Le Lycee Francais de los Angeles in Burbank, California

“We have arrived from Europe and we are not French. Our first attempt it was to send her to 'good' public school. Well the school was very nice and friendly, and all children happy together with their parents, who also were friendly... We have decided to move her out of there as soon as we understood that she is slowly forgetting it all from the previous school in England.. The happy american children with great sports activities and other happy things they do are lucking structure and theoretical understanding... They may figure it out one day or not, and if not nobody cares and they do not care because they do not know any different...It is so very sad. The Lycee was only option for us. Your children will have to work there and the fitting into the culture is more challenging than wearing trendy clothes”
This review was posted by a parent.

“My son, who is now 14, has been attending the Lycee since he was 3 years old. I feel we are getting a world class education for the tuition we pay. The tuition, by the way, is reasonable in comparison to other schools (Brentwood, Harvard Westlake, Buckley). The class size is 20 or less students per teacher. There is a brand new high-school campus, that while it may be lacking in sports fields or rolling lawns of other private schools, is modern and well equipped. Finally, my child appreciates the sense of community at the school that he is a part of. I do not agree with everything about the school and would like to see improvemnets in gap between the quality of some of the teachers. Overall, we are fortunate to have our child at the school.”
This review was posted by a parent.

“Le Lycee Francais de Los Angeles is a great bilingual school.”
This review was posted by a parent.

“About a month ago I attended a meeting where Western Association of School and Colleges visiting committee report on the school. It is a school that has been frequently praised by both American and French educational oversight organizations. This mirrors my experience as a parent of 8 years. It is a unique school and probably not for everyone, but there is a real caring and a real passion at this international school. It is clearly one of the more challenging schools around and one must be up for the challenge to consider it. If you are looking for a cookie cutter school, this probably isn't it. If you are looking for a unique experience with highly qualified teachers, you've found it.”
This review was posted by a parent.

“We have had out two children at the Lycee for 5 years and the good far outweighs the 'bad'. Our children speak three languages; yes, there are few sports and there isn't any 'green' space, but we live in Southern California and all kids in L.A. do sports outside of school anyway! They would NEVER get this type of bilingual education elsewhere. It's not for the feint of heart, but for families who want to expose their child to culture, diversity, and excellence. Our kids work very hard and many people who leave are simply not up to the challenge! It's true that the administration has a lot to learn about how to treat parents (they forget we're paying clients!) and some teachers yell too much, but we feel like our kids have learned to deal with adversity and can face many challenges. And they leave knowing so many, many things...”
This review was posted by a parent.

“The Lycee Francais de Los Angeles is not a good school. I don't like it at all and I've been going there since I was three. The school itself has about 35 children per grade, which is much too small. You don't get the 'social' atmosphere that you get at many other schools. Some of the teachers are absolutely horrible, prefering students and that don't explain anything, but the only good part is the english department. The english at the school is amazing. All fanastic teachers for english classes. The school campus is terrible, there is no sports field or gym whatsoever, even for the High School, and when we have sports which is only once a week, we must walk 45 minutes each way. There is no cafeteria and the lockers, even for high schoolers are the size of 'cubbies'. I don't recommend this school and if you don't fitin,thenyoudon'thaveanyfriends.”
This review was posted by a student.

“I think the Lycee is overrated. I have been going there since I was three, and I can say that besides the french, the school isn't that nice. We have some interesting classes in high school, such as philosophy and economics, but for middle school, it just isn't that fun. The teachers are very nice and the student population is small, but almost too small. If someone is looking for a school that has a social atmosphere to it, I would not recommend le Lycee.”
This review was posted by a student.

“as a former student, i can say that it's just a huge, substandard, sham of a school. the the students are great, international and diverse. besides that, there is nothing redeeming about the school or my experience there. the administration is punitive and arrogant, the teachers tend to be either genuine/brilliant or unqualified/ rude (the norm leaning towards the latter of the two). taking APs at this school is nearly impossible, as you are required to take both the normal level class during the day and the AP after school, and do tests and homework for both. the athletics are poor at best, and the arts program is quite literally nonexistent for the american section. there is no positive conditioning, no rewards, no motivation to succeed at the school. the system stamped any motivation or academic promise out of me and left me incompetent. thank god i transfered.”
This review was posted by a student.

“My daughter has been enrolled at Le Lycee since she was three years old. After three years at Le Lycee (two years in pre-school and kindergarten) she is 90% fluent in French. Le Lycee has a strong discipline structure but a loving environment. They had five kindergarten classes, keeping the class size small, 10-13 students per class with two teachers (English--one hour a day and French). My daughter absolutely loves the school. As a parent, getting use to a different culture was harder for me than my child. The French people are very direct, appears to be not friendly but that is a French demeanor. The teachers are very interested in your child's education and will contact you as soon as a problem arise. The Principal knows every child's name (over a hundred kids at the Pico Campus--Kindergarten and first grade). This is a great opportunity for any child.”
This review was posted by a parent.

