Lycée Guébré-Mariam

Churchill Avenue, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (P.O. Box 1496).

Preschool through high school, comprising Maternelle (preschool), Elémentaire (elementary), Collège (middle school) and Lycée (high school).

French-Ethiopian lycée (French international school) affiliated with Mission Laïque Française and AEFE.

France

The school is an Établissement en Pleine Responsabilité (EPR) of the Mission Laïque Française (MLF) and is a signatory of an AEFE convention, certifying the French model of education and enabling it to serve as a center for the Diplôme National du Brevet (DNB) and the Baccalauréat. The French education system is organized in three cycles here: Ecole élémentaire (5 years), Collège (4 years), and Lycée (3 years). At the end of collège, students take the DNB; at the end of lycée, they take the Baccalauréat. The school offers a double curriculum (French and Ethiopian) during compulsory schooling and provides a multilingual program described as “Two cultures, three languages,” with French as the main language of schooling, plus English and Amharique, and Spanish available from the 5ème; In Première and Terminale, students may specialize in Langues, Littératures et cultures étrangères. Most graduates pursue higher education in France or North America, and the school allows transfers to other French establishments worldwide.

Baccalauréat 2025: 100% pass rate; 80% earned a mention, including 44% with Good (Bien) and Very Good (Très Bien) mentions. Brevet 2025: 96% pass rate; 89 mentions, including 64% with Good or Very Good mentions. Grade 8 (Ministry Exam) 2025: 87% pass rate for Ethiopian-nationality students in 5th grade.

For entry into higher education, the Lycée prepares students to obtain the French Baccalauréat; after graduation, the majority pursue studies in France or in North America (Canada and the United States).

Excellence-Major scholarships are offered, funded by the French government through AEFE and MEAE to support top foreign baccalaureate graduates in pursuing advanced studies in France; eligible candidates must be non-French, in Terminale at a French school abroad, have excellent academic results, and intend to pursue French higher education; candidates must apply via Parcoursup or institutional procedures, and recipients must obtain a Very Good or Good grade at the baccalaureat.

The Vie Scolaire manages daily student life, including handling lateness and absences and maintaining a strong link with families. The team includes a CPE (Conseiller Principal d'Education), the Vie Scolaire secretariat, and an Assistant d'éducation. It runs études, the CDI (library), Devoirs faits, the Association Sportive, sports clubs, and a reading club in Amharic. AED provide personalized support to students or groups facing difficulties in school life or personal difficulties. The Vie Scolaire actively fosters close relationships with families to ensure a calm, supportive climate that underpins learning.

Elèves à Besoins Educatifs Particuliers are cared for through a dedicated SEN pole, enabling inclusion for all pupils in line with directives from the French Ministry of National Education.

From Moyenne Section, children benefit from 3 hours of initiation to foreign languages as part of the language pathway. The learning of French remains a priority in the school's educational project. The Plus de Maîtres que de Classes approach supports oral French instruction and addresses difficulties faced by some pupils. The maternelle program includes a language track with English or Amharic as the dominant language.

The school emphasizes pupil development and well-being through projects that foster growth and engagement with digital tools. The Vie Scolaire maintains close links with families to ensure a calm climate conducive to learning. The inclusion and well-being focus runs across the early years and throughout the school.

The Vie Scolaire unit works with families and school leadership to guarantee a serene climate and to support student safety and well-being. The dedicated SEN pole and ongoing family engagement contribute to safeguarding and inclusive practices.

1. Determine the appropriate admissions stream. The Lycée Guebre-Mariam accepts new students in Petite Section (PS) for early childhood, MS-CM2 for the elementary to lower primary range, and 6th to Terminale for secondary. Each stream has its own application process and timing for the 2025-2026 academic year. 2. Submit the application via Eduka. Dossiers must be completed on the Eduka platform using the school code 544899. If a family already has an existing account for another child, use the same login (your registered email) and follow the instruction walk-through; the school provides information in a Tutoriel and an English admission page for English speakers. 3. Prepare and attach required documents and a motivation letter. In all streams, a letter of motivation is required; the letter may be written in French, English, or Amharic and will be used to assess interest in the school and the proposed schooling project. In PS, MS-CM2, and Secondary, incomplete dossiers will not be processed, and some documents may be treated as confidential (financial documents, medical form). 4. Complete dossier review and response. After the dossier is complete and accepted, the school will email an acceptance notice and request payment of the registration fees; once the payment is received, the registration is definitively validated. 5. Tests for admission (where applicable). For MS-CM2 and CP-CM2 applicants from non-homologated schools, placement tests are held in the second half of June and are contingent on initial dossier validation; for 6ème-Terminale applicants from non-homologated schools, placement tests occur in the last days of August with dates communicated in due course. 6. Ethiopian nationals and passport alignment. For Ethiopian children, registration is done according to the passport, and there is an age-to-class equivalence framework published for reference; it is advisable to consult the Equivalence age/class guidance when planning entry. 7. Admission in English option. An English-language admission page is available for each stream, providing the English version of the process and links to English-language registration where offered. 8. General notes. The school provides an English and a French version of admission information and maintains a dedicated contact channel for admissions inquiries and financial questions through the listed addresses and office contacts.

1. AEFE scholarship. The consular section of the French Embassy in Ethiopia informs French residents that the second scholarship campaign for the 2022-2023 academic year is open. The local commission will examine requests from families in the consular district after the first commission or in cases of financial need, and there are provisions for revision and renewal requests. Documentation procedures and the required forms (including the scholarship application form and the list of documents) are provided, with a deadline for submissions; renewals are handled by the French service, and first-time requests require appointment through the diplomatic channels. This program is part of the AEFE network and is administered for French residents living abroad. 2. Bourse Excellence-Major. The French government, through AEFE and MEAE, funds Excellence-Major scholarships to support top foreign high-school graduates in pursuing higher education in France. Eligibility requires not having French nationality, being in terminale at a French-education abroad school under homologation, achieving excellent academic results, presenting an orientation project in the French education system, and intending to pursue demanding studies in France. Applicants must also submit Parcoursup or the equivalent application pathway, demonstrate motivation and adaptability for life in France, and have their dossier digitized and evaluated by the AEFE via the cooperation and cultural action service of the French Embassy. Selected candidates must have a top-tier baccalauréat result and be admitted to a French higher education program. 3. Bourses d'étude du Gouvernement Français (bourses scolaires for French children abroad). A formal government scholarship process exists for French children living abroad, with a dedicated application form and detailed family financial information. The form requires data on family composition, resources, housing, assets, and potential supports, along with a declaration of truth and a data-protection notice. Submissions use the official government channels, and data are processed under applicable education and privacy rules with the AEFE responsible for handling the dossier. The forms and guidance are published on the school site, including editable PDFs and instruction documents, to assist families in applying for these government scholarships.