Lyon schools: a French international section or English-medium ISL?

The decisive difference is not simply public versus private. Cité Scolaire Internationale de Lyon, at 2 Place de Montréal in Gerland, follows the French system. International School of Lyon, at 80 Chemin du Grand Roule in Sainte-Foy-lès-Lyon, offers an English-medium curriculum from age three.

Both are day-school options. Compare the actual journey from your proposed home, including collection after activities. Neither address should be treated as a generic “central Lyon” campus.

CSI: substantial French study alongside a strong section language

CSI is the more relevant choice if you want a French school career while maintaining another language at an advanced level. Its nine international sections do not turn the school into a wholly English-medium institution.

For the Anglophone Section, admissions guidance requires age-appropriate native-level English and readiness for demanding bilingual study. Priority goes first to partner-institution families, then to non-French-speaking arrivals from abroad, French-speaking arrivals from abroad, and other applicants already in France. Passing language tests is not a guarantee of admission.

The section’s 2026/27 application process is closed. Ask the administration about your intended entry year or any exceptional late availability. Do not reuse the old calendar as a new application window.

Public schooling does not make the Anglophone Section free. Its association charges annual fees alongside the state provision. The 2026/27 tables put family-funded primary and collège tuition at €2,438; employer-funded tuition is €4,145, including partial reimbursement.

In Première and Terminale, the French international baccalaureate (BFI) section fees are €3,414 for families or €5,804 with employer funding. The BFI is a French qualification, not the IB Diploma. A 10% payment is part of the annual fee, not an additional 10%; application, meals, transport and some activities add costs.

ISL: English-medium continuity, with a different fee structure

ISL is the stronger comparison for a child continuing English-medium education. Its sequence is the IB Primary Years Programme, a school-designed middle-school curriculum, Cambridge IGCSE examinations, then the IB Diploma or ISL’s own High School Diploma. Do not describe the middle years as an authorised IB MYP programme.

The 2026/27 terms require no prior English in primary, but a minimum level from Grade 6. Required English support in Grades 2–10 costs €650 per trimester.

For Grades 11–12, annual tuition is €18,024 for the first or second privately funded child, or €21,208 with company support. The private rate requires evidence that no employer pays any part. Without the required forms, the company rate applies.

Application costs €500. The non-refundable capital charge is €3,750 in primary or €5,000 in secondary. Request a complete first-year quotation, including any learning support, before comparing ISL with CSI’s section-only fees.

Use the Lyon overview for both profiles and the France guide for the broader system.

Friendly orientation, not formal admissions advice. Always confirm dates with the school.