International School Los Angeles Lycée International

Our kids have been attending for 7 years now. The oldest is in the Burbank campus and the youngest will be there in a few years. While no place is perfect, we’ve found the school to be an amazing and beautifully cultivating educational experience for our kids. We’ve absolutely loved more than 95% of the teachers and while administration has changed a few times since we’ve been there, they’ve all treated us and our children with respect and warmth and have continued to push forward the founding principles and mission of the school.
It’s not easy to get in and we consider ourselves very lucky. The community there is fantastic and we’re finding parents we absolutely adore from the other campuses now that our kids have collected in Burbank.
The board is a very hard-​working group of volunteers, many of them parents, some for 15+ years at the school. They put in an incredible amount of time and effort to uphold the school’s mission and while that sometimes involves making tough decisions that not everybody agrees with, I feel that their hearts and intentions are in the right place.
The school is very unique in the academic programs that they offer. In fact, there are only 4 or 5 others in the entire country that match it. The school offers an IB and an FB tract and the program focuses on growing kids from K through 12 towards an incredible university acceptance rates. In 2015, The Washington Post listed LILA as the nation’s 12^th most challenging private high school.
Tuition is going up and some parents are understandably upset by it, but the school also involved a group of parents (CFOs, CPAs, etc.) for a formal budget review against a strategic plan and the budget was approved, so it wasn’t approved in a vacuum. There was a 3-​year projection of tuition increases but also lots of caveats to that as well as plans on how to reduce it. The school is growing and does have growing needs, but it’s the same spirit and culture as when we started and if you’re considering it, I highly recommend you visit the school and see for yourself. We love it there and couldn’t recommend it more highly!

Love the school. Hate the management. The teachers and families make it what it is, but it is looking more and more like the unique character of the school that drew us here is now becoming a thing of the past. The school has problems with overcrowding and lack of funds. They admit more students than they can take because they need the fees but haven’t thought about overcrowding issues. They don’t know where to put incoming students. They spend beyond their means. They don’t know how to raise funds or engage in meaningful fundraising (yet they have been paying someone a 6 figure salary for years to figure it out with little result). So when parents complained about how the 6−7% tuition increases that have been taking place the past few years have been too difficult to bear, the management responded with 10% increases over the next three years. What a way to build a community. And yes. 10% increases. Every year for the next three years. And who knows how much after that. At this rate the tuition will double in 7 years. And the best part is, they don’t tell us how the money will be spent. There is no meaningful fundraising plan to tap into external sources of funds so parents are expected to bear it all. Tragic because we have invested so much into this school and would hate to leave, but the voices of the families are not heard here, and it is a shame.

Our daughter does not go here and I’m just writing this for other potential children/​parents hoping they don’t hit the same road block in applying as we did.
We have had our 4 soon-​to-​be 5 year old daughter in private french classes for the past 8 months getting ready for what we hoped to be entry into LILA. With family in France and a love of French language and culture we were very excited about this school and the bilingual education she would receive. She has been in a preschool for the past 3 years and we decided to keep her there for pre-​K equivalent and then transition her into elementary school starting with kindergarten. She is 4 turning 5 in December 2015.
All schools in LA require a student entering kindergarten to be 5 years old by Sept 1 of the year they are entering. However, we learned somewhat surprisingly that LILA requires children to be BORN in the year 2011 for the ²⁰¹⁶⁄₂₀₁₇ school year. So our child would have to have entered kindergarten when she was still four years old, which is young. I called the school today (last day of application deadline oops), and they confirmed that should would not even be allowed to apply.
On top of that she said they ONLY take applications for children for pre-​K. I do not remember reading this anywhere on their website, but it’s possible I missed it.
A big disappointment for all of us. We have a friend who’s son entered last year and have heard nothing but great things.
So please plan accordingly as this is very different then any other charter or private school you may be looking at.
C’est dommage :(

Our children have been attending LILA for 4 years. My son started in pre K and is now in 3^rd grade and my daughter is now in 1 st grade. They both have learned FRench at school and are both now able to hold a conversation in French. My son is taking Spanish as an after school activity and will start Spanish as a third language formally in 5 th grade. We are very happy with LILA save for the ever increasing tuition. The teachers are all FRench natives and the children speak French all day in class except for one hour of English per day. It is a true immersion. The campus is not very impressive as it is quite small. However, the miracle happens in the classrooms with the wonderful teachers. They are all very committed to the students and pour their hearts into their work. There is no bullying. The 5 th graders take the younger kids under their wings like big brothers and sisters. The campus is small so everyone knows everyone. We are like a big family. I am looking forward to my kids becoming citizens of the global world with the great education and exposure to culture that they are getting here. There is great diversity as well with many nationalities represented on campus. My kids are of African descent and are treated with much love by everyone in campus. We love LILA!

My son attends LILA and so far I have only wonderful things to say about the school. The teachers are caring, the grounds are lovely, the education is top notch. The community is very involved and there are always wonderful things going on at school (with artists in residence, field trips to hear the LA Phil play… right now the children are hatching eggs in the classroom!). My son is reading in English and speaking french— what more could you ask of a five year old? The parents are mostly wonderful, varied, artistic and interesting. A great community all around.

We cannot say enough good things about LILA! Our daughter surprises us everyday with new knowledge of the French culture and language as well as advancing in her English studies all at the same time. Most importantly though is her happiness to be at LILA! I go to pick her up at school and she doesn’t want to leave making it very difficult to exit the campus quickly. We love everything about the school and cannot imagine another learning environment for our daughter.

My three children have been attending LILA for four years now. Prior to LILA, they attended French Lycée schools in China and Canada. LILA provides an exceptional educational experience and a wonderful environment to learn and explore. I have been extremely happy with the teachers and the administration and my children have thrived here. I would not hesitate to recommend LILA to anyone committed to a bilingual, international education for their children.

I love this school. My nephew attended Summer Session at the Los Feliz campus a few years ago and he speaks fondly about his «LILA Summer», to this day. I found that the teachers genuinely cared about the students welfare and well-​being. The tuition was surprisingly affordable, the lessons were challenging, his french was superb and the students went on fantastic field trips. I highly recommend this school.

Can’t say enough good things about this school. Bilingual French-​American program culminating in the International or French Baccalaureate at the end. My daughter’s Bac will get her around 30 credits at some top-​notch colleges, effectively gaining her a year in her undergrad studies. Academic level is very high and students are well-​rounded in Arts and Sciences. 5^th grade kids have an annual trip to France where they attend school there. Kids begin a 3^rd language, Spanish, in 6^th grade. Great community spirit, international vibe. A bicultural oasis!

Excellent school. Classes are taught completely in French, and then they start adding in an hour or so of English in 1^st grade. By 5^th grade the kids are completely fluent, reading speaking & writing, in both French and English.
The parental vibe is laid back and somewhat «artsy». Definitely international (of course)
I highly recommend starting your kids here in pre-​school.