The single AEFE school in Sydney
Sydney is served by one AEFE accredited French school: the Lycee Condorcet de Sydney in Maroubra. Founded in 1969, the school delivers the full French national curriculum from Maternelle through to Terminale and prepares students for the French baccalaureat. The Lycee runs around 850 students across two campuses, both in the Eastern Suburbs. This is the only school in Sydney where a child can complete every year of the French national programme without switching system.
Outside the Lycee, French language provision in Sydney runs through bilingual primaries that sit inside Australian or international schools. International Grammar School in Ultimo runs a French bilingual primary stream as one of several language options. Auburn Galilee Educational Centre offers a smaller French-Australian bilingual primary in the Inner West. These bilingual options keep French as a working language but do not deliver the AEFE programme and do not prepare for the baccalaureat. For families who require a French baccalaureat, the Lycee is the only viable Sydney choice; the alternative is the CNED distance-learning programme used by smaller cities worldwide.
AEFE and the baccalaureat
AEFE is the Agency for French Education Abroad, the French government body that accredits and partially funds French schools outside France. AEFE accreditation guarantees that the school delivers the French national curriculum as set in Paris, follows the same academic calendar, and prepares students for the French baccalaureat using the same examination centre infrastructure used in France. The Lycee Condorcet de Sydney holds full AEFE accreditation, with fees substantially subsidised by the French government compared with commercial English-language alternatives.
The baccalaureat reform of 2019 to 2021 modernised the senior pathway, replacing the strict L, ES and S filieres with a more flexible specialism model. Lycee Condorcet pupils continue to take a high-specialisation slate at Premiere and Terminale, including mathematics, physics, biology, history-geography and modern languages. Strong Lycee results route students into French preparatory classes (classes preparatoires), French grandes ecoles and selective Australian and international universities. Our French curriculum hub explains the baccalaureat structure globally.
Moving the family from France to Sydney?
Take the 5 minute school finder quiz. We help French families weigh the Lycee, bilingual options and the CNED fallback against an Australian independent route.
Fees and the Bourses Scolaires
Lycee Condorcet de Sydney fees in 2026 run from approximately AUD 11,500 a year at Maternelle through to AUD 18,500 at Terminale. The AEFE subsidy makes these fees substantially lower than the AUD 30,000 to 45,000 charged at the Eastern Suburbs Australian independents. Capital contributions, school transport, lunches, school uniform and the baccalaureat examination entry add a further AUD 1,500 to 4,000 a year. International student loadings, common at Australian schools, do not apply at the Lycee in the same way; the Lycee uses the AEFE fee scale.
French families holding French nationality can apply for needs-based bursaries through the Bourses Scolaires programme, administered by the Consulate-General of France in Sydney. Bourses cover up to 100 percent of tuition for families below the income threshold, and partial bursaries reach higher into the middle of the income distribution. The Bourses calendar opens in February each year for the following September intake, even though the Lycee academic year runs on the southern hemisphere calendar. Our Sydney fees guide includes a side-by-side comparison with the Australian independents.
The Lycee and bilingual alternatives
Lycee Condorcet de Sydney in Maroubra is the only AEFE accredited school in the city. Two campuses: the Maternelle and primary site in Maroubra, and the secondary site nearby. Co-educational, full French national curriculum, French baccalaureat, fees substantially subsidised by AEFE. The Eastern Suburbs location is convenient for the dominant French community in Coogee and Maroubra.
International Grammar School in Ultimo offers a French bilingual primary stream within its broader bilingual programme, taught by native French speakers. Students transition to the NSW HSC at senior level, with French maintained as a strong second language. Useful for French-Australian dual nationality families happy to leave the French national curriculum at the end of primary.
Auburn Galilee Educational Centre in the Inner West runs a smaller French-Australian bilingual primary, with French taught at native level alongside English. Inner-west location, smaller cohorts and a community-focused atmosphere. Like IGS, it leads into the Australian senior pathway rather than the baccalaureat.
Where French families live in Sydney
The French community in Sydney is heavily concentrated in the Eastern Suburbs, particularly Maroubra, Coogee, Randwick and Kingsford. The Lycee Condorcet's location in Maroubra anchors the cluster. Coogee, with its beach, French bakeries, French sports clubs and Alliance Francaise outpost, is the de facto centre of French Sydney. Bondi and Bronte are popular with younger French families and Sydney-based French entrepreneurs. The Inner West (Ultimo, Glebe, Newtown) attracts a smaller French community linked to International Grammar School and the universities.
Around the Lycee, the day-to-day rhythm is recognisably French: morning coffee at the patisserie, mass at the French Catholic parish on Sundays, the Coogee surf club, the Alliance Francaise events programme. The French Consulate's social calendar and the French Chamber of Commerce reinforce the community feel. For families relocating from France, this Eastern Suburbs cluster is the natural landing point. Run the relocation maths in our cost calculator before committing.
Admissions and the CNED fallback
The Lycee Condorcet de Sydney runs the southern hemisphere academic year, late January to mid-December, but coordinates with AEFE on examination dates and curriculum sequencing. Admissions for the following January intake open in March or April, with the main waiting list closing in August. Children with no French are accepted into Maternelle and the first year of primary, but from Year 3 onwards full functional French is required. Mid-year transfers are sometimes possible at primary level when withdrawals occur.
Families based outside the Eastern Suburbs sometimes use the Centre National d'Enseignement a Distance (CNED), the French distance-learning programme, as a supplement to a local school. CNED can keep the French curriculum live for one or two years while a family waits for a Lycee place, or while the child completes part of secondary at a Sydney independent before returning to France. This is the recognised fallback for cities like Sydney where AEFE provision is limited to a single school.
Frequently asked questions
How many French curriculum schools are there in Sydney?
Sydney is served by a single AEFE accredited French school: the Lycee Condorcet de Sydney in Maroubra. Two further schools, International Grammar School and Auburn Galilee Educational Centre, offer French bilingual primary streams within an otherwise Australian programme. There is no second standalone French school in the city.
How much does the Lycee Condorcet de Sydney cost?
Lycee Condorcet fees in 2026 run from approximately AUD 11,500 a year at Maternelle to AUD 18,500 at Terminale, substantially subsidised by the AEFE network. Capital contributions, transport, uniform and baccalaureat exam entries add AUD 1,500 to 4,000. French nationals can apply for needs-based bursaries through the Bourses Scolaires programme.
Can my child join the Lycee without French?
Yes, but only up to the end of Maternelle Grande Section or the first year of primary. From Year 3 onwards, full functional French is required for entry. The Lycee runs limited support programmes for late-arriving children with partial French, but the standard expectation is native or near-native French from the middle of primary.
What is the alternative if my child cannot get into the Lycee?
The recognised fallback is the Centre National d'Enseignement a Distance (CNED), the French government distance-learning programme. CNED can be combined with part-time enrolment at a Sydney independent or used standalone for a one to two year bridge. Some families use CNED to maintain the French curriculum while a Lycee place becomes available.
Where do French families live in Sydney?
The French community is heavily concentrated in the Eastern Suburbs, particularly Maroubra, Coogee, Randwick and Kingsford, anchored by the Lycee. Bondi and Bronte attract younger French families. A smaller Inner West cluster is linked to International Grammar School and the universities. Most relocating French families settle in the Eastern Suburbs.
