This call covers named international/bilingual schools, curricula, and tuition only — one part of the School & Education category.
Good to know
Good to Know
- Tuition at Chicago's true 'foreign-curriculum' international schools (Lycée Français, GISC, British International School) is a real financial commitment — roughly 26% to 56% of Chicago's median household income for a single child, before uniforms, trips, or lunch fees.
- If budget is the main constraint, EFAC (French-American School of Chicago) and Ogden International School are dramatically cheaper than the private international schools because they're embedded in or run by Chicago Public Schools — but EFAC has strict district-boundary and French-fluency eligibility rules, and Ogden requires navigating the CPS enrollment/lottery process rather than simply paying tuition.
- Most named IB/bilingual private schools offer some financial aid — worth asking about directly, since published 'sticker' tuition is often not the final price for aided families.
- No prior knowledge of the target language is required for admission to most grades at Lycée Français de Chicago or GISC — both are designed to onboard non-native speakers, not just heritage-language families.
- If you want a genuine foreign-curriculum bilingual school rather than a public dual-language program, the Lycée Français de Chicago's main admissions cycle runs October through February for the following September — arriving mid-year and applying on short notice puts you into a much smaller rolling/space-available pool, not the main applicant round.
- CPS (public school) enrollment is tuition-free and has no deadline for your neighborhood school, which is the fastest realistic option for a family that lands in Chicago mid-year; the competitive CPS magnet and selective-enrollment programs, however, run on a fixed fall-to-spring cycle with rolling waitlists that can keep updating for months.
- Illinois is unusually easy for homeschooling logistically: no state registration, no mandatory notification, no required testing, and no parent qualifications — but you are still legally required to teach the state's required subject areas in English, and you carry the burden of proof if ever questioned.
- A 2025 Illinois bill (the proposed 'Homeschool Act,' HB2827) would have added state oversight of homeschoolers; it has not become law, but it's worth checking current status if you're planning a long-term homeschool setup in Illinois, since the political debate is active.
- Chicago-proper homeschool co-ops exist but are a minority compared to the much larger suburban homeschool network — if you're specifically city-based, expect a smaller, tighter-knit set of groups (e.g., in Logan Square or Beverly/Morgan Park) rather than the dozens of options available in the suburbs.
Schools And Curricula
- Overview
- Chicago has a smaller international-school sector than coastal hubs like New York or San Francisco, but it is a growing niche of a handful of accredited foreign-curriculum schools plus several IB World Schools (both public CPS and private/Catholic).
- Market Context
- Aggregator sites tracking roughly 9–12 Chicago-area international/IB-affiliated schools put the average published tuition in the USD 18,000–19,000 per year range with a median 'true cost' (including fees) closer to USD 24,000, though this spans a wide mix of preschool-only and K-8-only programs alongside full K-12 international schools.
Schools
Lycée Français De Chicago (LFC)
- Details
- Since 1995, the Lycée has provided a French-national-system-based curriculum from Pre-K to 8th grade, with students choosing between the French Baccalaureate or the IB Diploma in high school, and all graduates earning both an internationally recognized diploma and a U.S. high school diploma. Bilingual diploma tracks are also offered in German, Spanish, and Advanced French.
- Tuition
- $26,500
- Ages Served
- 3–18
- Neighborhood
- Ravenswood / Lincoln Square
Curricula
- French national curriculum (Pre-K–8)
- French Baccalaureate (BFI American Section)
- IB Diploma Programme (grades 11–12) and IB Middle Years Programme (grades 9–10)
German International School Chicago (GISC)
- Details
- GISC is officially designated a German School Abroad (DAS) for the U.S. Midwest, serving roughly 200 students from over 40 nationalities, and is expanding into a full high school beginning with Grade 9 in 2026–2027.
- Tuition
- $20,000
- Ages Served
- Preschool–Grade 9 (expanding to Grade 12 by 2030)
- Neighborhood
- Ravenswood
Curricula
- IB Primary Years Programme (PYP)
- IB Middle Years Programme (MYP)
- German–English bilingual curriculum, majority of subjects taught in German with full immersion from Preschool
- Candidate school for IB Diploma Programme (Mixed-Language Bilingual IB Diploma / GIB-Diplom), first graduates expected 2030
British International School of Chicago, South Loop (BISC South Loop)
- Details
- Part of the Nord Anglia network; students work toward the IB Diploma or the IB Career-related Programme in the upper school, alongside British-curriculum foundations in earlier years.
