San Diego French American School

"We love this school. Not only has our son developed the ability to read speak and write in French but he is also acquiring all the other benefits of second-language instruction tolerance respect and love of other cultures; the aptitude to acquire even more languages with greater ease; the ability to easily access the higher executive function of the brain which multi-linguals possess and which sharpens problem-solving across various disciplines; and the advantage of linguistic and cultural fluency that is crucial to the next generation's success in the global economy. He also benefits from the small intimate nature of the school and the extra attention the teachers can give to all students in their small-sized classes."

My daughter went to SDFAS for 8 years and my son for 6. We have moved to France a year ago. When we arrived my daughter had a little catching up to do in French (which makes sense) but in maths she was far ahead from the lot as she had already covered most of the topics at SDFAS thanks to an amazing maths teacher. My son was quite surprised to have a more advanced French level than his new French classmates. Both kids ended the year top of the class in their new French schools. SDFAS is not only about learning another language it is about mixing two different (and sometimes common) cultures values and ways of thinking. The math approach in French is very different to the american way of problem solving. In languages the American curriculum requires a lot of writing which makes up for the lack of in the French curriculum. The French culture gives great importance to art and cooking while the American culture develps a good sense of business early on. After a bit more than a year in France we miss the many opportunities SDFAS offered to perform in front of an audience be it the weekly "forum" or the yearly Talent show which was a very enriching experience.

I have one child that graduated from SDFAS and just started public high school and we both are so impressed at how well he adjusted. He is in the most advanced classes and he and a fellow alumn are the top two students in their English class. The middle school has great teachers now and my second child is now benefitting from this. She had a great experience so far since Kindergarden. The best part of the school is the environment. They are good kids and the administration is responsive. My kids are perfectly bilingual biliterate and advanced in math not mention they are learning Spanish. Putting them in the school was the best decision.

I rate this school poorly in teaching French as a second language poorly in teaching technology and science poorly in American History and overall poorly in preparing Americans for an American curriculum beyond elementary school. This curriculum best suits a niche population of French students who are temporarily living in San Diego.

Staying at SDFAS was the worst mistake we could have done! There is not a curriculum in place and each new year feels like arriving to a new school since each teacher has her own methodology and expectations which conflict with the previous teacher you just had. Teachers do not stay for long so there is constant transition! The students get confused and there is not a systematic curriculum to follow. We had a terrible English teacher in 3rd grade and the administration did not do anything about it even with numerous complaints from parents. This was a total lost year for us. The middle school is even worse and this is why very few children (mostly the French who need to go back to France) stay in the school. This school will not prepare your children for a competitive Lycee and even less for a good american middle or high school. It is all based on constant testing but no reflection. The English department needs a curriculum coordinator to train incoming inexperienced teachers. It is a hit and miss depending on how qualified is the new teacher. Some I would never recommend. I cannot say that students learned effectively in this kind of environment.

My child began attending this school in in preschool. I kept her in this school till the sixth grade. This was a HUGE mistake. To be honest she has a very limited understanding of French. What a pity! The teachers may have Master's degrees but believe me they do not have the education in how to teach an English speaker French. I know this now because I have sent my youngest daughter to another bilingual school to learn Chinese. (I still believe it is an asset to be bilingual). My youngest daughter is in the first grade and she understands Chinese at a deeper level then my oldest understood French by third grade!. This is because the foundations of the language at the Chinese school were so clearly and competently taught to my youngest while my oldest was put in a very confusing incompetent plan to teach a second language.This realization fills me with remorse that my older daughter had to suffer with the inadequacy of San Diego French American school for so long! This is a poor school. Do not waste your money or your precious child's time. Education is the greatest gift you can give your child and there are alternative bilingual schools in San Diego that are much better!

This school is amazing in its Pre school education starting with the 2 yr old PKO! It was the best decision we made to let our little one start at age 2 -5 days a week - he is surrounded by diverse - well rounded children - You should request a tour to see the environment that your child would learn.

My two children have attended the SDFAS for 6 years. The first four years were great but as they entered middle school we found the education to be poor. My son graduated from SDFAS in June 2008 and continued his studies in French at the Lycee. SDFAS does not properly prepare kids for either French or English High Schools like they say they do. We found out the hard way. While my son was an 'A' student at SDFAS he has been struggling the entire first semester to reach the Lycee level. We kindly made the school aware of these findings so they can look into this ... but the French are too proud. I recently transferred my daughter to the American middle school and are dealing with the same problem. She is behind in English math and US history. I do not recommend this school at the higher grades.