“This school is out of touch with the 'modern' style of teaching. They are promoting a end of 20th century type of dicipline and at the same time forgetting to provide a good quality of education. For the price one pays it is outrageous . I had two children who graduated and were completley unprepared for their transition to College or University. Their is no support provided by the counceler . The children are mostly miserable in this environment. I also had a child attending 2 years of preK and I witness so much disfunction on the administration side that I took him out.”
This review was posted by a parent.

“As a student of the lycee i can honestly say that the level at this school is outrageous! This year I passed an american test which i failed due to my lack of trainning in all American subjects. Otherwise, our principal does not seem to be intrested our problems and simply ignores us until the issue is brought to a higher authorities. The school seems to be taking our money and promissing results that will never be seen!”
This review was posted by a student.

“My kids are going to this school for 3 years now and I saw the difference from over schools. The School Community Forum allows exchange with the Administration and proposal for new directions, activities, etc... the communication between teachers/admins and parents is straight and is not oriented rich always okay, poor doesn't matter!!! Activities are numerous and always attractive to students often blocked by conflicting schedules...”
This review was posted by a parent.

“All of our children study at this school, the oldest is finishing high school. We'd have to say as parents that this school has been great for our children. Our kids only have between 8 to 15 students per class. That means real one-to-one learning with their teachers who can spend more time becoming intimate with their students needs. With regards to academic rigor, what can we say, it's very good traditional schooling. Students finish high school here thinking the SATs are some sort of joke and that machine-read multiple choice tests are cheating. Not bad for kids learning every major subject in another language! This is an educational and cultural experience. The schools weak areas are the sporting activities/facilities. We can live with that as there's only one thing that really separates man from monkey and that's knowledge and intelligence.”
This review was posted by a parent.

“This school has been great for my son & daughter. My son is fluent in French. My daughter younger is not fluent yet, but can converse in French. I believe she will also be fluent. Education has been great for them. If you are looking for a good bi-lingual education then this school is for you.”
This review was posted by a parent.

“My daughter has been at the school for 2 and 1/2 years, education has been great for her both on the english side and the french side and it's great to see her balancing between the two languages easily, it's strong acadamic school and there's room for improvment for arts and open expression..”
This review was posted by a parent.

“Our child has been attending the Lycee for the past 3 1/2 years and we have grown throughly disappointed. The administration is rude and very discouraging of parental involvement. The teachers have no congruent system of discipline or methods of actually helping children that may need extra assistance with their work. Your child would be better off in an extra curricular foreign language program. The education here is sub par in all subjects excluding French.”
This review was posted by a parent.

“The staff and students seem miserable, sports activities are minimal. Arrogance and phoniness flow throughout the school. Run, don't walk from the Lycee Francais de Los Angeles. The original philosophy has dissapeared along with any ounce of care for your child's individual development. They use a 25 year old video of Jody Foster promoting their school which is the complete antithesis of the Lycee Francais today.”
This review was posted by a parent.

“Lack of care that we have experienced from the principal down to the staff shocked us. The staff and students seem miserable, sports activities are minimal.”
This review was posted by a parent.

“A joke You must be French to realize how bad it is. The Administration lives in a dream where no parental comments/participation are welcome. (Just shut up and pay.) Local French are stuck. There is a school in the Valley, but this isn t realistic unless you like driving and waking your kids before dawn. American parents have choices, and this should be the last. There is quality in primary (if you can stomach attitude from the Overland office), but not past sixth. Parents and teachers are considered enemies by the Administration. The young French teachers have little/no experience, and no clue about teaching bilingual children in foreign lands. The Administration has not changed its thinking in 30 years. No one can be trusted, as no one has decision-making power except the Director, whose level of French doesn t inspire confidence. But to be fair, she is a product of her school.”
This review was posted by a parent.

“My daughter attended this school for many years. This year we pulled her out and she is now attending a good public school. We are finding out that after so much money and efforts from all of us, she is barely at grade level in English, Math and Sciences. Math is taught following the French curriculum which is different from the American curriculum, English is very poor, as for Sciences, it is a disaster. The children in this school are not tought basic skills for success within the American system, this is a major problem . Your child would be much better of in an American school with some language after school program . I would not blame the instructors who do what they can but the total lack of leadership and care from the principle. Be aware,the education at the Lycee is counter productive, a lost of time and money.”
This review was posted by a parent.

