Shanghai French School is a French Curriculum / French Baccalauréat / Diplôme National du Brevet school in Shanghai, China. Founded in 1996. Annual tuition ranges from $16,850 to $27,911 USD.
Location & Getting There
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Key Details
Scholarships Available
A 'Bourse scolaire' (school scholarship) process exists; requests must be completed and submitted each year. The school directs families to the French Embassy in China for detailed eligibility rules and the AEFE scholarship guidance. Families should contact the LFS finance department for further information.
Key facts
About
The Lycée Français de Shanghai (LFS) is a large French-curriculum international school operating two Eurocampus sites in Shanghai — Qingpu and Yangpu — serving approximately 1,530 students aged 2 to 18 from around 60 nationalities. Affiliated with the AEFE, it follows the French national curriculum from maternelle through terminale, offering multiple international sections (SIA, SIC, Section Européenne) and a dedicated French-language support programme (FLSco) for non-Francophone entrants. The school is co-educational and non-profit, governed by a parents' association, with a broad extracurricular programme and strong emphasis on multilingual education in French, English and Mandarin.
School data verified by NanaSays. Last updated: April 2026.
Why Families Choose
The Lycée Français de Shanghai is one of the largest French-curriculum schools in Asia, operating two Eurocampus sites (Qingpu and Yangpu) shared with the German School of Shanghai. It offers multiple international sections (Section Internationale Américaine, Section Internationale Chinoise, Section Européenne) alongside the standard French curriculum. The school provides a FLSco programme for non-Francophone entrants, over 70 after-school activities (ASC), and a multilingual environment encompassing French, English, Mandarin, German, Spanish, Italian and Latin. It is conventionné with the AEFE and serves approximately 1,530 students of 60 nationalities.
Fees & Financials
| Grade / Year | Annual Fee |
|---|---|
| Elementary (general) | RMB 122,100 |
| High School (general) | RMB 182,600 |
| Kindergarten (general) | RMB 122,100 |
| Junior School (general) | RMB 159,300 |
| Pre-Kindergarten (general) | RMB 122,100 |
| Elementary (international sections) | RMB 141,750 |
| High School (international sections) | RMB 202,250 |
| Kindergarten (international sections) | RMB 141,750 |
| Junior School (international sections) | RMB 178,950 |
Conversions to USD use exchange rates as of April 2026.
Original currency: RMB 122,100 - 202,250. Application fee: $497.
Admissions Process
- 1Review annual application opening dates and choose campus (Qingpu or Yangpu). 2) Prepare required documents: child passport and visa, birth certificate, vaccination record, recent school certificate, and two years of school reports. 3) Submit online application via the Eduka portal and pay the non-refundable application fee of RMB 3,600. 4) Admissions office and teaching teams review dossier; interview or language assessment may be arranged. SHMEC derogation may be required for certain candidates. 5) Upon approval, secure the place by paying the registration fee (RMB 23,700) and construction fee (RMB 30,000 per child for families). 6) Provide up-to-date passports and visas before the child's first day.
Admissions Details
No formal published waitlist policy. Applications are accepted year-round but admissions are subject to place availability; some year groups may be closed once capacity is reached. Families are advised to submit a completed Eduka application as early as possible and contact the admissions office directly if a place is not immediately available.
School Day
School day typically begins around 08:00. Dismissal varies by level: some morning-only or midday endings exist for younger years; full-day schedules have typical afternoon finishes around 15:00, with later departures for secondary students (after-school slots until around 17:00 or later for activities). The timetable includes 72 hours per year of 'accompagnement personnalisé' (approximately 2 hours per week).
Student Life
On-site cafeterias at both Qingpu and Yangpu campuses, operated by Sodexo, serving approximately 3,400 meals per day. Kindergarten meals are served in a dedicated space with assistants and parent volunteers. From 6th grade, students compose their own plate from several dishes. Meal fees are included in tuition (30.5 RMB/day for nursery; 33 RMB/day for primary and secondary). Menus are published on the LFS website and via a WeChat mini-program (EPOS). A catering committee reviews the service twice yearly.
Facilities & Programmes
Wellbeing & Safety
Campus infirmaries staffed by four nurses across both campuses, plus named school psychologists listed as contacts on the support page. The Comité d'éducation à la Santé et à la Citoyenneté oversees health education including prevention of risky behaviour, sexual health education, nutrition, and prevention of malaise. Psychologists and a specialised teacher coordinate individual plans and referrals for pupils with emotional or learning difficulties.
Health-service responsibilities explicitly include contribution to child protection. The Comité d'éducation à la Santé et à la Citoyenneté includes members from leadership, life-school staff, nurses and the school psychologist. Procedures for managing illness, air-quality protocols and emergency responses are published on the school's Santé page. Named pastoral and medical safeguarding contacts are identified; individual health plans (PAI) are in place for pupils with chronic conditions.
Student Demographics
School Background
Private non-profit establishment under Chinese law, governed by the Association des Parents d'Élèves du Lycée Français de Shanghai — a French 1901 non-profit association whose General Assembly meets annually. Managed by a Board of Directors. Affiliated with the AEFE (Agence pour l'Enseignement Français à l'Étranger).