21 schools across DC, Maryland, and Northern Virginia — 16 free public programs and 5 private institutions.
The Washington DC metro area has 21 French-language schools across the District, Maryland, and Northern Virginia — one of the highest concentrations of French education outside New York. The schools divide sharply by geography: DC itself is almost entirely private or charter (Washington International School, French Maternal School, DC International, Elsie Whitlow Stokes), while Maryland’s 13 schools are mostly free public district programs across Prince George’s County and Montgomery County.
Maryland’s PGCPS network is the most structured public French immersion pathway in the region: Dora Kennedy French Immersion School (Greenbelt, K–8) feeds into Gaithersburg Middle School, then into Central High School (Capitol Heights) and Largo High School (Upper Marlboro), with DELF, AP French, and Seal of Biliteracy throughout. Montgomery County adds Maryvale Elementary, Sligo Creek Elementary, and Silver Spring International Middle — three schools that form a separate partial pathway.
The area’s private French schools are anchored by Washington International School (Pre‑K–Grade 12) in DC, one of the most prominent IB and AEFE-affiliated schools in the country, and Rochambeau, The French International School in Bethesda, which offers the full French national curriculum from nursery through terminale.
Washington DC Area has 21 French immersion and dual-language schools — 16 free public or charter programs and 5 private schools.
Private French school tuition in Washington DC Area runs from about $28,315 to $56,820 per year. Public and charter immersion programs are tuition-free.
Yes. Washington DC Area has 16 tuition-free French immersion programs in public or charter schools. Many use a lottery or an attendance zone for admission.
Washington DC Area has 3 schools accredited by the French Ministry of Education (AEFE/MLF), following the French national curriculum toward the French Baccalaureate.
Grade ranges vary by school — from preschool (maternelle / pre-K) through elementary, with several continuing into middle and high school. Use the filters above to compare each school’s grade levels.
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