The Agence pour l’Enseignement Français à l’Etranger (AEFE) is a national public establishment under the authority of the French Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs. It carries out public service missions relating to education for French children living outside France, and contributes to the promotion of the French language and culture, as well as strengthening relations between the French and foreign education systems. The AEFE’s objective is to serve and promote a school network that is unique in the world, comprising 580 establishments in 139 countries by 2023.
These approved establishments embody universal values – tolerance, humanism, equal opportunity, intellectual curiosity, promotion of critical thinking, etc. – and offer a seamless education from kindergarten to the baccalauréat. As part of a dynamic, attractive and open international network, they offer a particularly enriching education.
Excellence, sharing, outreach
Excellence: Success for all is a stated ambition at all our schools, which boast a baccalaureate pass rate higher than any other French high school (95% on average, and 100% in many cases). Most of the network’s baccalaureate graduates go on to top international schools and universities.
Sharing: As places for linguistic and cultural exchanges and encounters, and vectors of a shared experience founded on strong values, our schools educate young people from all horizons. A pilot program of language teaching enables the integration of national students through specific French instruction, the teaching of the host country’s language to all students, and the promotion of the use of English in an international context.
Outreach: With over 60% of its students coming from host countries and other countries, the network contributes to the development of the French language and culture. By cultivating intercultural communication and understanding, it forges lasting affinities between these students and France.
French International school Kyoto is an AEFE-accredited school.
The French education network abroad comprises 580 schools in 139 countries, educating nearly 391,000 students. All are accredited by the French Ministry of Education.
Approval is granted to French educational establishments abroad whose teaching conforms to that provided in public establishments in France. Pupils from an accredited school can join a public school, a private school under contract or another accredited French school abroad in France, without having to take an exam.
All these establishments are open to French children living outside France, and can accept pupils of other nationalities. Approval guarantees both conformity with the French educational model and the quality of the teaching provided. It also means that French students attending these schools are eligible for scholarships.
Approval is not definitive, and the schools concerned must regularly undergo a procedure to verify that they meet the above criteria. AFD is responsible for assisting with the examination of approval applications and for monitoring the approval process.
The network’s approved schools are managed by associations under private law, whether French or foreign, and have signed an administrative, financial and educational agreement with the AEFE. This agreement covers the assignment and remuneration of permanent staff from the French Ministry of Education, as well as the allocation of subsidies. These establishments maintain an ongoing management dialogue with the AEFE.
