French Immersion Schools in the Washington DC Area

This page lists every French immersion and French curriculum school in the Washington DC area, public, charter 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 private schools charge from $28,000 to $57,000 a year, averaging about $43,000.

The Washington DC metro area’s French-language schools span 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 has Washington International School, DC International and Elsie Whitlow Stokes, while Maryland’s 13 schools are mostly district programs in 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.

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 Washington DC Area daycare directory covers French daycares and preschools. You can also see every French school in Washington DC, Maryland and Virginia, 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.