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United States, San Diego
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The school was founded in 1988 by André and Chandra Bordes as a preschool in the Clairemont Mesa neighborhood of San Diego. From 1988 to 2010, Bordes served as Headmaster, and in 2010 Christian Jarlov became Head of School, with the Mount Soledad campus in La Jolla becoming the primary site and a period of program enhancements and enrollment growth. Jarlov retired in July 2017, and Mark Rosenblum led as Head of School until June 2023, followed by Isabelle David being appointed Head of School in January 2024. The school's name changed from San Diego International School to San Diego French-American School in September 2006, and since that time the campus has been located at 6550 Soledad Mountain Road in La Jolla. The school was accredited by the French Ministry of National Education in December 1990; the WASC accreditation was renewed in 2011 and the school joined the California Association of Independent Schools (CAIS) with a 6-year accreditation term.
The campus sits atop Mount Soledad in La Jolla, offering facilities including a large sports field, multiple playgrounds and recess spaces, a library, an auditorium, a state-of-the-art STEAM classroom for coding and robotics, and a large science lab. The school's community is international and diverse, united in a commitment to multilingual education. The school counts approximately 350 students aged 18 months through 13 years and holds AEFE/MEN accreditation along with CAIS and WASC accreditation. This combination reflects the school's alignment with both the French national education system and American independent school standards.
The San Diego French-American School Parent Community Association (P.C.A.) consists of students, faculty, staff, and parents, and its mission is to strengthen and support a vibrant, international, and inclusive school community. The goals of the P.C.A. Leadership Team include organizing and promoting community events, recruiting volunteers, and supporting classroom activities by coordinating parent efforts and appreciation events. The P.C.A. has an Executive Team with leaders such as President, Vice President, Director of Communications, Director of Events, Treasurer, and Secretary. Annual events organized in conjunction with the school administration include Sunset with SDFAS, International Holiday Market, Talent Show, Book Fairs, Jog-A-Thon, Teacher Appreciation Week, and a Summer Fair, with budgets planned by August 30 each year. To get involved, parents can email pca@sdfas.org.
San Diego French-American School is a private, independent bilingual school serving ages 18 months through 8th grade on a Mount Soledad–La Jolla campus. It delivers a blended curriculum that weaves French and American approaches, with instruction in both French and English from Kindergarten onward and a full-day bilingual program beginning in early years. The school holds AEFE/MEN accreditation, CAIS membership, and WASC accreditation, and partners with Mission Laïque Française, reflecting its Franco-American identity. The campus features a large athletic field, a spacious library, an auditorium, and advanced STEAM facilities for coding, robotics, and science. An Innovation Lab expands hands-on learning with 3D printing, robotics, laser cutting, VR, and AI-assisted personalization of paths. The arts program includes a music education partnership with Conservatoire français de musique and a Scholastic Art curriculum; students also explore languages through the International Language School. Middle school fosters leadership, service, field trips, and global engagement together.
