Outside Paris, "international school" covers two very different things. On one side, state schools or state-contracted private schools with international sections: the student follows the French curriculum, takes the BFI (baccalauréat français international), and schooling is free or inexpensive. On the other, private English-language schools preparing for IGCSEs, A levels or the IB, for anything from a few thousand to more than €25,000 a year. Lyon, Bordeaux and Nice have both.
Lyon
The benchmark state option is the Cité Scolaire Internationale in the 7th arrondissement, which combines a collège (lower secondary) and a lycée (upper secondary) with around ten international sections, including American, British, Chinese, Spanish, Italian and Japanese. According to the Ministry of Education's published data for 2026, the metropolitan area also has British sections at the Jean-Perrin collège and lycée, the Fénelon collège and the Externat de la Trinité lycée, and an American section at the Lycée Colbert and in Villeurbanne.
On the private side, Ombrosa is a not-for-profit school in Lyon's 6th arrondissement and in Caluire, from nursery to the end of secondary. It runs an international track preparing for IGCSEs in the last year of collège and the first year of lycée, then the IB in the final two years. Fees depend on family income and the number of children; secondary admission involves an assessment, an interview and a file.
Bordeaux
Bordeaux has no international school complex, but several lycées have international sections: American and Spanish at the Lycée François-Magendie, Russian at the Lycée Camille-Jullian, Chinese at the Lycée Nicolas-Brémontier, British at the private Assomption Sainte-Clotilde and at the Lycée Max-Linder in Libourne.
Bordeaux International School, on rue Judaïque, is a private school founded in 1987. It is bilingual up to middle school, then follows the British curriculum: IGCSEs in Years 10 and 11, International A Levels in Years 12 and 13. It does not test before age 14; beyond that, it asks for B1 English for IGCSEs and B2 for A levels, and five IGCSE passes to enter A level.
Nice and the Riviera
The best-known state option is the Centre International de Valbonne in Sophia-Antipolis, with an international collège and lycée hosting several sections. In Nice itself, the Lycée Masséna has Arabic and Portuguese sections and the Joseph-Vernier collège five sections; the private Institut Fénelon in Grasse has a British section at collège and lycée level.
The International School of Nice, on avenue Claude-Debussy, is a private English-language school from nursery to Grade 12, with IGCSEs followed by the IB Diploma Programme.
Private school fees for 2026-2027, from their published schedules.
Ombrosa (Lyon): €3,210 to €6,725 a year depending on family income and siblings, outside the international track; on the international track, €5,610 to €11,875 in the IGCSE years, €9,510 to €18,425 in the IB years. Registration fee: €190.
Bordeaux International School: from €7,890 in nursery to €16,290 at A level, plus €680 for equipment. On entry: a €680 registration fee for the first child, a €1,200 capital fund per family, and a security deposit of €2,600 to €5,200 depending on level.
International School of Nice: from €11,700 for the youngest to €25,884 in Grades 11 and 12. On entry, from Grade 1: a €690 application fee, a €3,500 admission fee and €2,000 for the Excellence Fund, €6,190 in all for a first child.
How to choose
The deciding question is the same as in Paris: where will the child go to university? An international section keeps the French baccalauréat, and with it the French prépas and degree programmes, alongside strong English and a diploma recognised abroad. An English-language school leading to A levels or the IB prepares better for British or international universities, but moves away from the French syllabus, in maths especially. I compare these logics in BFI or IB and British international sections in French schools.
At Carmine, we work remotely with families across France and abroad: choosing the school, preparing the file and the tests. Our School admissions page describes this support. For maths, whether BFI, IGCSE, A level or IB, I teach online private lessons.