French Immersion Schools in Chicago & Illinois

This page lists every French immersion and French curriculum school in Chicago and Illinois, public and private — each with its program type, tuition, enrollment and accreditation. It is one metro area of an independent directory covering 239 schools across 34 US states.

Dual language programs follow the American curriculum with the school day split between French and English; French curriculum schools follow the French national program and are accredited by the French Ministry of Education. The two private schools, Ecole Franco-Americaine de Chicago and Lycee Francais de Chicago, charge between $29,000 and $30,000 a year.

Illinois’s French-language schools are split between Chicago proper and the university city of Champaign-Urbana. Chicago’s three French schools represent the full spectrum: LaSalle Language Academy, a Chicago Public Schools magnet on the North Side; and two private AEFE-affiliated institutions — Lycée Français de Chicago (Streeterville, one of the largest French private schools in the Midwest) and École Franco-Américaine de Chicago (Lincoln Park).

Champaign-Urbana, 135 miles south of Chicago near the University of Illinois campus, has two public French immersion programs: Stratton Academy of the Arts and Yankee Ridge Elementary. The university community’s international character makes Champaign-Urbana one of the more surprising pockets of French immersion infrastructure in the Midwest.

What AEFE homologation, LabelFrancÉducation, the American accreditors and the International Baccalaureate each certify is explained in the guide to accreditations and credentials. For younger children, the Chicago & Illinois daycare directory covers French daycares and preschools. You can also see every French school in Illinois, or browse the full national directory.

We hope you will find this directory useful, and please do not hesitate to reach out if you have any questions, comments or additional information on the schools listed here — or a school we are missing.