The International School of Paris, ISP, and Marymount are often mentioned together: two private English-language schools a few kilometres apart, with similar fees. Yet they do not meet the same need. ISP takes a child from nursery to the end-of-school diploma. Marymount currently stops at 14, which means planning what comes next.
ISP: the IB from start to finish, in the 16th
ISP teaches all three IB programmes: the Primary Years Programme from nursery to Grade 5, the Middle Years Programme from Grade 6 to Grade 10, then the Diploma Programme in Grades 11 and 12, the equivalent of the French première and terminale. It is spread over three campuses in the 16th arrondissement: rue du Ranelagh for primary, rue Cortambert for Grades 6 to 9, rue Beethoven for Grades 10 to 12. It is a not-for-profit school.
English is what decides admission to the upper grades. For Grades 11 and 12, the school recommends a B2 level, and it requires non-native applicants, or those coming from a non-English-speaking school, to show documented B1 level in all four skills, through a recognised test such as Cambridge B2 First, TOEFL or IELTS. A student admitted to Grade 10 without sufficient academic English may have to take private English lessons, and must reach the required level before moving up to Grade 11.
Marymount: an international Catholic school up to age 14
Marymount is on boulevard de la Saussaye in Neuilly-sur-Seine. It is an independent Catholic school, open to families of all faiths, which describes itself as the only international Catholic school in France. It takes children from 2 to 14, up to Grade 8, the equivalent of the French quatrième. English is the language of instruction, and the middle school offers a dual-language pathway for French-speaking students.
The school is opening a Grade 9 in September 2027. Beyond that, students must move to another school, and in Grade 8 Marymount holds information sessions on the possible pathways: IB, the French brevet, the American diploma. A family joining Marymount for middle school must therefore decide early which direction upper secondary will take: that decision tells them whether to keep a foot in the French system.
Fees for 2026-2027, from both schools' published schedules.
ISP: €25,500 from Nursery to Pre-K, €31,100 in Kindergarten, €31,400 from Grade 1 to Grade 5, €36,500 from Grade 6 to Grade 9, €39,000 from Grade 10 to Grade 12. On entry: a €1,200 application fee and a €10,000 entry fee from Grade 1, both non-refundable.
Marymount: €23,250 from age 2 to 4, €27,250 from 4 to 5, €34,000 in Kindergarten, €34,400 from Grade 1 to Grade 5, €38,500 from Grade 6 to Grade 8. On entry: a €1,400 application and registration fee and a €12,400 capital assessment; then €500 re-enrolment each year. Bus and lunch extra.
For a student joining Grade 6, the equivalent of the French sixième, the first year therefore comes to €47,700 at ISP and €52,300 at Marymount, before bus and lunch.
How admission works
Both schools use the same online platform, OpenApply, and accept applications all year round, subject to places. ISP starts reviewing files for the following September in December or January, then on a rolling basis; tests and interviews are not standard, but it may invite a candidate if the file is not enough. Marymount recommends applying in January or February for September entry. For middle school, it requires an interview with the Head of School, in person or by video, and may ask for writing and maths samples.
In both cases, documents in a language other than English or French must be translated, and current-year school reports weigh heavily.
How we help
At Carmine, we help families choose between these schools, other international schools and the international sections of French lycées, then prepare the application and, if needed, the interview; our School admissions page describes this support. The full comparison is in Choosing an international school in Paris. For maths, in the IB or an English-language curriculum, I teach students in private lessons.