Guides · Updated
For French-speaking families abroad, there are two main ways to follow the French curriculum remotely: CNED, and online French schools that offer live classes, such as OFA Lycée. Both follow the French curriculum, but the student experience is very different.
CNED in a nutshell
CNED (Centre national d'enseignement à distance) is France's public distance-learning provider. It delivers the official curriculum through online courses, resources and assignments. Most of the work relies on the student's independence, often with a parent's help. It suits very independent students, or families who need a full-time French education entirely at a distance.
An online French school with live classes
A school like OFA Lycée works like a real school, just online: teachers give live classes at set times to small groups of students. There is class life, regular assessments, report cards, parent-teacher meetings and individual follow-up. In OFA Lycée's words, it is not a library of recorded lessons but a school in its own right.
Side-by-side comparison
- Format: mostly asynchronous self-study with CNED; live classes in small groups (4 to 8 students) at OFA Lycée.
- Support: with CNED, parents often act as tutors; at OFA Lycée, a teacher and an academic advisor follow each student.
- Fit with local school: CNED is designed as a full curriculum; OFA Lycée is designed to complement American or international school (dual simultaneous schooling) by building on what students already learn.
- Diplomas: in both cases students can prepare for the Brevet and the Baccalauréat; OFA Lycée also offers its own diploma, the OFA Lycée Bilingual High School Diploma (Cognia-accredited school).
- Social life: little interaction between students in a self-study format; at OFA Lycée, students join a community of more than 400 students in 34 US states and 8 countries.
- Social-emotional learning: OFA Lycée includes a social-emotional development program in its tuition.
Which student profile fits which option?
- CNED suits a very independent student with a parent available to help, who needs a full-time French education.
- An online school with live classes suits a student who learns better with a teacher and a group, and who already attends a local school (American, Canadian, international).
- It also works for students with non-traditional schedules (high-level sports, arts) thanks to the more flexible OFA Lycée Track.
Questions to ask before you choose
- How many live classes per week, and with how many students?
- Who are the teachers? Are they certified, and do they know both systems?
- Is the school accredited or recognized (Cognia, French National Education curriculum, ANEFE)?
- Do class times work with your time zone?
- What are the exam results (Brevet, Baccalauréat)?