Finding the Best French International Schools in Hong Kong

FRENCH INTERNATIONAL SCHOOLS IN HONG KONG

Are you relocating to Hong Kong and looking for a school offering a French curriculum for your children? Or do you want them to learn French in a bilingual learning community? In both cases, high quality education is available in Hong Kong.

The French International School in Hong Kong - Lycée Français International de Hong Kong - (FIS) is the largest of the French schools in the city. One of Hong Kong's oldest international schools, FIS was founded in 1963 and has long been one of the city's most popular schools. FIS offers education from Nursery up to Sixth Form (3 to 18 years old) and operates four campuses (three on Hong Kong Island, one in Kowloon) with a total of over 2,600 students.

FIS offers two syllabuses: French and International:

The French Section is linked to the Agency for French Education Abroad/ "l'Agence pour l'enseignement français à l'étranger" (AEFE), and follows the programmes directed by the French Ministry of Education leading to the “diplôme national du brevet” and the French “baccalauréat”. This means that students can move, if necessary, without entry test, to a public or State-contracted private school in France or to one of the 535 AEFE schools established across the world. The Option Internationale du Baccalauréat (OIB) offering advanced-level study in English is also available.

The International Section follows a curriculum broadly based on the UK curriculum with an international focus leading to IGCSE (University of Cambridge International Examinations) examinations in Form 5, and then on to the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme.

FIS has a strong academic emphasis with highly qualified staff. It pays particular attention to language training: French, English, Mandarin, German, Latin and Spanish. FIS students typically attain high scores in their final exams and graduates are admitted to top universities worldwide. All FIS students are part of a broadly integrated learning community. The French and International learning streams share facilities, which supports the bilingual nature of the community.

Lou Pichoun is a private pre-school first established in Hong Kong in 1997 that follows the French National Curriculum. It has sites in Tseung Kwan O and Stanley and is an accredited AEFE school. Lou Pichoun offers playgroups for 13 to 24 months in French, English or Mandarin. After-school programmes are also available for children between 2 and 6 years old, and during school holidays Lou Pichoun offers camps in English, French and Mandarin.

Les Petits Lascars French International Preschool opened in 2006. It offers preschool education and its French stream follows the French National Curriculum. Students from 9 months to 6 years old learn English, French and Mandarin. The school has two campuses: one in Tseung Kwan O, which has been accredited by the AEFE, and one in Central, which, at the time of writing, is in the final stages of obtaining AEFE approval.

French speakers relocating to Hong Kong will be interested to know that Francophone education forms part of a vibrant French community in the city.