French Immersion Schools in Louisiana

This page lists every French immersion and French curriculum school in Louisiana, public, charter and private — each with its program type, tuition, enrollment and accreditation. It is one state 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 one private school, Ecole Bilingue de la Nouvelle Orleans, charges about $18,000 a year.

Louisiana has the most French-language schools of any state in the national directory, spread across New Orleans, Acadiana, the Baton Rouge area, and rural parishes in the heart of French-speaking Louisiana. Two fundamentally different systems coexist.

In New Orleans, free public charter schools form the most concentrated French immersion charter network in the United States, run by Lycée Français International de la Louisiane (2 campuses), International School of Louisiana (2 campuses), Edward Hynes Charter (2 campuses), and Audubon Public Charter (2 campuses). In Acadiana, a network of traditional public schools in Lafayette, Lake Charles, Breaux Bridge, Cecilia, and surrounding Cajun parishes maintains French bilingual education as a cultural continuity effort — not an immersion trend.

Behind both systems is CODOFIL, the Council for the Development of French in Louisiana. Cajun French has been spoken in these parishes for three centuries.

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, a separate daycare directory covers French daycares and preschools. You can also see the New Orleans metro page, 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.