Paris offers relocating families an unusually wide spread of routes, from fully English medium international schools through genuinely bilingual schools to the French state system with its selective international sections. The right choice depends heavily on how long you expect to stay and how much French immersion suits your child, which is why most parents spend their early weeks weighing routes rather than hunting for places.
The school landscape in Paris
The fully international option is led by International School of Paris, a central IB World School running the full continuum in English. Ecole Jeannine Manuel is a celebrated bilingual French and English school that blends the French tradition with the IB, while The British School of Paris follows the English National Curriculum to A Level in the western suburbs. Alongside these, the French state system offers sections internationales, selective bilingual streams within state schools, which are free and academically strong but require a working level of French. The route you choose should follow your expected length of stay and your child's appetite for immersion.
How to move to Paris with children, step by step
Relocating with school aged children rewards early planning. These five steps mirror how the GlobalSchoolGuide relocation desk sequences a family move, so nothing critical slips through the gaps between the offer, the housing search and the first day of term.
- Set your relocation timeline. Fix your move date against the school start and work backwards, allowing several months for shortlisting and applications in Paris.
- Shortlist and apply to schools. Match three schools in Paris to your child's age, curriculum and budget, then apply early because popular year groups fill first.
- Confirm fees and admissions. Request the current fee schedule and admissions requirements directly from each school, since published figures are reset every academic year.
- Choose a neighbourhood near school. Pick housing within a reasonable commute of your shortlisted school, because in Paris your address and travel time shape your options.
- Settle the practical set up. Arrange residency, banking, health cover and the physical move, and time everything to the school calendar so your child starts with the year group.
Fees and budgeting
Fees vary widely by route. Fully private international schools sit in the upper European band and rise through the senior years, bilingual private schools occupy a broad middle, and the French state sections internationales are free aside from modest costs. Published schedules at private schools change each year and places in the state international sections are limited and selective, so confirm current fees and, for the state route, admissions requirements directly before you plan around them.
Neighbourhoods and housing
Families using The British School of Paris often settle in the western suburbs around Saint Germain en Laye and Croissy, which shorten the commute to that campus and offer family housing with green space. Those using central schools such as the International School of Paris favour the western arrondissements, while families choosing the state route follow the catchment of the specific school offering an international section. Central housing is expensive and compact, so match the neighbourhood to the school before you sign a lease.
Language and settling in
French is the official language and the medium of the state system and of daily life, though English is widely spoken in international circles. Children entering French schools receive language support and younger children typically reach a working level within about two years. Families expecting a short posting usually choose the fully international stream to protect continuity, while those settling longer often value the deep French immersion the bilingual and state routes provide.
Curriculum continuity
Curriculum continuity matters most for families who move often or who have a child near public examinations. The International School of Paris anchors its senior years in the IB Diploma and the British School in A Levels, both of which are recognised worldwide, so a child mid stream can usually continue without losing ground. The French state route leads to the French baccalaureate, an excellent and portable qualification for those settling but a harder pivot for a family expecting another posting into an English medium system. Our IB curriculum overview explains how the Diploma travels.
Residency, healthcare and admin
On the practical side, non European families arrange the appropriate long stay visa and residence permit, the titre de sejour, while European nationals face a lighter process. Register for French health cover, the assurance maladie, and most families add a top up mutuelle. Opening a bank account, securing housing and confirming the school offer in the right order keeps the settling in manageable, since several steps depend on a French address and identity documents.
The admissions timeline
The school year, the rentree, begins in early September and the calendar is national, so plan around it. Private international schools admit through the year subject to space, but popular year groups fill early. Places in the state sections internationales are selective and allocated well ahead, often requiring a French language assessment, so if that route interests you begin much earlier than you would for a private school.
Is Paris a good place to raise children?
Paris rewards families who learn its rhythms, with world class museums, parks and a culture that takes children seriously in cafes and public life. Distances within the city are short and public transport is excellent, though family housing is compact by international standards. Many relocating parents find the city opens up once the school and the paperwork are settled.
Frequently asked questions
Are there international schools in Paris that teach in English?
Yes. The International School of Paris runs a full English medium IB continuum, The British School of Paris follows the English National Curriculum to A Level, and several bilingual schools such as Ecole Jeannine Manuel teach in both French and English.
What is a section internationale?
It is a selective bilingual stream within a French state school that teaches part of the curriculum in a partner language, including English. These sections are free aside from modest costs but require a working level of French and are allocated through a competitive process well ahead of the school year.
How much do international schools in Paris cost?
Fully private international schools sit in the upper European band and rise through the senior years, bilingual private schools occupy a broad middle, and the state sections internationales are effectively free. Confirm current fees and, for the state route, admissions requirements directly.
Which neighbourhoods work best for families?
The western suburbs around Saint Germain en Laye suit The British School of Paris, the western arrondissements suit central international schools, and families choosing the state route follow the catchment of the specific school. Match the area to the school before committing to housing.
When should we start the school search?
As soon as the move is confirmed for private schools, where popular year groups fill early. If you are considering a state section internationale, start much earlier, because places are selective, require a French assessment and are allocated well ahead of the September rentree.
Plan your move
Use these free tools and guides to turn this overview into a shortlist and a working plan for your family's move to Paris.