San Diego French American School

We have been at SDFAS since 2009, started with one child in preschool and now we have three there! We absolutely love it. When we moved to San Diego from Mexico city, the school welcomed us with an open heart. There is a very strong sense of a community at the school and it has been a pleasure to watch our children blossom in this wonderful environment.

We are extremely satisfied with SDFAS. Our two sons have been enrolled since PK and they have been offered a great education. Their French is at the same level any child their age has in France and their English is extremely strong. As an international family we find theses skills will help them succeed in any country or education system. Our children love their school.

It’s been 3 years since I wrote this review. My son is now in 2^nd grade. I also have a daughter in kindergarten and another son in PK0 (2 years old). I have to say, I’m still extremely satisfied and impressed with this school. We have been happy with all the teachers who are always receptive and easy to reach by e-​mail or in person.
Now that we live closer to the school, my kids have been able to take advantage of the fun after school activities. The kids can do cooking classes, surfing, skateboarding, dancing, mandarin and many more. They also have homework help in french and english which has been very helpful to us. They also have many opportunities for the parents to get involved with the school. My family and I couldn’t be happier!

San Diego French-​American School («SDFAS») is, by far, the best Pre-​K-​8 program in San Diego. I wanted a rigorous academic environment and meaningful cultural experience for my daughter, and I’m so fortunate to have found SDFAS. It is a dual-​language immersion school that turns out smart, culturally sophisticated kids, with super strong academics, particularly in math and science, a mastery of the French and English languages, and meaningful opportunities to learn other languages, including Spanish and Mandarin.
I have two older children who have gone through traditional private schools, and although they received a great education, it does not compare to what my younger child is learning and will continue to learn at SDFAS. When she graduates, she will be completely bilingual (she already can speak French beautifully and effortlessly without any exposure at home) and possess broad global knowledge, a strong work ethic and extraordinary academic discipline due to the intensity of completing a dual-​language program. All this at a cost significantly less than other private schools in the area.
The magic of SDFAS is hard to pinpoint, but it must be the combination of the exceptional quality of teachers and the truly diverse cultural experience. The academic program is difficult, but the teachers help their students succeed by being knowledgable and passionate, yet tough and results-​oriented. The class size is small and students receive considerable individualized attention. I am shocked at how well the teachers understand my daughter’s strengths and weaknesses. The frequent feedback about her progress, both academically and socially, is remarkable and goes way beyond what I expected. The school is extremely diverse, with a student body representing something like 35 different nationalities, so students are exposed to languages and experiences from all over the world. The tight-​knit community regularly celebrates this diversity throughout the year with very special events for the parents and kids.
I truly love SDFAS. I feel like I’m giving my daughter such a gift with bilingual education and she’s truly becoming a «citizen of the world.» I’m so excited about the possibilities that will be open for her after her experience at SDFAS. I can see already that she is developing into a hardworking, confident individual, after facing and overcoming the daily challenge of speaking in a language that she does not hear at home. She is also a culturally sensitive person, tolerant and respectful of others’ differences. These are characteristics that are hard to teach, but are learned automatically at this very special school.

San Diego French American School, is one of the best schools around! I just experienced my first year there as a sixth grader, and boy was it fun! :) The teachers are really nice and super helpful. The kids are sweet, funny and the nicest people you could ever meet. Whether it’s at recess or in class, we never go a day without laughing.
The lessons that the teachers, teach us are advanced. Once my uncle came over to help me with my math homework, he told me, that it was the kind of stuff he learned in high school. My uncle was a seminar student at La Jolla High.
I enjoy every single day at SDFAS. I made so many awesome friends, that I kind of dread summer, because I will miss seeing everyone. In my opinion, if you would like to learn french, I would seriously recommend SDFAS.
–Nikki A.
soon to be 7^th grader :)

Good solid school.

We have our 3 year old in this school for the past 2 years and we are truly amazed with the progress he made. He is literally bilingual and he looks forward to go to school. He formed a lot of friendships and when Saturday comes along he wakes up and says «mama I want to go to school» the only sad thing is that I have to tell him he cannot go because it’s Saturday :) Teachers are very well educated and experienced and school had active after school program you can sign up for as well. We are very happy and we cannot wait till our second son will be attending school!!!

