Online School & Homeschool in France

Live online Cambridge IGCSE, A-Level, Pearson Edexcel, IB Diploma, and American AP for international and expat families across Paris, Lyon, Toulouse, Nice/Sophia Antipolis, Bordeaux, and Strasbourg. France's home-education law is genuinely restrictive since 2022 — we explain exactly what that means below, honestly.

From USD 423/month (~EUR 389/month). Small live classes 4-6 students, Cambridge / IB / American AP pathway options, delivered as supplementary curriculum support alongside your child's school enrolment, or as primary curriculum for families who already hold home-education authorization.

Where our France families are

Smartious France families concentrate across Paris (by far France's largest international school market — Neuilly, Saint-Cloud, Saint-Germain-en-Laye — multinational corporate and diplomatic HQ base), Lyon (Sanofi and bioMérieux pharma/biotech), Toulouse (Airbus global headquarters, France's aerospace capital), Nice/Sophia Antipolis (Côte d'Azur, one of Europe's largest tech parks alongside long-established wealthy expat presence), Bordeaux (wine-industry heritage plus a fast-growing tech scene), and Strasbourg (European Parliament, Council of Europe, European Court of Human Rights — genuinely itinerant EU-institution and diplomatic families). Each city has a different character, but all share the same national home-education legal framework, the same live online delivery, and the best British Council exam-centre coverage — nine cities — of any country Smartious serves.

Homeschool laws and regulation in France

France is unusual among the countries Smartious serves: the law is genuinely clear, not a grey area — but it is deliberately restrictive. Here is exactly what that means and does not mean.

Home education now requires prior authorization, not just notification

Since the loi confortant le respect des principes de la République (August 2021), in full effect for new cases from September 2022, instruction en famille (home education) requires prior authorization from the local DASEN (Directeur académique des services de l'éducation nationale), replacing the previous declaration-only system. Authorization is granted only on four grounds: the child's health, intensive sport or artistic training, family travel or itinerant lifestyle, or a specific documented situation such as genuine distance from any school. Families must demonstrate their situation fits one of these categories.

A preference for international curriculum is not, by itself, a valid ground

This is the single most important thing to understand honestly: wanting to follow Cambridge, IB, or American curriculum instead of the French system is not one of the four recognised authorization grounds. Reported rejection rates are meaningfully high, including for families who previously homeschooled without issue under the pre-2022 system. Smartious does not represent itself as a route to obtaining IEF authorization, and families should not assume enrolling with any curriculum provider changes the underlying legal test.

Annual academic inspection applies to authorized families

Families who do hold IEF authorization are subject to an annual academic inspection by the DASEN to verify the instruction provided meets the required standard. A structured, documented curriculum provider with clear records of live teaching, assessments, and progress can support this inspection process.

The realistic fit for most France families: supplementary support, or authorized primary delivery

For the great majority of expat and international families in France, the practical path is one of two: remain enrolled at a registered French or international school and use Smartious as supplementary Cambridge, IB, or American curriculum support (a common and straightforward arrangement, unaffected by the IEF authorization question), or, for families who already qualify and hold DASEN authorization on one of the four recognised grounds, use Smartious as documented primary curriculum delivery.

Itinerant and diplomatic families are a genuine exception worth knowing about

Family travel or itinerant lifestyle is one of the four recognised authorization grounds. This is directly relevant to genuinely mobile families — diplomatic postings, EU-institution rotations common in Strasbourg, and similar situations — though authorization still requires the family to apply and document their circumstances with the DASEN themselves; Smartious does not handle or guarantee this process.

Why France families choose Smartious

The best exam-centre coverage Smartious offers anywhere

British Council operates in nine French cities — Paris, Lyon, Toulouse, Nice, Bordeaux, Strasbourg, Lille, Marseille, Nantes — meaning almost every Smartious France family has genuinely local exam access, unlike several other countries Smartious serves.

CET/CEST timezone is a genuine, verifiable advantage

France is only 1-2 hours behind Nairobi EAT — live afternoon Nairobi teaching lands naturally within the French school day.

