Good to know
Good to Know
- The two most sought-after schools — International School of Dakar (ISD) and Lycée Français Jean Mermoz — run waitlists, so families relocating to Dakar are typically advised to apply up to 12 months before their intended start date.
- ISD sets its tuition in US dollars; if you pay in CFA francs the school converts at a rate it sets weekly, so expect some fluctuation versus a fixed USD budget.
- Beyond headline tuition, expect extra mandatory costs almost everywhere: application/registration fees, ISD's one-time Capital Development Fee, and — where offered — separate charges for English-as-an-Additional-Language or French-support programmes.
- Dakar's traffic is a real factor: a commute that looks short on a map can stretch past an hour at rush hour, so many families choose their neighborhood around their school choice (ISD is on the coast near Fenêtre Mermoz/Almadies; Mermoz is more central on Avenue Cheikh Anta Diop).
- If budget is a bigger constraint than English-medium instruction, bilingual/budget-tier schools (e.g. École franco-sénégalaise) run at a fraction of the cost of ISD or Mermoz, but with French as the dominant language of instruction.
- Popular international schools in Dakar (especially ISD's elementary grades and BISD, which has very small class caps) commonly run waitlists — apply as early as you have a firm move date rather than waiting until you land.
- If you want your child in Lycée Jean Mermoz's American International Section, note the entrance test registration window is short (roughly February-March for the following school year) and requires passing an admission test, not just submitting paperwork.
- Homeschooling has no formal legal recognition or registration process in Senegal — it's neither explicitly banned nor regulated, so families are essentially on their own for curriculum choice and record-keeping.
- We could not confirm a real, organized homeschooling community/co-op in Dakar specifically — don't assume one exists; check current expat groups locally rather than planning around an assumed support network.
Schools And Curricula
International School of Dakar (ISD)
- Founded
- 1983
- Curriculum
- IB continuum (Primary Years Programme for PreK3–Grade 5, Middle Years Programme for Grades 6–10, Diploma Programme for Grades 11–12); English-medium with some French offered
- Neighborhood
- Fenêtre Mermoz / near Almadies, on the Atlantic coast
- Enrollment Approx
- 780
- Notes
- Tuition is officially set in US dollars; families paying in CFA francs use a weekly exchange rate set by the school's Business Office. Full fee schedule by grade level available directly from the school. Considered the leading English-language international option in Dakar.
One Time And Annual Fees
- Application Fee New Students
- F CFA 150,000
- Reservation Fee Upon Acceptance
- F CFA 450,000
- Capital Development Fee New Students
- F CFA 4,800,000
Tuition Annual 2026 2027
- Grades 11 12
- F CFA 19,260,000
- Prekindergarten
- F CFA 7,200,000
Lycée Français Jean Mermoz
- Founded
- 1976
- Curriculum
- French national curriculum (AEFE-affiliated), Maternelle through Terminale, leading to the Diplôme National du Brevet and the Baccalauréat
- Neighborhood
- Avenue Cheikh Anta Diop (central Dakar)
- Enrollment Approx
- ~800 in elementary, ~1,700 in secondary
- Notes
- One of Dakar's most in-demand schools; along with ISD it runs a waitlist, and families are advised to apply up to 12 months ahead. French nationals resident abroad may qualify for AEFE-administered bursaries. The school's own detailed fee schedule was not directly accessible during this research, so the figures above are aggregator estimates rather than the school's published tariff.
Tuition Annual Estimate
- Primary Range
- F CFA 11,000,000
- Secondary IB Range
- F CFA 13,500,000
Dakar Academy
- Curriculum
- American curriculum, Christian international school
- Neighborhood
- Dakar area (specific district not independently confirmed)
- Notes
- Runs a two-tier fee structure depending on whether the family has employer/corporate education-allowance support. Offers specialised services such as Speech-Language Pathology as a customised add-on.
Tuition Annual
- Grades K5 With Employer Support
- F CFA 8,670,000
- Grades 6 12 With Employer Support
- F CFA 11,025,000
- Grades K5 Without Employer Support
- F CFA 6,600,000
- Grades 6 12 Without Employer Support
- F CFA 7,920,000
Enko Dakar International School
- Founded
- 2017
- Curriculum
- IB Middle Years Programme (Grades 7–11) and IB Diploma Programme (Grades 12–13); part of the pan-African Enko Education network; bilingual, secular, co-educational day school
- Neighborhood
- Dakar (part of Enko's Francophone-Africa network)
- Notes
- The first IB candidate school in Senegal to offer the Middle Years Programme. Fee schedule allows single upfront payment or 3-installment plan.
- Student Body Note
- Mostly Senegalese student body
Fees
- New Student Registration After June30
- F CFA 250,000
- New Student Registration Before June30
- F CFA 200,000
- Returning Student Reregistration After June30
- F CFA 175,000
- Returning Student Reregistration Before June30
- F CFA 150,000
Tuition Annual
- Kindergarten
- F CFA 1,599,000
ÉCole Franco-sénégalaise (EFS)
- Curriculum
- Franco-Senegalese bilingual curriculum, with individualized learning plans for students with particular learning needs (EBP)
- Neighborhood
- Dakar (budget/mid-tier option)
- Tuition Annual Foreign Students
- F CFA 1,100,000
- Notes
- One of the more affordable bilingual options for expat families willing to consider a school with a strong local/Senegalese-French character rather than a fully English-medium international campus.