Update: My daughter is now a 1^st grader & my son is a kindergartner. I can’t really say enough good things to describe how pleased I am that my children go to this school. Both are fluent (age appropriate) they slip back & forth between English & French effortlessly.
The school is accredited by the French Ministry of Education — the requirements of which exceed US public schools substantially. French Nationals can even receive tuition assistance. The cost is on the lower end of private schools at $ 15k per year.
The French Education system starts earlier & there is a great focus on developing the person, not just academic skills or can the child pass the «no child left behind» nonsense.
One of the things I enjoy most about the school is the sense of community. I have developed several close friendships with other parents; I’m skeptical that I would have done that in a public school.
Class size: there are 12 in my daughter’s class & 15 in my son’s class. Both have teaching assistants & an English teacher. You’d be hard pressed to find a better student/​teacher ratio.
The best part of my kids going here is that they LOVE it. They love their teachers & they love speaking French.

Best school in San Diego. Small classes, complete French immersion program plus they start Spanish in 5^th grade. Their math level is one of the highest in California. Very nice environment just like one big family with teachers and staff being so friendly and sweet. My kids are getting the best education plus speaking French fluently which was my dream but I never learned it and neither did my husband. It was never an issue that we don’t speak French at home.

Our both kids attended pre-​elementary school and we were overall very satisfied. The teacher to student ratio, teacher attentiveness, well rounded curriculum, diversity, education level, welcoming are some of the great attributes of the school. Some of the class rooms and grounds could be improved which are in the process of being implemented. Our kids will continue attending the kindergarten.

My child attended SDFAS for PK0 and PK1. We do not speak French at home, and she had no experience with French prior to her joining the two-​year-​old class. We were thrilled at the learning environment SDFAS provided her. Her classes were always small — something like a 7-​to-​1 student-​to-​teacher ratio, which especially at a young age can make a big difference. All of the teachers she had (leads and assistants) were outstanding, warm and nurturing. Becoming comfortable conversing in another language takes time — every child goes at their own pace. Our daughter picked up English words quite easily, so we guessed that a multi-​lingual curriculum would be a good fit. She thrived at SDFAS in all areas and could speak in simple sentences by the second year. We especially liked the option of choosing between additional math and science preparation, which is all presented in a fun, interesting format, and adding Mandarin to her weekly plan. Also, the preschool classes receive twice-​weekly English instruction, which we saw have a tremendous impact on even our native-​Engligh speaking daughter.
Most importantly, she came away from her time at SDFAS loving school and wanting to continue her learning during breaks (they offer summer and break camps throughout the year).
The student population is culturally diverse, and the school does a good job of bringing many different cultural traditions to life within the curriculum.
School administrators are exceptionally qualified, responsive and forward-​thinking, and an active parent community organizes special events, etc. We were new to San Diego and didn’t have much of a network, but we showed an interest in the life of the school — volunteering for parent association, helping with committees, etc, — and we quickly connected with other parents and were offered invitations to help in other ways.
If we hadn’t moved, we would have kept our daughter at the school. It is part of San Diego that we miss most!

I speak only English but the value of knowing more than one language is priceless. This school has a great dual language curriculum and caring teachers. The small classroom size is great. There is plenty of opportunity to volunteer as a parent and be part of the community. It’s a commitment and kids going from pre-​school (even starting Kinder) through middle school are completely bilingual. It’s amazing how my kids speak French and I’m still trying to learn. Wish I had a school like this when I was growing up. Love the dedication of the staff. My kids are happy and so am I.

This is my son’s third year here, he started in the two year old preschool. We love it. The classes are small, the teachers are great and the administration awesome. I love that my son is learning two languages and is exposed to a very international culture. His vocabulary in both languages is amazing.

Great school (preschool to middle school).
Challenging program.
If you don’t speak French at home, make sure you enroll your kid in preschool so they are immersed with the double curriculum from the start.
If you like to volunteer, there s plenty of opportunity for the parents to help through out the year.