My children have been going to the SDFAS for 5yrs. We are an English speaking family. Both of my children are completely bi-lingual. The school is growing which is fantastic. The current Kindergarten class is at a record breaking high. My children really look forward to going to school in the morning to see there friends. We love the fact that they know each of their class mates so well and have know them for a long time. We love having such a close knit community of people for our kids to grow up with. The teachers are always willing to help. If you are looking to give your child an bi-lingual education this is a great school to do it at.

This school is really for two types of people. The first type is for people who already know french. The second type is for people who don't know french but are willing to pay tutors and go to a french speaking country so their children can learn the language. This school does not have a comprehensive program to help English speaking only families you're on your own. Around 3rd grade is when many English speaking only parents leave because they discover their children will not become fluent in french by just going to this school.

I have two children at the school and have been part of the community of the school for four years now. My experience has been that the quality of the teachers is exceptional. They are well educated they care about the kids and they are easy to communicate with. The school is growing and has some minor growing pains but the community of the school is rich. Parents often stay to talk after dropping off the kids - an added bonus is that school events that are pot luck are often conucopias of exciting French and ethnic foods from around the world (and not re-heats from cost-co). We love the school and wish it great success.

A school where kids learn how to make their own creative answers instead of just checking boxes...

My three children attended this school for 6 years. Apart from it having been a fantastic experience (great atmosphere good friends a wonderful teaching and admin staff) they were very well prepared academically for both the French and American educational systems. They are now completely bilingual. My oldest child is in the International Baccalaureate (IB) program in high school and the other 2 are in another French school -- in another city -- which they find not as challenging as the SDFAS.

The new campus is La Jolla is beautiful and the playground equipment is excellent. I think the older reviews on this site are outdated because of the move to a new location. The class size is small the teachers are very dedicated and most of them have a master's degree or higher. The French teachers are really helpful to those kids who don't speak French at home and the school has additional help for those students after school. We are so happy that our kids can go onto an American high school and take all sorts of advanced classes even though a lot of their education was in the French language.

Our daughter has attended SDFAS for 4 years. We couldn't be happier with her progress in all subjects and in her personal development. Both her English and French are excellent and she really enjoys school and it's challenges. The school relocated to the present campus during the summer of 2006 and is now located on a beautiful and spacious 7 acre campus in La Jolla (San Diego) with large athletic/ playing fields. Athletic programs are in the process of being expanded. About half of the children at the school do not come from French families and yet they become proficient in the French language very quickly. Special assistance is provided for non French speakers to get them up to speed quickly; so non French speaking families should not have any apprehension about enrolling their children. I recommend SDFAS to all families who want the best education possible for their children.

My son has attended the school for four years starting at 3 1/2 years. He receives a superior education for about $11k/yr. His second grade class has 13 students roughly half native French and the rest American and other nationalities. He has separate English and French teachers and he studies some subjects like math in French and some in English. All French teachers are native speakers. My son speaks French without an accent although both parents are native English speakers. The school is accredited by the French Ministry of Education and meets California requirements as well. The teachers are highly motivated and professional. This is an exceptional school for any parent who wants a deeply multicultural education for children and anyone faintly knowledgeable about the French curriculum would know that it is more rigorous than that of American public schools. The new Soledad Mountain campus is beautiful.

The information in the December 2004 review is outdated the school has changed its name once and its location twice since being in that facility. About four months after that review was written I pulled my child out of the school even though that meant sacrificing a significant amount of non-refundable tuition. In my opinion the school had a poorly designed language acquisition/immersion program which was stressful intimidating and confusing for my child. I was also concerned about the curriculum and preparation for academic skill tests.

The school is small so the teacher to student ratio is high. As kids get older class sizes reduce as some families move or go to public school. It is a French language school so there is a lot of instruction in French but the kids mostly speak English and they do have English class as well as English insturction in higher grades. I am impressed with the academics they follow the French system as well as music and art activites PE is a bit week. Parents are very involoved and parental participation is encouraged.

Begining his third year at San Diego International School and now in k my son is speaking french 'fluently' or at least this what I have been told; neither I nor my husband speak french. A great community to join but the tuition is a factor. The art work is super. The teachers work hard and the class sizes are small.

Great location at the hill top over seeing the San Diego bay and the great view comes with great fresh air too. And if you want your kid to learn French this is it. Teachers and assistants are very good. Good parent organization and involvement added value to both kid and parents. Very good ethnic diversity. Very small class size since they do not have that many students. The recreational space needs improvement too. Small school usually are limited in resources but you will get more personal communication if you like to get involve. School fee is high. They accept kids from above 2-year-old giving early school experience for both kids and parent. Using a French standard their have a higher demand of decipline. Over all it is a much better choice than day care or keeping your kid at home.