Le Lycee Francais de Los Angeles

Our son started at the school when he was three. We are an American family and wanted him to learn another language and be exposed to other cultures. We do not speak French. Now, our son writes, reads and speaks perfectly in French and English. As he enters elemntary school we thought this may be the time to make a move and toured all the other private schools and we were accepted to Mirman, JTD, The Center and several others. However, the quality of the education and the gift of a child learning another language cannot be beat. We are staying at Lycee. Amazing school!!
--Submitted by a parent

My child is a K1 student a Lycee. As the year has progressed, we have become increasingly frustrated with the school. Communication about everything from curriculum to dress code to contact information for teachers and administration has been disorganized and incomplete. Much more importantly, we choose the school primarily because we wanted our child to be immersed in a second language. However, French teachers use the langugue inconsistently and seem to have little understanding of language acquision theory as applied to young children. Finially, and most concerning of all, we have observed several instances of bullying and our child has told us of numerous others. The school was dismissive when we raised concerns and has done nothing to rectify the problem.
--Submitted by a parent

perfect education. perfect structure. perfect preparation for a perfect future. you will be delighted that your child is a product of such a school
--Submitted by a parent

I have never attended a school that took so much pain to care about my decisions and future. I have been here since the start and have seen the school blossom into something amazing these last two decades. The sports program is all speed ahead. The science and math levels are solid all around. The English language and French language sections are now both great choices for a child. The administration is welcoming and the teachers have a lot more to offer than your standard American teacher. The arts are not skimped at the Lycee either. They have a state of the art theater that is open to all. Any time I had a suggestion or idea, all I had to do was speak up and a year later, bam, the administration would act upon what I said and actually improve. I have had friends leave the lycee for other American private schools and become top of their class no problem.

Our daughter has attended the Lycee since kindergarten and is now entering the 4th grade. She loves going to school every day. Actually, I have a difficult time picking her up at the end of each day. She wants to participate in all the extracurricular activities and summer camp programs just to extend her time at school. The Lycee provides a top notch education, with exceptional teachers/staff, and the most culturally diverse student body of all the LA private schools. We are American and do not speak French, -but our daughter reads, writes and speaks fluently in French. We are in love with the school!
--Submitted by a parent

I am a parent of three children at the school. My husband and I are both mono-lingual Americans. We have been extremely happy with the education our children receive. They are truly citizens of the world and are quite comfortable making friends with kids from all over the world. We like the way the kids turn out. They are well-educated, polite and curious about the world around them. We don't see the problems associated with many west-side private schools, the entitled attitude, binge drinking, drugs, etc. Great school. It's probably just as well not a lot of people know about it.
--Submitted by a parent

The Lycee Francais de Los Angeles has been an incredible multicultural and academic experience for my daughter. She is now in seventh grade and has been at the Lycee in the French section since kindergarten. My husband and I are both American but, having lived in Europe, value the riguer of the French style curriculum. There is a serious emphasis on traditional liberal arts including Latin, Poetry, and Literature. Now that the French-American Baccalaureat has been introduced, it is even more impressive because the students will get credit for 4 AP classes along with their French subjects.
--Submitted by a parent

Our daughter has been at the school for 2 years and has enjoyed every moment! She is almost 5 and is fluent in English and French - reads, writes, speaks and understands both lanaguages. The teachers are wonderful and provide a disciplined yet loving environment. As an active parent, I can personally say that the Administration is open to positive change. I've seen great things happening in the past few years and see more on the horizon. For people who wonder whether the Lycee education is geared towards the US college system, they should look at the list of college acceptances for the graduating class of 2010. It's impressive. Potential parents should go to an open house this year and see the school for themselves. The dream my husband and I have for our daughter is for her to be multi-lingual, open-minded, well-mannered and challenged is being fulfilled here.
--Submitted by a parent

For anyone who has doubts that grads from Le Lycee can attend a good American university, attend gradation. In 2010 the three valedictorians were all women, all fluent in four languages, none of them native French speakers. One is attending Cornell in engineering, one is going to Cal Berkeley in math, and one is going to Stanford in liberal arts / archeology. How's that for proof of an excellent education - French or American? And by the way, as the working parent of two Lycee students, I love the fact that I send my kids to school and trust them to turn out well educated, well mannered, multi-lingual human beings, and that I am not required nor asked to spend any time micro-managing their classroom time.
--Submitted by a parent

A poor management focussing on the richest families. Education is not oriented towards the US college system. The education of my kid was a complete deception
--Submitted by a parent