American School of Paris vs International School of Paris

Quick comparison snapshot

History and identity

The American School of Paris was founded in 1946 by American expatriate parents in the immediate post-war period, originally to educate the children of US Embassy and military families. The school grew through the 1950s and 1960s as US companies expanded into Europe, moved to its current Saint-Cloud campus in 1964 and now serves around 800 students from approximately 50 nationalities, with US passport holders no longer the majority. The identity remains recognisably American, with the American high school structure, US-style athletics calendar, AP courses and a US college counselling tradition.

The International School of Paris was founded in 1964 by a small group of internationally minded parents and educators with the goal of building a fully international school in the centre of the city. It became one of the first schools in France authorised to deliver the IB Diploma in 1981, added the Middle Years Programme in 1996 and the Primary Years Programme in 2003, becoming a full IB continuum school. ISP today serves around 720 students from over 60 nationalities, with no single passport group dominating, and the identity is recognisably international rather than tied to any one country's school tradition.

Curriculum and pathways

This is the largest single difference between the two schools. ASP runs an American curriculum from Pre-K through Grade 12, with AP courses available from Grade 10 and the IB Diploma offered as an alternative pathway in Grades 11 and 12. Roughly 30 to 40 percent of the senior cohort takes the IB Diploma, with the remainder following the AP and US high school diploma route. The structure works well for families who want US-style high school flexibility, multiple Honours and AP options across all years, and the ability to keep both AP and IB as live options into Grade 11.

ISP runs the IB continuum from Pre-K through Grade 12, with the PYP, MYP and DP structuring every year. There is no AP track and no parallel US high school diploma. Every Grade 12 student takes the IB Diploma. The continuum produces a consistency of pedagogy that the dual-track ASP cannot replicate, and parents who have moved children from a fragmented school history often comment that the IB continuum framework helps the children settle faster than a mixed-pathway environment.

For families certain about the IB from primary, ISP is structurally the better fit. For families wanting to keep the AP option open or coming from a US system where the children have been on AP foundations, ASP is the better fit. For a fuller view of how the Diploma sits relative to alternatives, the IB curriculum hub and the wider best IB schools in Paris guide provide context.

Cohort, size and culture

ASP is larger overall (around 800 students) and runs a much larger Grade 12 cohort (180 to 220) than ISP (65 to 75). The practical implication is the menu of subject options at sixth form. ASP runs a wider AP and IB combined subject menu than any other Paris school, including specialist sciences, multiple language options at Higher Level and several arts subjects at Diploma standard. ISP runs a narrower but consistently delivered IB menu with strong depth in the core subjects and the major sciences. Niche Diploma subjects (Higher Level Latin, Higher Level Mandarin) are more reliably available at ASP than at ISP.

The cohort culture differs in a way that becomes obvious after a single visit. ASP carries the rhythm of a US high school, with homecoming, prom, varsity sports, marching events at sport, an explicit Grade level structure and a strong tradition of student leadership through US-style student government. ISP carries an internationalist tone with less of the US ritual and more of the IB-house cultural rhythm, including service learning, MUN, and a less hierarchical year-group culture. Neither is universally better; the question is which culture the family wants the children to grow up in.

Campus and location

ASP sits on a 12-acre green campus in Saint-Cloud, west of Paris and over the river from the 16th arrondissement. The campus has full sports facilities including football pitches, tennis courts, a fitness centre, an arts and theatre complex and a cafeteria. Children at ASP have a school environment closer to a small US independent school or English boarding school day campus than a typical European international school. The commute is the trade-off; the school is reached by school bus from most expat neighbourhoods, with morning pick-ups typically 7.10 to 7.40am, or by car across the western edge of Paris.

ISP runs from a compact urban campus near the La Muette metro station in the 16th arrondissement, with the Bois de Boulogne and the Jardin du Ranelagh within walking distance. There are no playing fields on site; physical education uses external sports facilities including the Pre Catelan and a partnership with a local sports club. The trade-off is the opposite of ASP: a shorter, often walkable commute for families in the 16th, 17th or 7th arrondissements, traded against a smaller physical footprint and fewer on-site facilities. Most ISP families have selected the school in part because they wanted to live in central Paris.

