How many French schools in Taipei
Taipei has a single mainstream French curriculum provider: the French Section at Taipei European School, on the Yangmingshan and Tianmu campuses in Shilin District. Unlike Tokyo, Seoul or Hong Kong, Taipei does not currently host a standalone Lycee Francais alongside the European school. The French Section therefore carries the entire AEFE-aligned French curriculum demand in the city, from maternelle through to the end of college at the end of troisieme.
The cohort is small but settled. Total French passport-holding student numbers across all year groups at TES sit in the 150 to 220 range, with additional Francophone Belgian, Swiss, Luxembourgish and Canadian families pushing the wider Francophone cohort slightly higher. The Section runs as a fully integrated part of TES, sharing the campus with the British and German Sections and using shared facilities for sports, music and creative arts. The Section is AEFE-aligned and delivers the French national curriculum under the standards set by the Ministere de l'Education Nationale.
For families committed to the French Baccalaureate route at sixth form, the picture diverges from the AEFE template followed in larger Asian cities. TES does not run a French Baccalaureate sixth form; from Year 12, French Section students transition into the integrated TES IB Diploma at TES High School. Families committed to the Baccalaureate either repatriate, transfer to a sister AEFE school elsewhere in Asia, or layer the CNED distance learning programme alongside the IB Diploma. For the wider Taipei international school market see our Taipei city hub and the global French curriculum hub.
Fees, AEFE scholarships and the cost picture
Annual fees for the French Section at TES in 2026 range from about TWD 700,000 in lower maternelle to roughly TWD 950,000 by the end of college. In US dollar terms, that is roughly USD 22,500 to USD 30,500 per year before extras. Capital or facility fees of around TWD 150,000 to TWD 200,000 sit on entry, transport from TWD 35,000 to TWD 60,000 a year depending on home district, and lunch around TWD 25,000. French AEFE scholarship support, the Bourses scolaires, is available to French passport-holding families subject to income criteria and household composition. Applications run through the Bureau Francais de Taipei to the AEFE Paris office, with deadlines in October for the following school year.
The all-in cost-of-place at the top of college at the TES French Section runs around TWD 1,150,000 a year, or USD 37,000. Families on a French corporate or diplomatic posting with school fees covered should plan a relocation budget that includes Taipei rents and a high cost of living for European-imported groceries; see the Taipei fees guide and the cost calculator for the full picture.
French Section at TES, or CNED alongside the IB?
Take our 5 minute school finder quiz. We shortlist three Taipei options for Francophone families, factoring in AEFE scholarships and the IB transition at sixth form.
The TES French Section in detail
The French Section is the only mainstream French curriculum provider in Taipei, so this section profiles the Section in depth rather than ranking options.
Maternelle at the TES French Section serves children aged 3 to 5 in Petite Section, Moyenne Section and Grande Section, with French-medium delivery and a play-based curriculum aligned to the French national programme. Class sizes are small, typically 12 to 18 children, with a French maitresse supported by a teaching assistant. Light English provision is woven in from Moyenne Section onwards, building toward the bilingual environment of the upper years.
Elementaire covers CP to CM2 with French as the primary language of instruction and English from CE1 upwards. The curriculum aligns to the French national programme and the AEFE standards, with assessments that feed into the standard French school report cycle. From CM2 onwards, students integrate progressively into mixed-section classes for English, sports, music and selected creative subjects, building toward the wider TES community at college.
College, from sixieme to troisieme, runs the French national curriculum with English as a second language taught at a high level. The Section culminates in the Diplome National du Brevet at the end of troisieme. The Brevet is moderated through the AEFE office and recognised across the AEFE network for transfer back to France or onward to a sister AEFE school. Some students choose to layer the Cambridge IGCSE alongside the Brevet to ease the transition into the TES IB Diploma at sixth form.
Beyond the mainstream Section, an active French parents association runs after-school French language and culture programmes in Tianmu for Francophone children at the smaller English-medium schools, plus weekend French saturday school for bilingual families who attend other Taipei international schools but want to maintain French academic literacy.
