[4] The school was staffed by teachers and Protestant academics from Alsace[5] who came to France after the annexation of Alsace-Lorraine by Germany during the Franco-Prussian War.

[4] The new school was an establishment for secondary education[5] based on the model of the Jean Sturm Gymnasium, with the ambition of "producing a type of man who was cultivated, and combines the virtues of the regional soul with the general qualities of the humanist".

Among the ten or so members of the first administrative board were no more than three Catholics, and from the beginning the school had, according to historian André Encrevé, a clear Protestant flavor.

Students from the École alsacienne often come from amongst the most privileged sectors of society, due to their selection and admission policies, and its geographic location.

[10] However, thanks to its scholarship system and due to the limited price of admission, it has maintained a relative social diversity, with strong attendance from the middle class.