- Tuition
- $31,950
- Ages Served
- Nursery–12
- Neighborhood
- South Loop
Curricula
- British Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) / International Primary Curriculum
- IGCSE
- IB Diploma Programme (IBDP)
- IB Career-related Programme (IBCP)
St. Matthias School
- Details
- A Catholic, Archdiocese of Chicago school and IB World School — the city's only wall-to-wall Catholic IB World School — using inquiry-based units with a global-minded perspective alongside religion, language arts, math, science, and Spanish.
- Tuition
- $8,900
- Ages Served
- 3–14 (PreK3–8)
- Neighborhood
- West Ridge / Lincoln Square area (4910 N. Claremont Ave.)
Curricula
- IB Primary Years Programme (PK–5)
- IB Middle Years Programme (6–8)
- Catholic religious education integrated with core subjects
EFAC – French American School of Chicago
- Details
- A uniquely structured independent school housed entirely within two CPS buildings, where students move between French-language instruction and their regular CPS classes several times a day; the program aligns with the French Ministry of National Education's curriculum and offers an IB diploma.
- Tuition
- $5,000
- Ages Served
- Elementary through high school (within district boundary, French-language-ready students only)
- Neighborhood
- Lincoln Park (housed within Abraham Lincoln Elementary and Lincoln Park High School)
Curricula
- French Ministry of National Education curriculum, integrated within Chicago Public Schools (CPS)
- IB Diploma option
Ogden International School of Chicago
- Details
- A public IB World School within Chicago Public Schools offering a continuous IB programme from ages 3 to 18; English is the primary language of instruction, with Spanish offered at East and Jenner campuses and both Spanish and French plus Mandarin (PYP level) at West Campus.
- Tuition
- $0.00
- Ages Served
- 3–18
- Neighborhood
- Near North Side / Lincoln Park (multi-campus: East, Jenner, West)
Curricula
- IB Primary Years Programme (K–5, East Campus)
- IB Middle Years Programme (6–10, Jenner Campus)
- IB Diploma Programme (11–12, West Campus)
DePaul College Prep
- Details
- A Catholic, coeducational college-prep high school sponsored by the Vincentians and affiliated with DePaul University, offering both a full IB Diploma track and an Individual Course Pathway for students who want select IB courses.
- Ages Served
- 14–18
- Neighborhood
- Avondale
Tuition
- Notes
- Specific current tuition figure was not found in the sources reviewed for this entry; contact the school directly for current rates.
Curricula
- IB World School — Full Diploma pathway
- Individual Course Pathway (non-full-diploma IB courses)
Daystar Academy
- Details
- An IB World School authorized across the full PK–12 continuum, described as faith-based and globally-minded, with technology, school supplies, and learning-excursion costs bundled into its program.
- Ages Served
- PK–12
- Neighborhood
- Chicago (exact campus location not confirmed in sources reviewed)
Tuition
- Notes
- Specific current tuition figure was not found in the sources reviewed for this entry.
Curricula
- IB programme, PK–12
- Faith-based, culturally-engaged curriculum
Notable Exclusions Due To Location
- Beacon Academy Chicago (IB Diploma/Career pathway, grades 9–12) — its main campus is in Evanston, a suburb north of the city, not within Chicago's core.
- Intercultural Montessori Language School (Spanish, Mandarin, Japanese dual-language immersion) — its campus is in Oak Park, a suburb west of Chicago, not within Chicago's core.
Homeschool Community Chicago
- Exists
- Yes
- Wider Chicagoland Note
- Beyond the city itself, a large number of additional co-ops and support groups (Christian, Catholic, and secular) operate in Chicago's suburbs (Oak Park, Beverly/Morgan Park, Barrington, Gurnee, etc.), which many Chicago-based homeschooling families also drive to for enrichment classes and field trips.
Groups Based In Chicago Proper
CUBS (Christians United for Better Schooling)
- Type
- Faith-based, parent-led co-op
- Location
- Chicago
- Note
- A Christian, parent-led co-op group; parents are expected to volunteer/help run sessions.
Chicago Homeschool Co-Op
- Type
- Secular, early-childhood-focused network
- Location
- Logan Square, Chicago
- Note
- For homeschooling families with at least one child under 6; meets twice a week — once for a field trip and once at a member's studio space in Logan Square.
Christian Home Educators Support System (CHESS)
- Type
- Faith-based support/co-op
- Location
- Chicago, plus Crete, Markham, Joliet (Cook and Will counties)
- Note
- Meets at a church location in the south-suburban Chicago area.
International Bilingual School Enrollment
- Overview
- Chicago's clearest true international/bilingual K-12 option is the Lycée Français de Chicago (French curriculum, PK-12), located in Lincoln Park. Most other 'international' options in Chicago are either CPS magnet/dual-language programs (public, no tuition, but a separate lottery-based process) or university-level international admissions, which are a different track entirely from K-12 family relocation.
