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The French curriculum, built around the Baccalauréat and delivered through more than 580 Lycée Français schools in 139 countries, is one of the most geographically widespread school systems on earth. Whether you are a French family relocating for work, a local family drawn to its bilingual reputation, or simply comparing options for children who may move again, the differences in grading, subject load and university pathways are worth understanding before you commit.
Quick Comparison: French vs UK vs US Curriculum
| French (AEFE) | British (Cambridge) | American (AP/Diploma) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age range | Maternelle–Terminale (ages 3–18) | Year 1–13 (ages 5–18) | K–12 (ages 5–18) |
| Key qualifications | Brevet (Grade 9), Baccalauréat | IGCSE, A Level | High School Diploma, SAT/ACT |
| Assessment style | End-of-year written exams, oral defence | Mixed: exams + coursework | GPA + standardised testing |
| Subject load (final years) | 7–9 subjects to Bac, narrowing via 3 specialities | 3–4 A Levels | Flexible, credit-based |
| University recognition | Automatic in France; Parcoursup-based | Global | Global |
| Strengths | Breadth, written rigour, bilingual options | Independent thinking, breadth | Flexibility, college-level AP courses |
Schools shown for informational purposes only. doris does not rank or promote any school.
What Is the French Curriculum?
The French curriculum is set by the Ministry of National Education and delivered abroad through the Agence pour l'Enseignement Français à l'Étranger (AEFE), alongside the Mission Laïque Française network. Unlike British or American schools abroad, which typically operate as independent institutions, AEFE schools remain formally linked to mainland France. Content, teacher qualifications and assessment standards stay aligned wherever the school is located, which matters for families who expect to move between postings or return to France partway through their child's schooling.
Most Lycée Français schools outside France run bilingual sections, teaching a meaningful share of the timetable in English or the local language. Many also offer the OIB, the Baccalauréat's international option, which layers an additional literature and history syllabus taught in a partner language on top of the standard French Bac.
What Is the Difference Between the French and UK Curriculum?
British qualifications allow more coursework and subject narrowing. A Sixth Form student typically studies three or four A Levels in depth. A French Terminale student instead sits the Baccalauréat across the bulk of the curriculum, choosing three specialities in Première rather than dropping to a handful of subjects entirely. The result is breadth rather than depth: French graduates arrive with a wider general education, but less sustained focus in any one subject than an A Level student. For families weighing both systems side by side, the IB vs British curriculum guide on doris is a useful reference point.
What Is the Difference Between the French and US Curriculum?
The American system runs on GPA and credit accumulation, with students able to pick AP courses in their strongest subjects from Grade 9 onward. The French Bac is sat as a single, largely fixed programme with limited room to specialise before Première. French pupils applying to US universities will usually need SAT or ACT scores alongside their Bac results, since American admissions offices are less familiar with French grading conventions than with their own.
Year Group Conversion
| French Grade | UK Year | US Grade | Typical Age |
|---|---|---|---|
| CP | Year 2 | Grade 1 | 6–7 |
| CM2 | Year 6 | Grade 5 | 10–11 |
| 3e | Year 10 | Grade 9 | 14–15 |
| 2nde | Year 11 | Grade 10 | 15–16 |
| Terminale | Year 13 | Grade 12 | 17–18 |
Schools shown for informational purposes only. doris does not rank or promote any school.
Why Families Choose the French Curriculum
For French families, the appeal is often continuity: children can move between postings in over 130 countries and stay on the same curriculum, sitting the same Baccalauréat at the end regardless of where they are living. This kind of continuity matters for the wider wellbeing of children who move countries repeatedly, a topic covered in doris's guide to raising children abroad. For non-French families, the pull is usually the bilingual model. Sections that split the timetable between French and English or the local language, from nursery age onward, give children genuine dual-language fluency rather than a single foreign-language class bolted onto an otherwise monolingual day.
The Bac's automatic pathway into French higher education via Parcoursup is also a factor for families who expect their child to study in France eventually, or who value a national exam that carries clear, predictable weight at home.
What Do Families Actually Give Up by Choosing the French System?
