Why join for free?
Already have an account? Log In
Costa Rica, San Jose
Let the school know you're thinking of applying — they can share their prerequisites and help you through the process.
It's best to ask — circumstances can change at any time.
The Lycée Franco-Costaricien's history dates back to 1967, when Costa Rica and France signed a cultural cooperation agreement, sealed by an exchange of notes during the presidencies of José Joaquín Trejos Fernández and General Charles de Gaulle. In 1969, the Franco-Costa Rican Association for Education (AFCE) was founded to manage the school, and the Lycée moved to a building nicknamed the House of the Lions on Paseo Colón in San José, where it remained for about a decade; the primary school opened that year, and the first graduates, 33 in number, left the Lycée in 1972. To accommodate growth, in 1977 the Lycée moved to its current address in Tres Ríos, inaugurated by President Daniel Oduber Quirós. In 2008, despite questions about the institution's statutes, dialogue and mutual understanding renewed the cooperation agreement between France and Costa Rica, allowing the Lycée to continue its pedagogical mission. In 2018, Franco celebrated its 50th anniversary, and in 2023 Costa Rican deputies proposed UNESCO World Cultural Heritage status for the school.
Life at the Lycée Franco-Costaricien centers on a vibrant school community with activities across levels. The life of the school includes The Webradio del Franco, the clubs of the Franco, and intercambios escolares y clases verdes (school exchanges and environmental/green classes). The community hosts cultural and patriotic events, such as Fiestas patrias 2025. Intercambios and international experiences are a core part of student life, supported by clubs, exchanges, and creative projects through the school's programs.
The Franco-Costarricense Association for Education (AFCE) is a nonprofit created in 1967 and declared of public utility, governed by private law and its own statutes. It manages the Lycée Franco-Costaricien's financial and material resources and provides the majority of the institution's funding. Six parents are elected to the Board of Directors every two years at the General Assembly. A fiscal, a single-person supervisory body, is elected by the General Assembly from among its members and oversees the association's work; the parents who are members of the Governing Committee serve ad honorem. Representatives of the governments of France and Costa Rica participate in AFCE's governance, with voice and vote; the representative of the Minister of Public Education sits on the AFCE's Board, and the Counselor for Cooperation and Cultural Action in Central America represents the French government.
Located in Tres Ríos near San José, Lycée Franco-Costaricien is a bilingual French international school for ages 2 to 18. It is homologated by the French Ministry of National Education and AEFE and is managed in tripartite collaboration with the Costa Rican Ministry of Public Education (MEP) and the AFCE. The school offers a cross-border curriculum that combines the French national program with the Costa Rican system, from Maternelle to Terminale, and enables a double diploma: the Costa Rican baccalaureate and the French baccalaureate. Diplomas include the Diplôme National du Brevet (DBND), the Baccalauréat, Costa Rican diplomas, and DELF–DALF. The Terminale year includes a 20‑minute oral exam and orientation toward higher education with personalized guidance via Parcoursup France. The American Section strengthens English and US history and literature and supports the International French Baccalaureate (BFI). The campus offers on-site dining (Grill & Fresh), lodging with host families, and door-to-door transport across 25 routes. Two libraries—the BCD for primary and the CDI for secondary—support reading and research, with project-based learning across sciences, arts, music and the environment.
