Director’s Welcome

Welcome to the International School of Lyon! I am delighted you have made your way to our website and hope you will find all the information you need within its pages.

ISL is a thriving, community-minded IB World School situated in a pleasant suburb just a short drive or bus journey away from the centre of the beautiful city of Lyon, recently voted the second best place to live and work in France in a national newspaper survey.

Founded in 2004, ISL, an independent school offering the only full English-medium curriculum in Lyon, continues to grow and flourish. We value diversity (over 330 students aged 3-18 of 47 different nationalities) and cultivate inclusion through holistic, student-centered programs of study that balance academic success with individual growth and fulfillment. The school is housed in a purpose-built building in its own green and spacious grounds and is at present in the final stages of an extensive refurbishment project to enhance the premises and improve our students’ learning.

The variety of family backgrounds and commitments mean we have long-term students alongside those here on a shorter-term basis, but the lifelong friendships that students make with each other help carry them through the transitions of their education into the globalized world for which an IB education prepares them so well. The school’s vision, Building Our Best Selves, is the embodiment of our philosophy, be it in academics with excellent external examination results in IB DP and IGCSE, in personal development through the focus on the IB Learner Profile and internationally-minded human interaction and relationships, so essential to self-improvement and readiness for today’s complex world.

Staff in ISL are passionate, highly qualified and experienced practitioners who enjoy the sharing of good practice within a culture of ongoing professional development. The combined satisfaction of working in a safe and nurturing educational environment and the Lyonnais life-style makes for a very stable team, with turnover well under average for an international setting. Teachers work closely with parents to support student needs, and the Parent Teacher Association in turn shows boundless energy and dedication in its support of the school and its different communities and activities.

ISL highly values its close working partnership with parents. Indeed, community and family are integral to our success as we live, grow and learn together.

As you browse the pages of our website, I hope you get a deeper feel for who we are as a learning community. I myself feel privileged and lucky to lead such a happy and successful school and would love to show you round. In-person visits can be arranged with the office but in the meantime, please join my predecessor, Donna Philip, on a virtual tour of our campus.

I hope to meet you and your children very soon!

With warm regards,

David Johnson, ISL Director