Honest positioning, not an overstated legal claim

We say plainly that home-education authorization in France is restrictive and not available on curriculum-preference grounds — and position Smartious realistically as supplementary support or authorized-family primary delivery, not a universal substitute for school enrolment.

The genuine, Cambridge-endorsed Parcoursup pathway

Cambridge A-Level and IB Diploma students access French universities through Parcoursup — a pathway Cambridge International itself documents and endorses.

Fills real capacity gaps outside Paris

Lyon, Toulouse, Nice/Sophia Antipolis, Bordeaux, and especially Strasbourg all have meaningfully thinner international school landscapes than Paris. Smartious extends full curriculum access regardless of local school capacity.

Built for genuinely itinerant families

Strasbourg's EU-institution and diplomatic families, and other genuinely mobile postings, get curriculum that travels cleanly between countries — and that fits directly within one of France's own recognised legal categories for authorized home education.

Meaningful fee position against Paris-level international school costs

Smartious from USD 5,076/year vs EUR 20,000-35,000+/year for Paris's premium international schools — among the largest fee gaps Smartious offers anywhere, even accounting for the more modest fee levels in France's regional cities.

Fees and admission

From USD 423/month for Primary, payable termly; varies by curriculum and level. One-to-one tuition: USD 15/hour.

Frequently asked questions

Can Smartious help us get authorization to homeschool in France?

We want to be direct rather than overstate this: no, not on curriculum-preference grounds. Since 2022, French home education (IEF) requires prior DASEN authorization, granted only for the child's health, intensive sport or artistic training, family travel, or a specific documented situation. Wanting an international curriculum instead of the French system is not a recognised ground on its own. If your family already qualifies on one of these grounds, or you're looking for curriculum support alongside your child's existing school enrolment, Smartious fits well — we just won't suggest we can change the underlying legal position.

So is Smartious even useful for France families if we can't just homeschool freely?

Yes, in two realistic ways. Most France families use Smartious as supplementary Cambridge, IB, or American curriculum support alongside their child's existing enrolment at a French or international school — a common, straightforward arrangement unrelated to the IEF authorization question. Families who already hold DASEN authorization (health, sport/arts, family travel, or a specific situation) can use Smartious as fully documented primary curriculum delivery.

We're an EU-institution or diplomatic family with an itinerant posting — does that help?

Family travel and itinerant lifestyle is one of the four recognised IEF authorization grounds, and it's a genuinely relevant situation for mobile diplomatic and EU-institution families, particularly around Strasbourg. But authorization still requires your own DASEN application and documentation — we provide the structured curriculum, not the authorization itself.

How does Smartious compare to France's established international schools?

Schools like the British School of Paris, American School of Paris, and International School of Lyon provide excellent physical-campus education at EUR 10,000-35,000+/year depending on city and tier. Smartious provides live online Cambridge, IB, and American curriculum from USD 5,076/year — most realistically used as supplementary support or for IEF-authorized families, rather than a direct substitute for enrolment.

Can my child access French universities with Cambridge or Edexcel A-Levels?

Yes. Cambridge International publishes an official guide confirming that IGCSE and A-Level results feed directly into Parcoursup, France's national university admission platform, alongside the French Baccalauréat and IB Diploma.

Where do France students sit Cambridge and Pearson Edexcel examinations?

Through the British Council network, present in nine French cities — Paris, Lyon, Toulouse, Nice, Bordeaux, Strasbourg, Lille, Marseille, and Nantes — the best domestic exam-centre coverage of any country Smartious serves.

How does live class scheduling work given the France-Nairobi time difference?

France runs CET (UTC+1) in winter and CEST (UTC+2) in summer — only 1-2 hours behind Nairobi EAT. Live afternoon Nairobi teaching lands naturally within the French school day.

Which French cities and regions does Smartious cover?

Paris, Lyon, Toulouse, Nice/Sophia Antipolis, Bordeaux, and Strasbourg have dedicated pages with local school comparisons and community context. Live online delivery works the same for families anywhere else in France.

Guides for families in this country

What parents say

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“I'm very much pleased by the teaching methods at Smartious eschool, the tutors are caring, they never fail to reach out to their students in any need. Highly recommend!” — Valentine M., Google review

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