The British School of Paris, the BSP, was founded in 1954. It describes itself as the oldest and largest school teaching the British curriculum in France, with more than 600 pupils aged 3 to 18. It is not a bilingual school: every lesson is taught in English, except language lessons. For a family, the question is therefore less about level than about direction: this curriculum leads to British and international universities, and much less naturally to the French prépas, the two-year intensive programmes that lead to the grandes écoles.
Two campuses in Croissy-sur-Seine
The school is not in Paris. The Junior School, from nursery to the end of primary, is on rue Hans-List, and the Senior School, from Year 7 to Year 13, on quai de l'Écluse, both in Croissy-sur-Seine, in the Yvelines west of Paris. The school highlights a train journey of about 25 minutes from central Paris and runs a paid coach service from Paris and nearby towns.
The curriculum: GCSEs, then A levels
Primary follows the National Curriculum for England. In the Senior School, pupils sit GCSEs at the end of Year 11, the equivalent of the French seconde, then prepare A levels in Years 12 and 13, the equivalent of première and terminale. The BSP does not offer the IB. French is compulsory until 16. A careers and university team supports applications, through UCAS for the UK and to other countries; British expectations are covered in UCAS with the French baccalaureate, which also explains the role of predicted grades.
Choosing A levels, usually three or four subjects, commits a student as much as choosing specialities in France. A student aiming at maths, engineering or economics in the UK needs maths, and often Further Mathematics: Cambridge, for example, asks for both for its mathematics degree.
Fees for 2026-2027, from the BSP's published fee list.
Annual tuition: €21,305 in Nursery, €27,027 in Reception, €28,091 in Years 1-2, €29,540 in Years 3-6, €32,569 in Years 7-9, €34,100 in Years 10-11 and €35,087 in Years 12-13. These include textbooks, day trips, examination fees and careers support.
On registration, once only: a €1,500 registration fee and an €8,240 development fund contribution, both non-refundable. There is no application fee.
On top: compulsory curriculum trips in Years 5 to 9, from €421 to €1,751, and the coach, from €1,910 to €4,456 a year depending on zone and journey.
For a new pupil joining Year 7, the first year therefore comes to €44,060 before transport: €32,569 in tuition, €1,751 in trips and the €9,740 paid once on registration. In annual tuition alone, that is more than three times the price of a state-contracted bilingual school such as the EIB.
How admission works
Applications go through a two-part online form. The school asks for the last two years of school reports and the results of any standardised tests taken elsewhere, and meets the family for an interview. Pupils can start at any point in the year.
Perfect English is not required. During the visit, the child takes a short English placement test; depending on the result, the school offers English as an Additional Language lessons within the timetable, an hour and a half a week in Years 7 to 9 and two and a half hours in Years 10 and 11. More intensive support, for the least advanced pupils, is charged separately.
Which student is it for?
The BSP suits an English-speaking family, or a family whose child is clearly aiming at university in the UK or the English-speaking world. For a French student who might return to a prépa, A levels move away from the French syllabus, in maths especially: a British international section in a French lycée keeps both doors open. I compare these options in Choosing an international school in Paris.
At Carmine, we help families choose between these schools and prepare the application; our School admissions page describes this support. For maths, at GCSE or A level, I teach students in private lessons, in English or French.