Looking for private school that teaches French as foreign language (San Francisco: real estate, to rent)

[paris2012]

Hello,

We have been living in Paris for the past 3 years and it's time for us to move back to the States. Husband found a job in Concord and we are thinking of moving to the Berkeley area.

Problem is the school. Son (3rd grader) has been learning French for the past 3 years and we do not want him to forget it. I know there's a bilingual school in Berkeley, but my problem is that if my son attends there, his French may become stronger than his English.

Since our stay in Paris, his English has fallen behind, and English is more important to us than French. I need a school that teaches primarily English, but French as a foreign language. An acquaintance mentioned a private school in this area, but I cannot remember the name.

Does anyone have any ideas what school it could be, or have any other suggestions?

[ssmaster]

The Lycée Français de San Francisco is a not-for-profit 501c3 organization registered with the State of California and accredited by the French Government
– TUITION FEES:

Preschool through 5th Grade $ 17,760.00
6th Grade through 9th Grade $ 18,850.00
10th Grade through 12th Grade $ 23,300.00

theyn have a branch in marin


ooh la la.

[pch1013]

Originally Posted by ssmaster

The Lycée Français de San Francisco is a not-for-profit 501c3 organization registered with the State of California and accredited by the French Government

Yes, but it's a French-immersion school that happens to teach English. What the OP wants is a school that's the other way around.

[tanglenet]

Is English your primary language at home? If it is, I'm guessing that if you have your son attend the French school in Berkeley, his English development would be fine as long as he has activities and friends outside of the school. I've only heard good things about the Ecole Bilingue.

[paris2012]

Thanks everyone!

I found out what the other school was called. The Academy. Smaller classes, a lot of homework, but good school according to what I've read. We're considering either this one or the Ecole Berkeley mentioned in the above post. Hard to make decisions!

[paris2012]

Hello everyone again. I forgot to ask where would be a good area to live in to be close to Ecole Bilingue Berkeley or The Academy. Address for the first one here:
1009 Heinz Avenue
(between 10th St & 9th St)
Berkeley, CA 94710

The Academy
2722 Benvenue Avenue Berkeley, CA 94705
(510) 549-0605

We will probably rent unless we can find a SMALL, teeny, tiny home for under 700,000. Or condo. Possible? After renting in Paris for years, I'm tired of hearing my neighbors make noise. Also, the older I get, the harder it is to sleep! Anyone have any ideas? Merci!

[tanglenet]

Zip code 94705, same as the school, is a good place to look. Redfin has a great website for searching for real estate. Will not be useful for looking for a place to rent.

[mayorhaggar]

Originally Posted by paris2012

We will probably rent unless we can find a SMALL, teeny, tiny home for under 700,000. Or condo. Possible? After renting in Paris for years, I'm tired of hearing my neighbors make noise. Also, the older I get, the harder it is to sleep! Anyone have any ideas? Merci!

Renting is probably a good idea at least for the first year. For one thing, since you don't have to worry about public schools, maybe consider North Oakland since it tends to be cheaper than Berkeley and it's closer to Highway 24 which goes to Concord. I know as of a couple years ago you could get a decent house in Rockridge for around $600,000, prices have probably gone up by now but you might find some nice ones for under 700k. The Piedmont Ave area is another nearby option. If you are used to Paris you'd be fine in the nice parts of North Oakland.