The breadth that defines the French Bac cuts both ways. A Terminale student carries more subjects for longer than an A Level peer, which some families find demanding rather than rewarding, particularly for a child who already knows their strongest interest. Entry into a French-medium classroom without existing French can also be genuinely difficult from Collège onward; most schools offer FLE (Français Langue Étrangère) support at primary level, but options narrow considerably by age 11.
Families anticipating US university applications should also budget time for SAT or ACT preparation alongside the Bac, since the two systems do not map onto each other automatically. Families likely to move repeatedly between English-speaking postings sometimes find the IB or IGCSE offers more portability than a Bac-only track. The IB vs British curriculum guide on doris covers this comparison in more depth.
French Curriculum Schools on doris
On doris, you can search by country and city, then filter by curriculum to find French curriculum schools near wherever your family is headed.
| School | Location | About |
|---|---|---|
| International French School (Singapore) | Ang Mo Kio, Singapore | Formerly Lycée Français de Singapour, this AEFE school teaches around 80 nationalities across French and bilingual French-English streams, with roughly 40% of pupils from non-French families. Fees: SGD 23,025–33,325 (approx. USD 17,050–24,685), on the lower end for Singapore as set out in doris's Singapore school fees guide. Classes are kept small, around 21 to 22 pupils, and non-native French speakers are best placed to join before age 11. |
| Lycée Condorcet, The International French School of Sydney | Maroubra, Sydney, Australia | An AEFE-affiliated school offering three diploma pathways from Year 10: the French Baccalauréat, the bilingual BFI, and the IB Diploma. Fees: AUD 38,348–47,915 (approx. USD 25,300–31,600). French is the primary language of instruction at secondary level, so English-only speakers are generally best suited to joining via the IB stream from Year 10. |
| Lycée Français de Kuala Lumpur | Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | A parent-governed, not-for-profit AEFE school with around 700 pupils from over 45 nationalities, offering a European section and an optional British international section from CP. Fees: RM 29,800–63,000 (approx. USD 6,350–13,400). One of the more affordable AEFE options in the region, in line with the wider trend covered in doris's guide to affordable schools in Southeast Asia. |
| Lycée Français International de l'AFLEC | Dubai, United Arab Emirates | Dubai's largest French school, serving over 3,000 students from more than 300 nationalities across two campuses. Fees: AED 28,811–60,931 (approx. USD 7,850–16,600). KHDA-rated Outstanding, with strong bilingual French-English provision from the early years, though waitlists at popular entry points can run long. |
Schools shown for informational purposes only. doris does not rank or promote any school.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the French Baccalauréat recognised by UK universities? Yes. UK universities accept the Bac, generally treating a good overall average as broadly comparable to strong A Level grades, though offer thresholds vary by institution and course.
Can a child join a Lycée Français without speaking French? Yes, particularly at Maternelle and early Primary, where many schools have dedicated bilingual or FLE (Français Langue Étrangère) support. Entry gets harder from Collège onward, when academic subjects are taught almost entirely in French.
What is the difference between the Bac and the OIB? The OIB, or Option Internationale du Baccalauréat, adds an enhanced literature and history syllabus taught in a partner language, usually English. It is well regarded by international universities and demonstrates genuine bilingual competence beyond the standard Bac.
Do French Bac students need the SAT for US university applications? Yes, in most cases. US admissions offices are less familiar with French grading conventions, so SAT or ACT scores alongside Bac results strengthen an application considerably.
doris is a free, impartial international school discovery platform designed to help parents find the right international school for their children worldwide. Every school profile includes fees, curriculum, admissions, pupil numbers and more. Parents can compare schools, contact schools directly, access expert parent guides, and connect with a community of parents around the world. Start your search at doris.school.
This guide was written by Aziza F, part of the doris editorial team. doris sources school data from institutions worldwide and speaks directly with parents navigating the school search process. Fee data reflects published and publicly available information for the 2026 to 2027 academic year and is reviewed annually. External sources: Agence pour l'Enseignement Français à l'Étranger, aefe.fr, Ministère de l'Éducation Nationale, education.gouv.fr, International Baccalaureate Organisation, ibo.org.
Schools are listed for informational purposes only. doris does not rank or promote any school.