Kennedy International School vs Lycée Français de New York
🇺🇸 New York · Side-by-side comparison on verifiable public data.
Neither Kennedy International School nor Lycée Français de New York sits in a market with a public inspectorate, so both are assessed on verifiable accreditation, curriculum authorisation, and published data rather than an official quality rating. Curriculum is the core differentiator: Kennedy International School offers IB, Blended, Japanese while Lycée Français de New York offers National, American, Blended — the choice should follow the family's target qualification system. On cost, Kennedy International School has the noticeably lower entry fee — a material difference for budget-conscious families. See the table below for the figures, and verify against each school's own published fees.
Key Facts
| Kennedy International School | Lycée Français de New York | |
|---|---|---|
| Curriculum | IB / Blended / Japanese | National / American / Blended |
| Ages | 3–18 | 3–18 |
| Languages of instruction | English, French, Japanese | French, English |
| Annual fees | USD 24,000–45,000 | USD 51,925 |
| Enrollment | — | 1,200 |
| Boarding | Day only | Day only |
| Accreditations | French Ministry of Education, AEFE, NYSED-recognized | NYSAIS, French Ministry of Education, AEFE |
Strengths
- ✓Long heritage (founded 1964) as one of New York's established bilingual international schools
- ✓Genuine dual-immersion model — two full bilingual tracks (French-English and Japanese-English), not token language classes
- ✓Accredited by the French Ministry of Education and in the AEFE network, enabling seamless transfer into the French school system
- ✓Authorized IB Diploma Programme school since 2014, offering a rare bilingual French/English IB Diploma with Spanish as a second language
- ✓Continuous pathway from nursery (age 3) through grade 12 on two Midtown Manhattan campuses
- ✓Long-established institution (founded 1935; first baccalaureate 1938) — one of the oldest French-American schools in the US
- ✓Genuine dual-diploma pathway: the American High School Diploma AND the French Baccalauréat (BFI/international option referenced)
- ✓NYSAIS-accredited and recognized by the French Ministry of Education, within the AEFE network
- ✓Full continuous pathway from Nursery-3 (age 3) through Grade 12 (age 18) on a single purpose-built campus
- ✓Authentic French–English bilingual, bicultural model rather than a token language track
Trade-offs
- !Holds no US regional accreditation (WASC, MSA, NEASC, or CIS) — its quality assurance runs through the French Ministry and NYSED recognition instead
- !Publishes no current total enrollment, student-teacher ratio, or class-size data on public pages
- !Does NOT publish IB Diploma score averages or pass rates — academic outcomes cannot be independently verified
- !Does NOT publish university-placement or matriculation data
- !No published, structured EAL/ESL program on public pages, despite an immersion intake (over 50% of elementary students were reported as non-French-speakers prior to enrolling)
- !Publishes no baccalaureate pass rates, distinction rates or university-destination data — academic outcomes cannot be independently verified
- !No graded external inspection exists (US has no public inspectorate), so quality rests on accreditation membership plus self-description
- !Enrollment is inconsistent across sources (official 'over 1,200' vs Wikipedia 'over 1,350')
- !EAL/English- and French-language support for non-native speakers is not documented on public pages — a barrier for older non-French-speaking entrants
- !Premium fees ($51,925 for 2026-27) plus one-time and ancillary charges; day school only (no boarding)
Best Fit For
- • Francophone or francophile families wanting an authentic French-immersion education with transferability into the French system
- • Japanese expatriate and internationally-mobile families seeking a Japanese-English bilingual track in Manhattan
- • Families targeting a bilingual IB Diploma pathway (French/English) for grades 11–12
- • Diplomatic and UN-affiliated families based in Midtown (UN-staff discount available for the youngest grades)
- • Francophone or French-heritage families in New York wanting a continuous French-curriculum, baccalaureate pathway
- • Families seeking authentic French–English bilingual, bicultural education from age 3
- • Households targeting both American university admission and the French Baccalauréat via a dual diploma
- • Internationally mobile families valuing the AEFE network and portability of the French system
University Placement
School-reported · not independently verified
School-reported, unverified: Kennedy International School does not publish IB Diploma score averages, pass rates, or a university-placement/matriculation list on its public pages, so senior-school outcomes cannot be independently verified. Its French Ministry accreditation supports transfer into the French school system, but specific university destinations are not disclosed.
Not public. No baccalaureate pass/distinction rates or university-destination lists were found on the school's public site (consistent with the norm among independent US day schools). Any placement claims should be treated as school-reported, unverified.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Should I choose Kennedy International School or Lycée Français de New York?
Kennedy International School is best for: Francophone or francophile families wanting an authentic French-immersion education with transferability into the French system. Lycée Français de New York is best for: Francophone or French-heritage families in New York wanting a continuous French-curriculum, baccalaureate pathway. The right choice depends on target curriculum, budget, and family priorities — the two are not linearly comparable.
How do fees compare between Kennedy International School and Lycée Français de New York?
Kennedy International School: USD 24,000–45,000. Lycée Français de New York: USD 51,925. Verify against each school's own published fees; some figures are sourced from third-party aggregators.
What curricula do Kennedy International School and Lycée Français de New York offer?
Kennedy International School: IB, Blended, Japanese. Lycée Français de New York: National, American, Blended.
Do Kennedy International School or Lycée Français de New York offer boarding?
Kennedy International School: day school only. Lycée Français de New York: day school only.
Questions parents ask
This comparison is BrightKey's independent assessment using verifiable public data only. University-placement figures are school-reported and not independently verified. BrightKey takes no payments from schools. Our method →