Best International Schools in Lyon: 2026 Guide for Families

Quick answer: What are the best international schools in Lyon? Lyon has four strong options: the International School of Lyon (IB, English-medium), the public Cité Scolaire Internationale with nine language sections, Ombrosa (French, IGCSE and IB tracks) and the bilingual primary Greenfield. Private 2026-27 tuition runs from about EUR 3,200 at Ombrosa to EUR 21,208 at ISL.

Last reviewed: October 2026 by Emma from ISA. Fee ranges are indicative; always confirm with the school.

Lyon is one of the few French cities where an international family can choose between a fully English-medium private school, a state-run international school that charges no tuition, and a bilingual private school with means-tested fees. That range is the main reason the question of the best international schools in Lyon has no single answer: the right school depends heavily on whether your child will continue in the French system, how long you plan to stay, and how much French the family already speaks.

For this guide we read each school's 2026-27 fee documents and admissions pages, along with the French ministry's rules on compulsory schooling and the international baccalaureate. We have kept the shortlist to four schools that cover genuinely different needs, and we explain who should look closely at each one.

Living in Lyon with children: employers, districts and the daily commute

International families come to Lyon for jobs in health research, pharmaceuticals and diagnostics, international organisations based in the city, engineering, and a growing start-up scene. The city is compact, with good metro and tram lines, but the schools are spread around the edges rather than in the centre.

The International School of Lyon is on Chemin du Grand Roule in Sainte-Foy-lès-Lyon, on the hills south-west of the city. The Cité Scolaire Internationale stands on Place de Montréal in the 7th arrondissement, in Gerland, close to the Rhône. Ombrosa's main campus is on Quai Clemenceau in Caluire-et-Cuire, along the Saône to the north, with a nursery in the 6th arrondissement. Greenfield is further up the Saône in Collonges-au-Mont-d'Or.

Families tend to cluster accordingly: the 6th arrondissement and Croix-Rousse for central living, the Monts d'Or villages and Caluire for Ombrosa and Greenfield, and Sainte-Foy, Tassin or Francheville for ISL. Crossing the city by car at 8am can take far longer than the map suggests, especially through the Fourvière tunnel, so pick the school before the flat if you can.

Which curricula exist in Lyon

International Baccalaureate: ISL is authorised for the Primary Years Programme and the Diploma Programme; Ombrosa offers the IB Diploma in its final two years.
Cambridge IGCSE: taught at ISL in Grades 9 and 10, where the school says exam fees are included in tuition, and at Ombrosa on its international track.
French national curriculum with international sections: the CSI runs nine sections leading to the Baccalauréat français international (BFI), the qualification that replaced the former OIB in 2022, according to the education ministry.
French national programmes in a bilingual private setting: Ombrosa leads to the Brevet and the Baccalauréat général, and Greenfield teaches French and English in the primary years.

The shortlist, school by school

International School of Lyon

ISL teaches in English from age 3 to 18 and says it has about 280 students from more than 45 nationalities, so classes are small by any standard. It is an IB World School for the PYP and Diploma, a registered Cambridge school, and is inspected by the French education ministry although it sits outside the national system. French is compulsory for every student, taught at native, intermediate and beginner levels.

A useful detail for budgeting: ISL publishes two price lists. The company-sponsored rate for Grades 11 and 12 in 2026-27 is EUR 21,208, while families paying privately, with a signed employer's commitment form, pay EUR 18,024. If you do not return the form, the school bills the higher rate by default.

Cité Scolaire Internationale de Lyon

The CSI is a public school complex with an elementary school, a collège and a lycée, under the Académie de Lyon. Its nine international sections are Anglophone, Arabic, German, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Polish, Chinese and Japanese, and the lycée also hosts the Franco-German ABIBAC. Entry to the sections is by admission tests; the school's own site lists test registration for the elementary school and a 2026 testing round.

Who it fits: bilingual children who will continue in French higher education or want to keep both languages at a high level. Teaching is mostly in French, with extra hours in the section language, so a child with no French will struggle. Tuition is free as in any French public school, but ask the section whether its parent association requests a contribution, and budget for the canteen.

International School Ombrosa

Ombrosa, which describes itself as a private non-profit school, takes children from age 2 and a half to 18. Students can follow French national programmes to the Brevet and the Baccalauréat général, or switch to its international track with IGCSE and then the IB Diploma; the school also lists the Academica Dual Diploma. Its fees are set on a sliding scale by number of children and the family quotient: for 2026-27, the French track costs between EUR 3,210 and EUR 6,725 a year, and the IB years between EUR 9,510 and EUR 18,425.