Where French families live
French families in Taipei cluster heavily in Tianmu, Shilin District, within easy reach of the TES Tianmu campus and the Yangde Boulevard campus on Yangmingshan. The French community in Tianmu sits alongside the wider European expatriate base around Tianmu Y junction, Zhongshan North Road Section 7 and Yangde Boulevard. Three-bedroom apartments in central Tianmu west of Zhongshan North Road run TWD 80,000 to TWD 140,000 a month, with larger villas on the lower Yangmingshan slopes higher.
A smaller French cohort lives in Da'an in central Taipei, served by the TES coach network. Da'an suits French diplomatic and corporate families based around the office cluster on Renai Road and the boutique commerce along Zhongxiao East Road. Three-bedroom apartments here run TWD 90,000 to TWD 160,000 a month. The French expatriate institutional anchor in Taipei is the Bureau Francais de Taipei, plus the Alliance Francaise on Dunhua South Road, which runs cultural programming, the French film festival and the standard AEFE administrative interface. For the full residential picture see our Taipei neighbourhood guide.
Admissions, the Brevet and the IB transition
French Section admission at TES sits under the Ministry of Education Foreign School framework, which restricts entry to foreign passport holders, dual nationals and qualifying Taiwanese returnees. French passport-holding families are routinely admitted; mixed nationality families with one French parent require a French passport for the child to qualify under the AEFE framework. The main August intake opens in October the previous year, with offers issued from March. Mid-year arrivals are accepted across maternelle and elementaire, with college places tighter once the Brevet sequence is underway.
The Brevet, sat at the end of troisieme, is moderated through the AEFE office in Paris. Most French Section students earn the Brevet alongside a developing English proficiency that supports the transition into the TES IB Diploma at sixth form. The IB Diploma at TES High School replaces the French Baccalaureate that would otherwise follow at an AEFE Lycee elsewhere in Asia. The transition is well managed: French Section graduates routinely succeed in the IB Diploma, with strong placements into French Grandes Ecoles preparatory routes, Sciences Po and the Russell Group. Families targeting the pure French Baccalaureate should plan an out-of-Taipei route for sixth form. Compare with our Taipei IB hub and Taipei British curriculum hub for curriculum-specific entry guidance.
Frequently asked questions
How many French schools are there in Taipei?
Taipei has a single mainstream French curriculum provider: the French Section at Taipei European School. The French Section is AEFE-aligned and delivers the French national curriculum from maternelle through to the end of college, before students transition into the integrated IB Diploma at TES High School. There is no separate standalone Lycee Francais in Taipei.
Is the French Section at TES AEFE-aligned?
Yes. The TES French Section is part of the AEFE network and delivers the French national curriculum under the standards set by the Ministere de l'Education Nationale. The Section follows the French academic calendar and offers the Diplome National du Brevet at the end of troisieme, with the IB Diploma replacing the French Baccalaureate at TES High School for the sixth form.
How much does the French Section at TES cost?
Annual fees for the French Section at Taipei European School in 2026 range from about TWD 700,000 a year in lower maternelle to TWD 950,000 a year by the end of college. In US dollar terms that is roughly USD 22,500 to USD 30,500 per year, before capital fees, transport and lunch. French AEFE scholarship support is available to French passport-holding families subject to income criteria.
Where do French families live in Taipei?
French families in Taipei cluster heavily in Tianmu, Shilin District, within easy reach of the TES campuses on Yangde Boulevard and Zhongshan North Road. A secondary cluster sits in Da'an, served by the TES coach network for families who prefer central Taipei amenities. The French expatriate community in Taipei is small but settled, anchored by the Bureau Francais de Taipei and the French business community.
What happens after the French Section at sixth form?
At the end of troisieme, French Section students sit the Diplome National du Brevet, then transition into the integrated TES IB Diploma at TES High School for Years 12 and 13. Families committed to the French Baccalaureate route typically either repatriate, transfer to a sister AEFE school elsewhere in Asia, or use the CNED distance learning programme alongside the TES IB Diploma.
