Learning French – and learning in French
Learn French or improve your French proficiency
Canada’s 10 Alliances françaises offer French courses for every type of learner: children, teenagers, adults, students, professionals, teachers…
As centers for teaching French as a second language, the Alliances françaises have high-quality teaching resources that enable them to adapt to a variety of learning contexts. They play an important role in the continuing education of federal civil servants and employees of Canadian companies. Standardization of teaching resources at the national and international levels ensures that the methods used are of high quality and are up-to-date. As official examination centers, the Alliances françaises offer certifications from France Éducation International and the Paris Chamber of Commerce and Industry that are recognized worldwide.
The Alliances françaises in Canada are part of the worldwide Alliance française network, which comprises more than 830 Alliances françaises in 132 countries with more than 500,000 students across all courses.
Enroll your child in a school with a French curriculum
The French education network has 8 schools in Canada.
Four have agreements with the Agence pour l’enseignement français à l’étranger (AEFE) (agency for French education abroad) :
Four are AEFE partner establishments:
École française internationale Cousteau in Vancouver (affiliated with the Mission Laïque Française)
Toronto French School (TFS) (affiliated with the Mission Laïque Française)
Académie Providence Sœurs Antonines in Ottawa (partner since 2021)
The 8 schools accredited by the French Ministry of Education welcome more than 8,000 students each year, most of whom are Canadian, but also French and students from other countries. These schools offer high-quality education in French with an international outlook, offering bilingual French-English and multilingual programs.
These schools are part of a vast global network coordinated by the AEFE, comprising 600 institutions that welcome nearly 398,000 students in 138 countries, enabling children to continue their education without interruption, from kindergarten to high school graduation (ages 2 to 18), whether they move from one institution to another or from one country to another.
Enroll your child in a school with the LabelFrancÉducation certification
Created in 2012, the LabelFrancÉducation label is awarded by the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs (MEAE) to bilingual French-language programs of excellence offering intensive instruction in French and at least one non-language subject in French, depending on the country's program.
The LabelFrancÉducation network includes 716 certified bilingual French-language programs in 67 countries serving 200,000 students.
There is 1 certified institution in Canada: Acadecap International School, in Ottawa.
Registration for French school exams
It is possible to register for French school exams (“Diplôme national du brevet” – DNB and “Baccalauréat”) as an independent candidate. The exam service in Canada is hosted at the Collège International Marie de France.
Follow the French curriculum or part of the French curriculum remotely
CNED-regulated full-curriculum schooling
The CNED offers full schooling (the entire French curriculum) via distance learning for each school year. This schooling is not compatible with any other form of local schooling.
It requires authorization from the Cooperation and Cultural Action Advisor in Ottawa for students residing in Canada outside Quebec.
When submitting their application, families must email:
- the pre-filled form provided by the CNED, clearly stating their address in Canada and the reason for requesting enrollment
- a copy of the child's identity document, showing their date of birth and nationality
- a sworn statement confirming that the child is not enrolled in a French or foreign school
- proof of progression to the requested grade (e.g., school report card).
Access to the CNED's full-time regulated education program is reserved for students, regardless of their nationality, who can:
- provide proof of enrollment in the French education system during the year preceding their application to the CNED at a public or private school under contract in France, an approved French school abroad, or enrollment in the CNED's full-time regulated education program
- and who have a guidance notice corresponding to the class requested, with the production of semester or quarterly reports from the school year preceding the requested enrollment at the Cned.
If you live in Canada outside Quebec, please contact us by email.
For students residing in Quebec, please contact the Service de Coopération et d'Action Culturelle in Quebec at this address: montreal@campusfrance.org.
Some families choose to enroll their children in the Canadian school system but wish to continue following the French program of the Ministry of National Education.
The CNED's complementary international education program (SCI) allows students to follow a complementary education program alongside their local school curriculum in three subjects: French, mathematics, and history-geography/moral and civic education up to 9th grade, then adapted for high school.
Enrollment in the CNED SCI does not require the approval of the diplomatic mission.