Fees and the total cost

Headline tuition for the Diploma years at ASP runs EUR 35,000 to EUR 37,000 in 2026, plus a capital levy, technology fees and the school bus. The all-in cost for a Grade 12 student typically lands around EUR 39,000 to EUR 42,000 once buses, lunch and the standard add-ons are included. Tuition at lower years runs EUR 28,000 to EUR 33,000 plus the same loadings.

ISP tuition for the Diploma years runs EUR 35,000 to EUR 38,000 in 2026, with a smaller add-on profile (no on-site cafeteria, no significant capital levy at sixth form, lower bus and IT loading). The all-in cost typically lands around EUR 37,000 to EUR 40,000 for a Diploma year student. Tuition at PYP and MYP runs EUR 24,000 to EUR 32,000 plus relatively modest add-ons.

The fees are not materially different in total, and the conversation should not be driven by fee differential. Both schools sit at the top of the Paris private market and broadly track each other on annual increases. The international school fees in Paris piece covers the full Paris market.

Admissions and waitlists

Both schools admit in two cycles: the main September intake (applications open November to January) and a smaller January intake. ASP holds waitlists at Pre-K, Kindergarten, Grade 6 and Grade 9 that often stretch 12 to 18 months at peak; mid-year admission to Grade 7, 8, 10 and 11 is more achievable. ISP holds the longest waitlists at PYP entry (Pre-K and Kindergarten), Year 6 (transition into MYP) and Year 11 (entry to the Diploma); mid-year admission to other year groups is sometimes possible.

The assessment processes are similar. Both schools require previous school records, references and an academic review; ISP and ASP both run short interviews and English language assessment for applicants entering above Grade 1. Neither school requires French proficiency for admission, although French support is offered at both. ASP's admissions team is slightly larger and turns around decisions faster on average than ISP's. The best international schools in Paris piece covers the wider Paris market context.

University destinations

Recent leavers from both schools have placed strongly across world universities. ASP's three-year aggregate destinations show approximately 45 percent to the United States (with regular Ivy League and top liberal arts college placements), 30 percent to the United Kingdom (Russell Group and Oxbridge), 10 to 15 percent to other European destinations (Netherlands, Switzerland, France) and the remainder to Canada, Asia and elsewhere. ISP's three-year aggregate destinations show approximately 35 percent to the United Kingdom, 30 percent to the United States, 15 percent to other European destinations including France, and a substantial minority to Canada, Australia and Asia.

For a family targeting the US Ivy League, ASP's longer-established US counselling pipeline is a structural advantage. For a family targeting Oxbridge and the UK Russell Group, both schools place strongly, with ISP perhaps marginally ahead on share rather than absolute numbers. For a family targeting Dutch English-medium universities, Sciences Po or the European mainland, ISP's IB-only cohort is well aligned. For a family open to French universities or the Grandes Ecoles preparatory route, both schools manage the equivalence with the French system, but a bilingual school like EIB Monceau or the Lycee International would offer a structural edge.

The honest verdict

Choose ASP if you want the rhythm and feel of an American high school, the option of AP alongside the IB, a green suburban campus with full sports facilities, and an established US college pipeline. ASP is particularly well suited to American families on multi-year postings who anticipate the children returning to a US university, and to globally mobile families coming from US international schools elsewhere who want continuity.

Choose ISP if you want the consistency of the IB continuum from Pre-K through Diploma, a compact central campus in walking distance of family-friendly arrondissements, and an internationalist cohort culture without a dominant national flavour. ISP is particularly well suited to families certain about the IB pathway, to families wanting to live in central Paris, and to families coming from another IB school elsewhere who want curriculum continuity.

For most families, visiting both is the only way to decide. They are both excellent schools at the top of the Paris market, and the choice is usually about fit rather than about quality. Plan a half day at each, sit in on a class, eat lunch with the children if possible and trust the response you observe from your own family. Read our Paris pillar for the wider market context before booking the visits.

Related guides

• Best international schools in Paris
• Best IB schools in Paris
• International school fees in Paris

Frequently asked questions