Who it fits: families who want a child fluent in French and English without closing either the French or the international route. Admission to secondary involves an evaluation, an interview and a file, and the school says a waiting list may be kept when places are tight.

Ecole Greenfield

Greenfield describes itself as a French-English bilingual school operating since 1988, taking children from age 2 in maternelle through the elementary years and preparing them for entry to collège. It is in Collonges-au-Mont-d'Or, which the school puts about 10 minutes from Place Bellecour, and it follows the French national programmes. Its website does not publish fees, so ask for the current schedule directly.

Who it fits: younger children whose parents want a gentle bilingual start, with the plan of moving on at 11 to Ombrosa, ISL, a CSI section or a local collège. Ask early which secondary schools its pupils usually go to.

Fees: what a year costs in Lyon in 2026-27

France has made instruction compulsory from age 3 since the 2019 law for a school of trust (loi pour une école de la confiance): from the start of the 2019 school year, the ministry says, all children aged 3, 4 and 5 are covered by the obligation. In practice this means a private nursery place for a three-year-old is a school place, and you should plan for a full year of fees from that age.

Published annual tuition, by stage:

Kindergarten: EUR 7,744 (private payer) to EUR 9,471 (company-sponsored) at ISL; within EUR 3,210 to EUR 6,725 at Ombrosa.
Primary: EUR 11,427 to EUR 13,503 at ISL; same Ombrosa range as above; free at the CSI.
Middle and IGCSE years: EUR 13,362 to EUR 18,767 at ISL; EUR 5,610 to EUR 11,875 on Ombrosa's IGCSE track.
Diploma years: EUR 18,024 to EUR 21,208 at ISL (roughly USD 21,000 to USD 25,000); EUR 9,510 to EUR 18,425 for the IB at Ombrosa.

Extras to add:

Application fee: EUR 500 at ISL, non-refundable.
Enrolment or capital fee: EUR 3,750 for primary and EUR 5,000 for secondary at ISL; EUR 190 registration in the first year at Ombrosa.
Deposit: a refundable EUR 350 library deposit at ISL.
Language support: ESOL at ISL costs EUR 650 a trimester for Grades 2 to 10 where needed.
Lunch: provided by an outside caterer at ISL from Grade 3, priced separately; canteen fees apply at the CSI and Ombrosa.
International track supplement: Ombrosa says international classes from troisième carry extra fees.
Exams: included for IB and IGCSE at ISL, except retakes; ask Ombrosa what it charges.

Tips for choosing a school in Lyon

Be honest about French. The CSI and Ombrosa expect a child to cope in French lessons; ISL does not. A twelve-year-old arriving with no French will be happier at ISL for the first year or two, and can still move to a bilingual school later.

Mind the calendar for public sections. CSI admission tests take place months before September, and a family relocating in summer may have missed them. Contact the school as soon as a move to Lyon looks likely, and ask whether places are available for mid-year entry.

Read the late-enrolment and withdrawal clauses. ISL charges 65 per cent of the annual fee for students joining after 31 December, and refunds 35 per cent of tuition on withdrawal before that date with written notice by 1 December. Small print like this matters for families on short postings.

Compare more schools across France

Lyon is only one part of the picture. To compare these schools with options elsewhere in the country, browse our ranking of the best international schools in France, with stages, curricula and family ratings for each school.

More guides to schools in Lyon

Frequently asked questions

Is there a free international school in Lyon?

Yes. The Cité Scolaire Internationale de Lyon in the 7th arrondissement is a public school, so there is no tuition. It runs nine international sections, from Anglophone to Japanese, leading to the Baccalauréat français international. Entry is by admission test, teaching is largely in French, and families still pay for the canteen.

How much does the International School of Lyon cost?

For 2026-27, ISL charges EUR 9,471 to EUR 21,208 a year at the company-sponsored rate, and EUR 7,744 to EUR 18,024 for private payers who return a signed employer's commitment form. New families also pay a EUR 500 application fee and a capital fee of EUR 3,750 for primary or EUR 5,000 for secondary.

At what age is school compulsory in France?

Since the start of the 2019 school year, under the loi pour une école de la confiance, instruction has been compulsory in France for all children from age 3. For international families in Lyon this means a three-year-old needs a school place, whether in a public école maternelle or a private nursery class such as those at ISL or Ombrosa.