Fees
- Mandatory Supply Fee
- F CFA 75,000
- Annual Registration Fee
- F CFA 150,000
International Bilingual School Dakar
- Founded
- 2009
- Curriculum
- Senegalese curriculum enriched with British and American elements; leads to SAT and IGCSE examinations
- Neighborhood
- Liberté 6 Extension, near the VDN highway
- Enrollment Approx
- Over 200 students, kindergarten through high school
- Notes
- Class sizes capped at 25 with a qualified teacher plus assistant per class. Detailed published tuition figures were not found during this research — contact the school directly for its current fee schedule.
Enrollment And Homeschooling
- General Application Timing
- Most of Dakar's international/bilingual schools use rolling, year-round admissions rather than a single hard deadline, but popular grades (especially early elementary) fill up and go to a waitlist, so applying 6-12 months before the desired start (i.e. as soon as a relocation date is known, ideally by January-February for a September start) is the realistic safe window.
Schools
International School of Dakar (ISD)
- Curriculum
- English-medium, IB World School (PYP/MYP/DP), Pre-K to Grade 12
- Location Area
- Mermoz neighborhood, near the Corniche
- Waitlist Reality
- ISD has experienced significant growth in recent years, and it is not uncommon to have waiting lists for some grades, particularly in Elementary School, so families are strongly encouraged to apply as early as possible.
- Admissions Notes
- ISD has a rolling admissions policy and begins accepting applications for the next school year on January 1. When a grade level is filled, a wait list is established, and being on the wait list is not a guarantee of a space. Priority order when spots open is: children of ISD faculty/staff, children of US government employees in Senegal, siblings of current students, children of diplomats/international organizations/businesses, transfers from other English-speaking international schools, then students currently in a local school; within a category it is first-come-first-served by completed-application date.
- Documents And Fees Note
- A non-refundable USD 250 application fee is required with the application, plus a USD 750 reservation fee upon acceptance (credited against tuition) and a one-time USD 8,000 Capital Development Fee for new students Pre-K through Grade 12.
- Application Fee USD Only Note
- Fees are quoted and paid in USD by the school itself; no separate CFA franc pricing is published for these admissions fees.
Lycée Français Jean Mermoz (AEFE French National School)
- Curriculum
- French national curriculum (maternelle through terminale); also hosts an American International Section
- Location Area
- Ouakam neighborhood
- Practical Note
- Because this is a large AEFE network school with high local demand from French and Senegalese families, spaces per grade are limited and popular levels can fill before the official cutoff, so early contact with the relevant secretariat is advised.
- Admissions Notes
- Enrollment is handled online through the Eduka platform, routed to a separate secretariat for primaire, collège, or lycée depending on the child's level; a completed file is reviewed within about 15 days of receipt, and if accepted, families get a confirmation plus next steps (for French nationals, a final step runs through the French Embassy's platform).
- International Section Note
- Entry to the American International Section requires passing a dedicated admission test; the registration window for that test campaign typically opens in February and closes in March for the following school year, with test fees due (non-refundable) to confirm the registration.
British International School Dakar (BISD)
- Curriculum
- British curriculum, currently Nursery/Reception/Primary levels (secondary in development)
- Class Size Note
- Admission is described as highly competitive because class sizes are kept very small (max 8 in Nursery/Reception, max 12 in Years 1-6), so early registration is recommended.
- Admissions Notes
- BISD operates a year-round admissions policy with no formal deadline; if a class is full, children go on a waitlist and the school makes contact as space opens.
- Documents And Fees Note
- Required documents include a passport-size photo, the child's passport data page or birth certificate, and a parent/guardian ID copy, plus a non-refundable USD 250 application fee.
Enko Dakar International School
- Curriculum
- IB continuum (PYP, MYP from Grade 6-11, DP in Grades 11-12), bilingual English/French; accredited by Senegal's Ministry of Education and the IB
- Class Size Note
- Class sizes are capped at 24 students.
- Admissions Notes
- The process starts with an online contact form or a school visit; schools in this network typically respond within about 5 business days, and a tour is generally encouraged before committing to apply.
International Bilingual School Dakar
- Curriculum
- Senegalese curriculum enriched with British/American elements, leading to SAT and IGCSE exams; kindergarten through high school
- Location Area
- Liberté 6 Extension, near the VDN highway
- Admissions Notes
- Admissions for the following school year begin in June; class sizes are capped around 25 students, making spaces competitive, and applying early with direct contact to the school office is advised.
Homeschooling
- Legal Status
- Decriminalized or tolerated
- Local Community
- No documented, established homeschooling co-op, support group, or meetup specifically for Dakar could be confirmed in available sources. Expat-oriented country guides describe homeschooling in Senegal only in general terms, without pointing to a specific local group, so families should not assume one exists on arrival — worth checking expat Facebook/WhatsApp groups directly once in-country rather than expecting a formal co-op.
- Legal Status Detail
- Homeschooling is not specifically written into Senegalese education law one way or the other. There is no explicit statute banning it, but the national system is built entirely around traditional school attendance, so there is no formal registration, oversight, or recognition process for home education.
- Practical Notes
- Families who homeschool in Senegal do so outside any official framework; parents should keep their own records of curriculum and progress in case a child later needs to re-enter the local or an international school system, or apply to universities abroad. Some expat families use accredited online K-12 programs from their home country rather than a purely self-designed curriculum.
Documents Commonly Requested
- Completed application form (usually via an online portal specific to the school)
- Copy of child's passport / birth certificate
- Passport-size photo of the child
- Copy of parent/guardian ID or passport
- Previous school records/transcripts (for transfer students)
- Non-refundable application fee (commonly USD 250 at the English-medium schools)
AI-generated estimateData refreshed September 2026
This section has no cited sources.
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Data last updated September 2026 · Verify anything important.