning specialist, two speech therapists (English and French), and a psychologist. The program culminates in the French baccalaureate in 12th grade, in which students choose a concentration of three specialties in 11th grade and two specialties in 12th grade. After graduation, approximately 70% attend college in the USA, 12% in Canada, and 18% in Europe (France, UK, Spain, Belgium). The school boasts an impressive college admissions list, typical of San Francisco private schools.
The IB program, which doesn’t require French language experience, starts in 6th grade and runs through 12th grade. Students learn French as a typical class, and the remaining classes are in English. The IB program is an interdisciplinary program, which includes a design class and the choice of concentration. In literature class, students compare and contextualize across texts, and discuss the wider cultural implications of their readings. The literature class also teaches organizational skills, including note taking and tracking assignments.
For math, most students participate in the same class in 6th thru 9th grade. The program runs with an Integrated Math curriculum, and for more mathy kids, optional contest math preparation. The highest level math includes calculus and linear algebra. For the IB, in 11th and 12th grades, students choose a concentration with the combination of three standard level (SL) classes and three higher level (HL) classes. STEM oriented students typically pick HL math and physics, and the school frequently participates in the AMC math contest and Regeneron science fair. The IB program is recognized by many colleges as similar rigor as the AP program, with many colleges granting credit based on IB exams. Homework load in 9th grade IB track is approximately one hour per weeknight.
More details about the Ortega campus. School runs from 8:10am to 3:10pm, then electives afterwards. The 50 students per grade will merge for lunch, travel, and English-language electives. The school maintains a wellness center for the tween and teen students, with a focus on maintaining mental health and supporting the students holistically. The school administers the PSAT in 10th and 11th grades, and the SAT in 11th and 12th grades, with mock exams for practice beforehand.
For applicants starting in the fall of 2025, the IB program will have openings in 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, and 10th grades; in the fall of 2026, new students could start in 6th thru 11th grades, with additive seats in 6th and 9th grade; in the fall of 2027, the program will span 6th thru 12th grade.
Enrichment Classes
Lycée’s daytime program includes music, theater, and movement starting in preschool. The preschoolers take a gym class that looks much like a junior parkour class. The preK-2nd graders also have access to an indoor climbing wall. Students have daily PE in preschool and kindergarten, then 4-5 hours per week in 1st thru 5th grade, and three times a week in 6th thru 12th grade. The students also take six swimming lesson sessions at the JCC as part of the French philosophy to learn to swim for safety during kindergarten, 1st, 2nd, 6th, and 12th grade to span elementary, middle, and high school.
Starting in kindergarten, students have one hour per week of drama and weekly music classes. The school’s instrumental music room for preK-5th grade would be the envy of any musically minded child – their sparkling new instruments include violin, flute, piccolo, and oboe. Before and after care runs from 7:45am to 6pm at the Haight campus.
The Ortega campus offers PE (including judo and swim lessons), band (including digital music), and art.
The Ortega campus hosts many clubs and affinity groups. Clubs include Girls Who Code, Radio Club (with their own broadcasting equipment), and Baking Club. Students can start a club by recruiting 5 members. Lycée also offers service learning (volunteering), which is optional.
The school hosts amazing travel, typical of an international school. The IB program will visit a Francophone country during high school through an exchange program, and the French program visits Tahiti as part of the global learning program in 11th grade, and there is an exchange program in 10th grade for the French track program. Financial aid is available for the travel at the same percentage as a student’s financial aid for tuition.
Types of Students Served
Lycée’s French track accepts non-French speakers at preschool and kindergarten. The cutoff for kindergarten is September 1st, with the exception of French citizens, to match the French country system of December 31st cutoff. The IB program is open to non-French speakers in 6th thru 12th grade.
The school is welcoming of neurodiverse students with mild needs, and has learning specialists to support them.
The school has a bus from Marin.
Tuition and Financial Aid
Lycée has the following tuition rates: $33,900 for preschool thru 5th grade, $35,450 for middle school, and $43,550 for high school. The school has financial aid available, including two full scholarships for high performing, low income students in high school.
Role of a K-12 Consultant
A consultant can help you craft your school list to be sure of a balanced list offering a match of services with the student and parent’s interests. A consultant can also review all admissions materials, in particular student and parent essays, to help focus them to each school’s admissions goals. A consultant can directly work with your child to brainstorm, draft, and edit their own essays. The consultant can provide feedback on whether the essays read as genuine and how to shine during the application process.
Want more input on K-12 schools?
Vicky consults with families to help select, apply to, and communicate with public and private schools in the San Francisco Bay Area. Vicky maintains a principle of non-judgment. Hourly, VIP, and Season packages include a discussion to review school options, applications, essays, and key decisions. Vicky offers a limited number of packages each year to assure her availability.
Vicky’s own children have attended both public and private schools, and have received both accommodations and curriculum changes; her elder is in high school, and her younger in middle school. New clients can email to learn more about her services, or see her website to learn about her packages.
Comments