“I'm delighted my child is bilingual due to his participation in the French immersion program for many years, but he had to be tutored in French and do outside work in Math to keep up with American grade levels. Most subjects outside of French are weak, including English, and there isn't enough homework. Over the years, there have been far too many 'free' days when a teacher was absent or it was raining and the kids just watched movies. The academic atmosphere is not rigorous, except for the French, and subjects are taught 'lecture style' without much interaction with the kids - it's a very old-school approach. My biggest disappointment has been science, which is made completely boring with no science lab to speak of or experimentation. American History is a joke, completely expendable. This is a very specialized school focused on the French language.”
This review was posted by a parent.

“My son attended this Scholl for 5 years. If you decide to send your child to this school, expect a lot of work. This school follow both the french and the American curiculums. A goal difficult to achieve especially as the instructions days are very limited. Consequently, very high stress level on children, teachers and parents. Aside from the tuition, we had to buy from the school expensive notebook packages,book packages, art supplies etc. so get ready to spend way more than the tuition fees. This year, their fundraising lasted nearly the entire year and it was very enoying to be asked for money every time you went to pick up your child at school. Aside from that, I did find the administration and parents pretty friendly but the stress level way too hight and not worth it. Some great teachers.”
This review was posted by a parent.

“the teachers pressure students to excell. A rare few teachers ( 2 or 3) are very bright,excellent teachers that actually motivate the children. THe school atmosphere at first is great, but the classes get smaller and smaller every year and the same children have been attending since kindergarten. Discipline is great but at this point it is jsut ridiculous.”
This review was posted by a student.

“Terrible school. I went for 11 years and it never brought me anything but pain and horror. The children are pure evil and the parents aren't too far behind. The staff is a joke, and the programs offered are minimal. Say 'no' to the lycee.”
This review was posted by a former student.

“I have been attending Lycee for the past 10 years,and I can highly say it's almost average. Its Sports and extracurricular activity program is poor. Some Teachers are great and try to work with the students,and most couldn't careless. The administration is unresponsive. One thing postive I can say about the school is: it has a very good atmosphere. Overall, barely average.”
This review was posted by a former student.

“The quality of the school has suffered greatly after the passing of the school's founders. The level of teaching and presence of qualified instructors are questionable.”
This review was posted by a parent.

“This school wants little robots. if your child thinks out of the box, this is not the right school. I encourage individuality and creative expression in my child. This school does not.”
This review was posted by a parent.

“The school is too concerned with making money off the parents. They favor celebrity kids over regular students.”
This review was posted by a parent.

“This school wasn't a good experience.Took my daughter out right away. Yes, it's cute.. they speak French, but there is more to a great school than speaking French. Horrible sports program.You don't get what you pay for.”
This review was posted by a parent.

“Academic programs are ok. The system is very elementary, it's the french system. You don't get to go from class to class like most schools. This school is directed mostly towards those who are french or plan on living in france. It's also very safe.”
This review was posted by a former student.

“French, music, and art classes are great. There tends to be limitations on the sciences, math, and English courses, as there is a fixed schedule, and not many options to choose from”
This review was posted by a former student.

“I have been going to this school for almost 3 years and its great”
This review was posted by a student.

“My kids are going to this school for 3 years. There is no school that is perfect. This school is far from perfect, but I like it. It has a very secure feeling. The kids know each other. The staff knows you. The teachers are okay/good, and there is not much homework. Don't get me wrong, there is homework, but the kids know what the homework is about, at least they dont expect me to be a teacher.”
This review was posted by a parent.

“Some excellent teachers, some very bad ones!”
This review was posted by a parent.

“Lycee Francais de Los Angeles is a truely amazing school where students and teachers work together in an harmonious environment.”
This review was posted by a teacher.

“I wish I could agree with the Lycee's judgement of itself as 'Simply Better Than The Rest,' but it is, unfortunately, not true. The school is run in an arrogant, autocratic fashion. There is little evidence that either the administration or much of the faculty (with certain exceptions) has adequate training and expertise. Everyday communications from the school - to both parents and students - adopt a rude and vaguely threatening tone. More importantly, the education offered is nothing more than average. The only thing 'special' about the school is that it can educate your child entirely in French. Other than fencing and ballet, extracurricular activities approximate afterschool recreation programs run by the local YMCA. Sports are abysmal. Ask to see Le Petit Journal (the school newsletter). The self-satisfied and grandiose columns by the principal (complete with shameless namedropping) provide a good glimpse inside the minds of the people in charge.”
This review was posted by a parent.

“Very good international reputation. Lots of Hollywood royalty.”
This review was posted by a parent.

“Excellent syllabus. Very polite children. Good learning environment.”
This review was posted by a parent.

“The school is an exercise in mediocrity. Both the French curriculum and the English curriculum are geared toward the most common denominator. The cycle system promised on the school website and mission statement is never implemented. The adminstration is not responsive.”
This review was posted by a parent.

“This school is horrible! They don't care about your child(ren)'s education all they care about is when are you going to pay them, how much do you make each month and the director has no sympathy for anybody!”
This review was posted by a parent.