Lycée International of St Germain-en-Laye (American Section)

The American section at Lycée International of St Germain-en-Laye is a private association within the Lycée International, a public school that is structured to receive both French and foreign students. The American Section is managed by an Executive Board elected by the parents, and by an American Director under the overall authority of the French Proviseur (Headmaster) of the Lycée.

The Lycée International has a French national curriculum centering on mathematics and the sciences, humanities and modern languages. The American Section offers complementary courses in language arts, literature, and social studies from Pre-Kindergarten to Terminale (12th year), taught by North American teachers in American Section classrooms for six to eight hours per week. All graduating students earn the OIB - the Option Internationale du Baccalauréat Français. OIB exercises are the final exams for the Lycée, often permitting advanced placement at American universities.

A co-operative program has been established in another primary school (the Ecole Schnapper) for Grades 1-5 and for the middle school, grades 6-9 at the College Marcel Roby, both in St Germain-en-Laye. American Section classes are taught there by American teachers and the curriculum is parallel to that of the Lycée. Some elementary school children are also enrolled in their local schools and attend only the language classes at the Lycée two half-days per week in an 'externé' program.

Students at Lycée International of St Germain-en-Laye whose written and spoken French is not fluent follow a program of intensive French for approximately 15 hours per week during the first year. They also study together as a group in mathematics and science and eventually integrate into their normal grade level in the Lycée for French, math, science, etc., while continuing their American grade-level curriculum throughout in English and social studies.

The Lycée International of St Germain-en-Laye school day is from 09:00 -17:00 Monday through Friday, with Wednesday afternoon free in the Primary and Middle School. A hot meal is served daily, and a wide variety of sports and cultural activities is offered, most notably primary activities and library skills and, in the secondary school, Model United Nations, drama, yearbook, current affairs magazine, student council, and various musical activities.

The main criteria for admission are academic ability, as judged by samples of English work, standardized test results, and previous school transcripts. Fluent English, but not fluent French, is required.