What the French curriculum offer actually looks like
Tokyo is not a city with a wide French school choice. In practical terms, there is one school. The Lycee Francais International de Tokyo, known locally as LFIT, is the only school in the metropolitan area that delivers the French Education Nationale curriculum continuously from maternelle through to the baccalaureate. The school is partnered with the AEFE network, which oversees French schools abroad, and follows the same termly calendar, programme content and assessment regime as a state school in France.
Outside of LFIT, French is offered at native or near-native level at a handful of international schools, particularly Saint Maur in Yokohama and the international schools that run an IB Diploma in French as a Language A. Those routes are not full French curriculum schools though; they are international schools where French families can keep the language alive while their child sits the IB, IGCSE or American high school diploma rather than the bac.
Fees and the AEFE subsidy
LFIT tuition runs from roughly JPY 1.8 million per year in maternelle to JPY 2.6 million per year in terminale, which is notably lower than most other international schools in Tokyo because AEFE provides operational support. Families of French nationality on a confirmed expatriation may also qualify for the Bourses scolaires scheme, which offers means-tested fee assistance through the local French consulate. The application window for Bourses scolaires usually opens twice a year, in October and March. Non-French families can enrol at LFIT but do not qualify for the bursary scheme.
Add the standard one-off enrolment fee, school bus contracts, lunch programme and trips. Total annual outgoings for a non-bursary family in lycee sit close to JPY 3.0 million. Our Tokyo fees guide compares LFIT against the IB and American schools side by side.
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Illustrative example school
The school below is illustrative of the only full French curriculum offer in the city.
Lycee Francais International de Tokyo in Takinogawa, Kita-ku, is a co-ed school enrolling roughly 1,400 students from age three through to the baccalaureate. The school operates the standard French calendar and timetable, with French as the language of instruction and English and Japanese taught from the early years. Optional Japanese sections allow students to develop higher Japanese language proficiency. The baccalaureate is offered in the general, technological and international (Bac Francais International) streams. University outcomes from LFIT into French grandes ecoles and universities are well established.
Where French families live in Tokyo
French families in Tokyo cluster around Kagurazaka, the historic French quarter on the western edge of central Tokyo. Kagurazaka has French bakeries, bookshops and a French Institute, and it sits within a manageable commute of LFIT in Kita-ku. Iidabashi, Yotsuya and Ichigaya are common alternative neighbourhoods for the same reason. Some French families opt for Hiroo and Azabu for the embassy area, accepting a longer school bus run. LFIT itself runs a fleet of school buses serving most central neighbourhoods.
Admissions calendar
LFIT operates a single rolling admissions process aligned to the French academic year, which begins in September. Applications for the September 2026 academic year typically open in late 2025 with priority deadlines in February 2026 for the most competitive entry points, including petite section, CP and seconde. Families relocating mid-year are usually accommodated subject to space because LFIT cohort sizes flex to meet the resident French community.
If you are committing to LFIT for the September 2026 academic year, aim to submit your application by February 2026. For families on a confirmed posting, apply as soon as the move dates are signed off so the school can plan its cohort.
What happens if LFIT does not suit your family
Because LFIT is effectively the only full French curriculum school in Tokyo, families who decide against it usually move to one of three alternatives rather than commute further afield. The first is a Tokyo IB school that offers French as a Language A at IB Diploma, which keeps French academic literacy alive even though the rest of the curriculum is taught in English. K. International, Yokohama International and Saint Maur run this route in different forms.
The second is enrolment at Saint Maur in Yokohama, which has a meaningful French speaking community and offers French at native level alongside the IB Diploma. The commute from central Tokyo is long, so this option is most realistic for families who relocate to the Yokohama side of the bay for the school.
The third alternative is a Japanese international school where French is offered alongside the IB or Cambridge programme but not as the medium of instruction. This route works best for families committed to Tokyo for less than two years, where the cost of switching curriculum is lower than the cost of moving the child into a French system they will leave again quickly. Families in this group often keep up French through Saturday classes at the French Institute Tokyo, which runs supplementary French language and culture programmes for school-age children. Our relocation cost calculator helps weigh tuition against commute and rent decisions.
Frequently asked questions
How many French schools are there in Tokyo?
Just one. The Lycee Francais International de Tokyo in Kita-ku is the only school in the metropolitan area delivering the full French Education Nationale curriculum from maternelle through to the baccalaureate.
How much does LFIT cost?
Tuition runs from roughly JPY 1.8 million per year in maternelle to JPY 2.6 million per year in terminale. French families on confirmed expatriation may qualify for the means-tested Bourses scolaires bursary.
Can non-French families enrol at LFIT?
Yes. LFIT accepts students of any nationality, though instruction is in French and applicants are expected to have sufficient French language proficiency to follow the programme. Non-French families do not qualify for Bourses scolaires.
Is the French baccalaureate recognised by Japanese universities?
Yes. The French baccalaureate is recognised by Japan's leading universities for entry, and LFIT graduates regularly take up places at the University of Tokyo and Waseda alongside the more common French and European university routes.
