Lycee Franco-Mexicain Maternelle

At a glance

Curriculum and early years

The maternelle follows the French early years programme that opens the French curriculum, taking children through petite section, moyenne section and grande section between the ages of three and six. It is run by the Lycee Franco-Mexicain, so children who start here continue straight into the primary school and on towards the French Baccalaureat without changing institution.

French maternelle is built around play, language, early number sense, motor skills and learning to live together, rather than formal reading and writing. At a bilingual school in Mexico City, those years do something specific: they immerse very young children in French while Spanish grows naturally alongside, so most children leave the early years comfortable in both languages before formal literacy begins. Teachers are trained in the French system, and the programme mirrors what a child of the same age would meet in a maternelle in France.

For relocating families, the early years are often the easiest point to join a French school, because young children pick up a new language quickly and the curriculum is consistent across the AEFE network. Families weighing the early years here against other options can see how the school sits among the more affordable international schools in Mexico City.

Lycee Franco-Mexicain Maternelle fees

Maternelle tuition sits at the lower end of the Lycee Franco-Mexicain range, which falls within the mid band for Mexico City international school fees. As an AEFE school the lycee is usually more affordable than the premium British and American schools, and early years fees are lower than the senior years. Current figures are published on the school's official website.

Alongside tuition, plan for the usual early years extras. A registration fee normally applies when a place is accepted, with an annual charge to confirm a returning place. Many families also budget for lunch, optional transport across the city and the materials young children get through quickly.

Admissions

The school year follows the Mexican calendar, with the main intake in August. Early years places are among the first to fill, so families are advised to enquire well ahead of the year they hope to start. Places are considered through the year where a class has space, which helps families arriving mid year.

For the youngest children, assessment is informal. The school usually meets the family and observes the child rather than testing, and looks at whether the child is ready to settle into a group setting. Because the maternelle leads into the bilingual structure of the main school, staff also note a child's exposure to French and Spanish when planning the start.

Location and who goes there

Early years classes run on the Lycee Franco-Mexicain campuses in Mexico City, in Polanco in the north of the city and in Coyoacan in the south. Families usually choose the campus closest to home, which matters most in the early years when daily drop off and pick up shape the routine.

The maternelle community reflects the wider school: French nationals posted to Mexico, mixed French and Mexican households and Mexican families who want a French start for their children. Because diplomatic and corporate postings bring new arrivals each year, the early years classes are used to welcoming children who join from French schools elsewhere in the world.

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