Moving to Paris with kids: schools, areas and paperwork

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

Most advice on moving to Paris with kids starts with the flat. In practice the school decides the address: many of the city's international schools sit in western districts and suburbs, and a school run that crosses the city at rush hour wears thin within weeks.

The paperwork has its own calendar too. French state schools register pupils through the town hall months before the school year starts, international schools ask for deposits soon after an offer, and parents from outside the European Economic Area need their own residence papers before the children's can follow. This guide puts the three decisions in order: where to live, which kind of school, and what to file.

Where do families with children live in Paris?

The western half of the city and the inner western suburbs hold most international school places, so that is where most relocating families look first.

• 15th and 7th arrondissements: residential Left Bank districts with parks and good metro links. ICS Paris is at 23 rue de Cronstadt, near Convention on metro line 12, and École Jeannine Manuel's Paris campus is at 70 rue du Théâtre, both in the 15th.
• 16th arrondissement and Neuilly-sur-Seine: residential districts beside the Bois de Boulogne. ICS Paris lists both among the areas where its families live.
• Boulogne-Billancourt and Issy-les-Moulineaux: suburbs just outside the périphérique, also on the ICS Paris list; the school offers a door-to-door shuttle service.
• Saint-Germain-en-Laye and Maisons-Laffitte: towns west of Paris beside the Saint-Germain forest, linked to the centre by the RER A. Ermitage International School Paris is at 46 avenue Eglé in Maisons-Laffitte.

Our step-by-step guide to international school admissions in Paris explains how waiting lists differ between these areas.

Which kind of school suits an expat child?

There are three routes, and they differ in language, cost and how easily a child can move on.

• Private international schools: English-medium, usually IB or British; at ICS Paris tuition starts at €20,994 a year. They suit families likely to move on to another country.
• Bilingual private schools under contract with the state: they follow the French national curriculum with extra English and charge lower fees. They suit families settling for longer.
• French state schools: free tuition, with sections internationales in some collèges and lycées. Entry to a 2de international section is by file and a written and oral exam, according to ONISEP. In the final two years these lead to the BFI, which has replaced the OIB, with 18 language sections including British and American.

Children over 6 who arrive with little French are assessed by specialist teachers and placed in an ordinary class or in a UPE2A unit for newly arrived pupils, says Service Public.

Three schools to compare

ICS Paris

ICS Paris offers the full IB continuum, from Nursery to the IB Diploma, for ages 3 to 18, and says its community spans more than 70 nationalities. Teaching is mainly in English, with French classes alongside. For 2026-27 annual tuition runs from €20,994 in Nursery to €32,976 in Grade 10, which includes five IGCSE exams. New families add a €750 application fee, a €3,000 registration fee from Grade 1 and a €3,750 development fund, so the school's own first-year estimate for Grades 1 to 5 is €32,259.

École Jeannine Manuel

Founded in 1954, École Jeannine Manuel is a French bilingual school that has been under contract with the state for more than 60 years. Its students finish with either the BFI or the IB Diploma, and it reports students of 80 nationalities. Because of the state contract, fees are far lower: €10,260 a year in primary, €11,185 in collège and €10,275 in the BFI lycée for 2026-27, plus a €1,650 first registration fee. A five-day lunch plan costs €1,508 a year, and a deposit of one third of annual tuition secures a new place.

Ermitage International School Paris

Ermitage, in Maisons-Laffitte, runs two tracks on one site: a French bilingual programme and an IB programme from the PYP to the Diploma, with five-day or seven-day boarding from age 11. For 2026-27 IB day tuition is €16,200 in the PYP, €24,950 in MYP 1 to 3 and €28,950 in the Diploma, plus a €3,500 development fee for new pupils. The French bilingual track costs €7,500 in primary and €8,300 in the final two lycée years. Intensive English support is €4,500 a year where the school assesses it is needed.

How much does schooling cost by area?

The table matches each area with the schools families from that area commonly use and the published 2026-27 tuition.

Source: 2026-27 fee schedules published by ICS Paris, École Jeannine Manuel and Ermitage International School Paris; day tuition only, before lunch, transport and one-off fees. For a full breakdown of extras, see our guide to international school fees in Paris.

How do you enrol a child in a French state school?

Registration starts at the mairie, not at the school. Service Public sets out the steps:

1. Register at the mairie of your commune (in Paris, the town hall of your arrondissement) with ID for you and your child and a recent proof of address. A sworn statement is accepted for the address.
2. Do it by June before the school year at the latest; most towns open registration in March, some earlier.
3. If your child is 6 or over, attend the assessment of French, other languages and earlier schooling that decides the class.
4. Collect the certificat d'inscription naming the school and take it there with proof of compulsory vaccinations.

Foreign civil documents, such as birth certificates, must come with a translation by an approved translator.

What residence papers do parents and children need?

Adults from outside the European Economic Area and Switzerland need a long-stay visa or a residence permit to stay more than 3 months, says Service Public; EEA and Swiss citizens do not. The permit requirement applies to adults. To travel abroad and return to France, a foreign child resident in France needs a passport plus a document de circulation pour étranger mineur (DCEM), requested by a parent holding a valid permit. It lasts up to 5 years and costs €50 in tax stamps, free for children of a European parent. A school certificate counts as proof that the child lives in France, so enrol first.

When does the French school year run in 2026-27?

Paris and its suburbs follow the Zone C calendar. For 2026-27 the Ministry of Education sets these holidays (dates are the first day off and the day classes resume):

• Autumn: 17 October to 2 November 2026
• Christmas: 19 December 2026 to 4 January 2027
• Winter: 6 to 22 February 2027
• Spring: 3 to 19 April 2027
• Summer: from 3 July 2027

International schools set their own term dates, so check both calendars before booking flights.

Compare schools across Île-de-France

To widen the search beyond these three, see our ranking of the best international schools in Île-de-France.

Sources: Service Public (school registration for children arriving from abroad, residence permits, DCEM); Ministry of Education Zone C calendar 2026-27; ONISEP (BFI and sections internationales); 2026-27 fee schedules and websites of ICS Paris, École Jeannine Manuel and Ermitage International School Paris.

More guides to schools in Paris

• Best international schools in Paris
• International school admissions in Paris
• Bilingual schools in Paris
• How to choose an international school in Paris
• International school fees in Paris
• best international schools in Île-de-France

Frequently asked questions

Is school compulsory from age 3 in France?

Yes. Service Public states that a child living in France must be enrolled in school from age 3, and the rule applies whatever the family's nationality. For a state school you register at the mairie, by June before the school year at the latest, then confirm the place at the school with the mairie's certificate and proof of compulsory vaccinations.

Can my child join a French state school without speaking French?

Yes. When you register, a child aged 6 or over is assessed by specialist teachers on French, other languages and earlier schooling. Depending on the result, the child joins an ordinary class, possibly with classmates up to two years apart in age, or a UPE2A unit for newly arrived pupils. Children under 6 join an ordinary maternelle class. The mairie then issues the certificate naming the school.

What is the BFI and has it replaced the OIB?

Yes. Since the start of the 2022 school year the international option of the baccalauréat has become the Baccalauréat Français International (BFI), first examined in 2024. It runs over the last two lycée years in 18 language sections, including British and American. Admission is by file and a language test, unless the pupil comes from an international 2de section.