International French School (Singapore) / Lycée Français de Singapour

[Path2Family]

Hi all,

Hope you are having a good Monday. I wanted to check if anybody has any feedback they can share on the International French School (Singapore) / formerly the Lycée Français de Singapour? We are planning to enrol my son there, with the final goal of sending him to Canada/US for university. Please could you share your experiences/feedback you may have heard?

Academics?
Sports?
Mental well-being?
Creativity?
Writing and speaking skills?
Logical reasoning?
Administration?

We want our son to be completely bi-lingual (in English and French), hence the decision to send him to the IFS. I am most concerned whether he would be able to do Math/Science in English when he is off to university.

Thanks all.

[PNGMK]

I believe it is a reasonable school. However the best French schools are in France.

[NYY1]

I would give some more thought as to exactly what you mean by "completely bilingual" (in English and French). The local kids here take 10-12 years of Mother Tongue (or 2nd language); by all accounts they all qualify as "bilingual" (and have capabilities well beyond the 2nd language standards of most Western systems), yet for most of them there will still be a noticeable difference vs. a native speaker (of the 2nd language).

I'm not sure why you are favouring French (not saying it's wrong) or exactly what you are trying to do when sending the kid to Canada/US for university. Unless you are targeting Quebec or something specific with the French language, I think most would say go to an English school and just take 10+ years of French lessons/school curriculum (to be reasonably bilingual in English and French). Again, this is without knowing the specifics of your plan or what/why.

Note, most (but not all) people have a dominant language that they consume the majority of their information in / conduct thoughts in. I would also consider what language capabilities each parent has and which language will be spoken most frequently at home.

Good luck!

[jalanjalan]

I grew up in Canada and studied French as a second language for 10 yrs. I've lost most of it living in Singapore as there is little to no opportunity to speak French. Probably why the Canadian International School, while it does offer English-French bilingual programme, also offers English-Chinese.

[Path2Family]

Thanks for sharing your insights, everyone. I appreciate it. If you have any specifics you can offer on the IFS itself, please do share.

NYY1, there are a few reasons that are exclusive to our family as to why we want him to be completely bilingual in English and French specifically. I understand that that is not the norm here. Yes, you make a great point about one language being the dominant one. I will keep that in mind.

[Sara.Haddah]

The International French School (Singapore), formerly Lycée Français de Singapour (IFS), generally receives good feedback from families looking to raise bilingual (French-English) children. The academics are solid and follow the French national curriculum, which is known for its rigour, especially in subjects like math and science. However, most core academic subjects—including those in the sciences—are taught in French, so if your long-term goal is for your son to pursue university in Canada or the US, you may want to ensure he gets additional support or advanced English exposure in technical subjects, especially in upper secondary.

In terms of mental wellbeing and creativity, IFS has made strides in recent years to modernize its approach, there are decent arts, music, and sports programmes, and teachers are generally supportive. But keep in mind that the French system can still lean traditional in its structure and expectations. Some families moving from more inquiry-based or American-style education systems find the tone quite formal or exam-oriented, especially in middle and high school.
Bilingualism is a real strength of IFS, and students tend to graduate with a strong foundation in both English and French, so you're in a good place on that front. For admin and support services, feedback can be mixed—some parents find it smooth, while others mention bureaucracy, especially around communication or transitions.

If you're looking to compare IFS with other bilingual or International Schools in Singapore, doris.school might help—it's a useful site that helps families filter schools by curriculum, language, wellbeing support, and long-term goals like university destinations. Happy to help you dig deeper if you need more detailed comparisons!