International School Of Paris

The International School of Paris (ISP) is an independent, non profit, English-medium day school that welcomes students from ages 3 to 18. The primary, middle and high schools are each located on a different, age-appropriate campus in Paris’s 16th arrondissement. Walking distance between each campus is an average of 10 minutes and views of the Eiffel Tower are common from classrooms at both the middle and high school campuses. The campuses are also in proximity of many of Paris’s top cultural sites meaning that our Paris as a Classroom program allows students to discover the most recent expos or historically significant locations as part of the school day. 

ISP’s chosen curriculum, the International Baccalaureate (IB - www.ibo.org), is interdisciplinary and internationally recognized as a rigorous university preparation programme at the high school level. The IB is the curriculum of choice in over 5,000 schools across the world. The IB programmes, at all levels (primary, middle and diploma), offer a framework within which students practice and master inquiry, make choices about what they want to learn and contribute to the learning of their peers.  

In the Primary Years Programme at ISP (PYP - https://www.ibo.org/programmes/primary-years-programme/) students become familiar with the approaches to learning (ATL) that allow them to successfully navigate six units of inquiry. ATL includes thinking, research, social, communication and self-management skills that, when practiced, allow students to reflect on how they learn and to consistently employ the learning strategies that work best for them. 

The ultimate celebration of student learning in the ISP Primary School is the Grade 5 Exhibition, a semester-long research project that enables students to showcase their passions, as well as how they navigate their research journey. In 2020 the IB curated a global digital display of Exhibition projects; ISP students submitted work to the display and their contributions can be viewed here. 

Take a virtual tour of the Primary School campus (Ranelagh) to get an idea about life at ISP Primary!
Building One
Building Two

In the Middle Years Programme at ISP (MYP - https://www.ibo.org/programmes/middle-years-programme/) students confidently use ATL and continue to vividly demonstrate their leadership skills. Service learning becomes an even more integral element of the curriculum in middle school and students plan and lead projects that make a positive difference to the lives of others in their community. Service projects also allow students to link classroom learning to real-world events. Before moving on to high school, students complete the Grade 10 Personal Project, another milestone research project that enables learners to demonstrate how their knowledge leads them to taking action in the world. 

Each year, the community attends the Personal Project Showcase where they can hear from the students themselves how their projects made an impact in their community. Students, parents and staff vote on their favorite project and this project is celebrated at the Grade 10 graduation ceremony each June. 

Take a virtual tour of the Middle School campus (Cortambert) to see what life is like for ISP middle schoolers! 

In the Diploma Programme at ISP (DP - https://www.ibo.org/programmes/diploma-programme/) students master the ATL, proving that they are accomplished critical thinkers who are ready for university studies at any university, in any country. ISP has rich traditions for celebrating Grade 12 students: trip week to finish assessments while spending time together, the annual visual arts vernissage (expo) held in a prestigious gallery at Place des Vosges and the graduation ceremony in the Bois du Boulogne. Students leave ISP feeling valued and “...aware of the many ways they can better the world” (Mila, 2020 graduate).

Take a virtual tour of the High School campus (Beethoven) and see the spaces students use to prepare for life after ISP!

DP students, like the MYP students, also make important contributions to their community through the Creativity, Activity and Service program (CAS). Written reflections on CAS experiences are a graduation requirement and students must show that they are capable of using the ATL in their chosen CAS projects. An annual highlight is Alannah’s Awesome Tournament, a day during which area schools gather for a football tournament to raise money for child cancer research. The tournament is a school tradition, organized by DP students since the passing of a classmate due to leukemia. Thousands of euros have been raised and donated to a French hospital specialized in child cancer research thanks to DP student dedication to ensuring the longevity and success of the tournament. 

Another highlight is the Sustainable Development Project (SDP). A select group of student leaders work together each year to raise money and prepare for a project in a developing nation. The country may change from year to year depending on global safety and security, but the goal is to return to the same location multiple times in order to complete a multiyear project. Recently student groups have spent their summers in Namibia making grounds improvements at a school in Otjimanagombe, planting a garden and teaching languages and AIDS awareness. 

The IB curriculum’s focus on skill development at all levels of schooling means that students become critical thinkers and adept researchers. In conjunction, immersion in ISP’s multicultural and multilingual setting encourages students in becoming global citizens and agile communicators. Language learning is one of ISP’s seven guiding statements and is thus central to student academic achievement as well as to the development of personal identity. Mother-tongue language learning is encouraged and supported by a team of language and learning support specialists. 

ISP’s dedicated wellbeing team ensures that students have the resilience and readiness to learn, especially during the difficult events currently facing the world. They also make sure that students are exploring beyond their academic interests and obligations. The ISP extended curriculum and sports program provides opportunities for students to develop or discover their passions, while student council (middle and high school), student leadership groups (primary), the research curator group (high school) and the social justice association (primary, middle and high school) allow students to acquire and practice leadership skills. 

ISP’s mission is to prepare students to engage with and succeed in a complex world. Thanks to over 55 years of excellence in international education, ISP has experience in achieving this mission, consistently producing motivated, empathetic, young leaders who are adaptable lifelong learners. 

To remember: 

• ISP is the flagship IB school in France. ISP is the first school in France authorized to offer all three IB programs. ISP has been accredited by the International Baccalaureate Organization since 1982 and boasts over three decades of IB graduates. 
• ISP is an English-medium school, meaning instruction takes place in English. French and English lessons are a requirement at every level for every student. Students have the option to begin a third language starting in Grade 6 or to study their mother tongue. Language acquisition classes in Mandarin, Spanish, Japanese, Malay and Hindi are offered at ISP. 
• The Diploma Programme is a bridge to university study and the world of work. ISP graduates enter world-ranked universities thanks to the International Baccalaureate DP framework and individualized support from teachers. ISP students also receive guidance counselling from one of four specialised university counselors: English-speaking universities, European universities, Japanese universities and Korean universities. 
• ISP teachers help different students learn in different ways and this special attention shows in students’ exam results. In 2020, 48% of our students earned more than 36 points on the IB exams versus 27% of students worldwide. Also in 2020, 48% of ISP students earned bilingual diplomas compared to 29% of students worldwide.