Lycée français René Cassin Oslo: French education, two sites and two fee rates

Lycée français René Cassin Oslo, usually called LFO, is a French day school from maternelle to Terminale. It operates on two central Oslo sites and follows the French national curriculum through the Diplôme national du brevet and Baccalauréat.

The school is part of the network of France’s Agency for French Education Abroad, AEFE, and states that it is approved by the Norwegian education authorities. It is not an IB school. Compare Oslo International School for English-medium IB study and Deutsche Schule Oslo for a German–Norwegian route.

LFO can suit both a mobile French family and a family committed to French higher education. It is a more difficult choice for a pupil entering compulsory schooling without enough French to follow classes. It also requires careful fee classification: the higher employer rate applies to a new pupil unless the family proves it receives no employer assistance.

Two sites and French year names

The official contact page gives these addresses:

• Skovveien 9, 0257 Oslo, in Frogner.
• Vulkan 11, 0178 Oslo, near Grünerløkka.

The same page currently lists 3e at both sites. Elsewhere in its contact details, it assigns 6e–4e to Skovveien and 3e–Terminale to Vulkan. Ask for the child’s site in writing; do not build a commute around an ambiguous table.

French year names can be unfamiliar. Maternelle covers preschool. Primary runs from CP to CM2. Collège runs from 6e to 3e, followed by lycée from 2nde to Terminale. The brevet is taken at the end of collège; the Baccalauréat is the final school qualification.

The school says Norwegian and English begin in the early years, with German or Spanish added in collège. The language page should be read with the timetable. Ask how much Norwegian the child would receive and at what level, especially if the family expects to stay.

This is a day school. There is no boarding.

French readiness and applications

The maternelle admissions page accepts children who do not speak French, including children living outside Oslo. A child can start from their third birthday. A child turning three between August and December may begin at the August rentrée. The child must no longer use nappies.

For CP through Terminale, applications remain open on Eduka throughout the year. The school’s admissions page says pupils need both the motivation and French level to follow the programme. It expressly makes elementary admission conditional on passing a language test. Ask how secondary French readiness is assessed.

The application fee for CP–Terminale is NOK 3,000 per submission, paid through Eduka with a PayPal account. It is non-refundable and does not guarantee a place. A new pupil also pays:

Initial payment	Amount and condition
Admission fee, CP–Terminale	NOK 2,000; non-refundable; payable within 15 days of invoice
Entry to CP from LFO’s own 2025/26 Grande Section	NOK 5,000, billed in September
Security deposit, maternelle–Terminale	NOK 2,600; refundable only on written request within three years of leaving and after all balances are settled

The ordinary NOK 2,000 admission fee is charged again when a former pupil returns after more than ten months. Confirm the exact initial charges for a new maternelle pupil, because the NOK 3,000 application fee is specifically labelled CP–Terminale.

The school admits during the academic year when a place exists. “Open throughout the year” is an application rule, not a promise of availability. We found no published wait-list length.

Maternelle hours and Norwegian registration

Maternelle families must also complete the kindergarten process on Oslo municipality’s website. The school’s main deadline for 2026/27 was 1 March 2026, although later entry may be possible.

The current admissions page says morning care opens at 07:45. Classes run 08:30–14:45, ending at 14:30 on Friday, with afternoon care to 16:45. The 2026/27 financial regulations instead say afternoon care ends at 16:40. Ask which time applies to collection.

Holiday care is offered on specified days, within a maximum school operation of 46 weeks yearly. Registration deadlines are sent by email. Late collection is charged at NOK 150 per fifteen minutes per child.

Maternelle follows Norway’s regulated maximum kindergarten price. The financial rules use NOK 1,200 per month, effective 1 January 2026 and subject to change. Oslo income and sibling reductions may apply through municipal rules. Complete both the school and municipality procedures rather than assuming LFO applies a reduction automatically.

Current legal status and support rights

LFO’s admissions pages still refer to approval under the former Education Act section 2-12. Current Udir guidance places unsubsidized private schools of this kind under section 22-1 and notes that schools approved under the former section 2-12 do not receive state subsidy.

Udir also explains the consequential limitation: pupils at these schools do not have the same statutory rights as pupils in public or state-supported private schools. The excluded rights include individual adaptation, special language instruction, Sami education and school transport.

This does not establish that LFO offers no support. Its contact page identifies wellbeing, orientation, speech-therapy and health contacts. Ask what the school itself can provide for the child, who funds it, and whether an outside municipal service remains involved. Obtain the answer before paying a non-refundable fee.

2026/27 tuition: local and employer rates

The board adopted the financial regulations on 21 January 2026. The English version says the French version controls if the two differ.

Tuition is billed in five instalments, in September, November, January, March and May. Each invoice covers two months. A temporary absence does not reduce the charge.

A family can obtain the local rate only after proving it receives no direct or indirect employer contribution towards school fees. Without that proof, a new pupil is automatically billed at the employer rate. A false declaration can lead to refusal or withdrawal of the place.

Annual tuition is:

Level	Local eldest	Local second child	Local third and later	Employer
Élémentaire	NOK 48,158	40,934	33,711	96,310
6e	52,734	44,824	36,914	119,190
5e	52,422	44,559	36,695	119,190
4e	52,526	44,647	36,768	119,190
3e	54,502	46,327	38,151	119,190
2nde	180,134	153,114	126,094	253,350
1ère	179,302	152,407	125,511	253,350
Terminale	179,094	152,230	125,366	253,350

The local sibling reductions are 15% for the second child and 30% from the third. Notice the large rise between collège and lycée. Compare the actual pupil’s level and fee category, not a single school-wide figure.

Study hall, examinations and other costs

The after-school study hall for CP–CE2 is NOK 27,000 annually, which the regulations say Oslo municipality covers after registration. For CM1–CM2 it is 21,100. A one-off session costs NOK 300, including when an unregistered child remains after class. The three-month withdrawal notice also applies to this paid service.

Basic school supplies are included, but educational trips and activities can be billed. Published examination fees are NOK 750 for the brevet, 1,500 for the early French Baccalauréat examination and 3,500 for the final Baccalauréat. The school lists higher rates for some independent candidates.

Families pay for CNED distance courses when a desired senior specialism is not offered. There is an exception when LFO discontinues a specialism between Première and Terminale for a pupil already taking it. Ask for the current senior subject list before choosing the school.

French-national pupils may apply for AEFE bursaries through the French Embassy. Fees remain due until a decision. Eligible EEA pupils whose guardians pay tax in Norway may investigate Lånekassen support. Obtain an individual decision; neither route is an automatic discount.

Withdrawal terms

Re-enrolment is automatic through Eduka. Written withdrawal generally requires three months’ notice, starting in the month after notice is received. To leave at the end of the year without liability extending into the next one, notice was due by 31 March.

If notice is late, the school can bill months in the next academic year at the pupil’s next level. A special rule limits some 3e/lycée notice calculations to the 3e rate, but it does not apply to the employer rate. When several siblings leave, the notice invoice is calculated for one child at the highest relevant level.

These terms matter for mobile families. Read the full current regulations before accepting and ask finance to calculate the liability for the expected departure date.

Our view

I would hesitate if the pupil lacks sufficient French after maternelle, needs statutory individual adaptation or relies on municipal transport. The employer-rate presumption is equally important for budgeting.

Friendly orientation, not an application. Dates, fees, and programme details move. Confirm everything with the school.