- Waitlist Realism
- For the Lycée Français, most seats in a given grade are allocated during the main Oct-Feb cycle, so a family applying mid-year for immediate entry is realistically working against a much smaller pool of space-available/rolling openings rather than the main applicant pool. Re-enrollment of current families is prioritized before new-family offers go out, which further tightens space in popular grades.
- Realistic Lead Time Recommendation
- For a September start, plan to submit a complete application by December-January of the prior school year; a family relocating and applying only 1-3 months before their intended start date should expect to be told 'waitlist or space-available only' for the most popular grades, especially PK-2 and any single-track secondary grades.
Required Documents Typical
- Completed online application
- Report cards/transcripts from the past three school years (where available)
- Current teacher recommendation form (submitted via the application platform)
- Group or individual academic assessment (for PK-8 applicants)
- Parent interview with the admissions team
- For financial aid: FACTS needs-analysis application plus supporting tax documents, on a separate, earlier deadline track
Typical Application Timeline Lycee
- Cycle Opens
- Online applications open October 1 of the year before the desired September entry.
- Application Fee
- $155
- Pk To 8 Deadline
- December 31
- Rolling Component
- Outside the main cycle, admissions run on a rolling, space-available basis, and decisions on rolling applications are issued once a completed application is reviewed.
- Decision Notification
- New-student acceptance notifications are issued in late February (e.g., Feb 27 for the 2026-27 cycle), with enrollment/deposit decisions due about 1-2 weeks later (e.g., March 9).
- Grades 9 To 12 Deadline
- January 15
- Assessments And Interviews
- PK-8 admissions assessments run January-February; the school may request an interview at any grade level.
Public School Alternative For Foreign Families
- Path
- Chicago Public Schools (CPS) is the practical default for most relocating foreign families who don't specifically want a tuition-based international curriculum, since it's tuition-free and has a dedicated intake process for newcomers.
- Language Assessment
- A state language-proficiency test is administered on enrollment to determine whether the student needs ESL support.
- Cps Newcomer Document Requirements
- CPS's International-Newcomer Student Services evaluates foreign secondary credentials for grades 9-12; families must schedule an appointment and submit official report cards/transcripts listing subjects and final grades for each year of high school, plus the student's birth certificate and/or passport. Elementary-age students are generally enrolled based on age rather than a credential evaluation.
- Note On Timing
- CPS neighborhood-school enrollment has no application deadline and can generally be done at any point in the year; CPS's competitive/magnet 'Choice' and Selective Enrollment programs (via GoCPS), by contrast, run on a fixed fall-application, spring-notification cycle with rolling waitlists that update for months afterward — foreign families arriving mid-year are effectively limited to neighborhood-school or rolling-waitlist options for the competitive programs.
Homeschooling Legality Illinois
- Legal Basis
- Homeschooling is legal in Illinois under the Illinois Compulsory Attendance Law (105 ILCS 5/26-1) and the 1950 Illinois Supreme Court case People v. Levisen, which established that a home school qualifies as a private school under state law.
- Legal Status
- Fully legal and regulated
- Burden Of Proof
- Illinois places the burden on parents to be able to show, if asked by the regional superintendent, that their home instruction meets the Section 26-1 standard; oversight in practice is minimal, as Illinois has among the lowest regulatory/monitoring requirements of any US state for homeschooling.
- Core Requirement
- Parents must provide instruction, in English, in the same 'branches of education' taught at the corresponding age/grade in public schools: language arts, mathematics, biological and physical science, social science, fine arts, and physical development and health.
- Testing And Calendar
- No standardized testing is required by state statute, and there is no state-mandated minimum number of instructional hours or days for private/home schools.
- Teacher Qualifications
- No teaching license or minimum education level is required of the parent/instructor; under Illinois law only public-school teachers must be state-certified.
- Registration And Notification
- According to the Illinois State Board of Education's own homeschooling page, the state does not require parents to register before starting homeschooling, and there is a voluntary (not mandatory) registration form; ISBE nonetheless recommends notifying the local public school by dated letter to avoid a truancy referral, since there is no formal state-mandated notification procedure.
- Pending Legislative Change Note
- A 2025 bill (HB2827, the proposed 'Homeschool Act') would have added state oversight and registration requirements for homeschooling families, but it had not been enacted into law as of the most recent information available, following large-scale public opposition including from Chicago-area families.
AI-generated estimateData refreshed July 2026
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Data last updated July 2026 · Verify anything important.